Lent is a time for pilgrimage, a journey that includes confronting and rebuking, as Jesus did in the wilderness, the temptations of power, idolatry, and empire. Christian groups, in the U.S. and globally, are taking that journey to heart this Lent, through organized pilgrimages advocating for peace and immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Pilgrimage for Peace: Feb. 14-21

By the time you read this, many faith leaders, activists, and artists will have already started their Pilgrimage for Peace walking, over the course of one week (Feb. 14-21), from Independence Hall, Philadelphia to the White House in Washington, D.C. Participants are embodying the spirit and practice of Frederick Douglas who said, “Praying for freedom never did me any good ‘til I started praying with my feet,” and of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who, after the Selma March, said, “I prayed with my feet.” Endorsed by several organizations including the National Council of Churches, the Pilgrimage for Peace has this message for President Biden: Call for an end to the war on Palestine, halt military funding to Israel, and channel funds desperately needed for humanitarian aid for Palestine. UCC PIN steering committee members Linda Noonan and Loren McGrail are joining portions of this pilgrimage. Learn about how you can support and participate 
here. To view a video of the opening program for the Pilgrimage for Peace, go here. (The photos, above and below by Loren McGrail, are from the start of the pilgrimage.)

Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage:

a Via Dolorosa of Solidarity

The Philly to D.C. Pilgrimage for Peace is part of the larger global organizing, Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, a network of autonomous Christian groups in cities and communities around the globe who, in a prayerful show of solidarity with Palestinians, are walking the equivalent of the length of the Gaza strip during Lent. As Jarrod McKenna, one of the organizers and founding CEO of Common Grace explains, “The power of the pilgrimage is to allow the geography of the horror happening in Gaza to become real in our home cities."

To join a pilgrimage already being planned in other parts of the U.S. or to host one, go to the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage website here.