St. Luke’s youth on a recent walking pilgrimage in Italy, an experience which underscored the transformative nature walking – a seminal experience for May 4th’s Pilgrimage for Peace in Gaza
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is organizing an Interfaith Pilgrimage for Peace in Gaza walk from Mayville to Jamestown that will take place Saturday.
Reverend Jessica Frederick came up with the pilgrimage walk as way to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
She said, “The shoreline of Chautauqua Lake is roughly the length of the Gaza Strip. For perspective, Gaza is 141 square miles, less then one-tenth of the size of Chautauqua County – but with 2.5 million people on it. Palestinians have had to walk the length of Gaza, fleeing the violence of the war. It’s impossible to wrap one’s mind around. Now they have nowhere left to go. Why not walk that distance – the length of Gaza – locally, where we have the freedom to do so, to call for a ceasefire and to call for peace?”
The 22 mile interfaith peace walk will begin at Lakeside Park in Mayville at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, departing promptly at 7:30 a.m. The walking group plans to arrive at St. Luke’s in Jamestown by 5:00 p.m., where the day’s activities will conclude with interfaith prayers and reflection.
People of all ages and abilities are welcome to get involved with participants welcome to walk all or some of the trip. A support vehicle will be available for those who are not able to walk the full 22 miles. Additionally, the walk includes planned rest breaks every four to six miles along the way.
Community members may also donate in support of the peace walk, with all proceeds going to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. The Diocese of Jerusalem runs Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, which treats patients regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay. To give online, visit https://tinyurl.com/GazaWalk and select “Gaza Relief” in the drop down menu. Checks may be made to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, with “Gaza Relief” in the memo line.
For questions or more information, call the church office at 716-483-6405 or email the Rev. Jessica Frederick at jessica.frederick@stlukesjamestown.org.
This is a worthy effort to provide humanitarian aid and awareness. But I think we all need to remember that had Hamas not attacked Israel, none of the horrors in Gaza would be happening (to say nothing of the horrors that have taken place in Israel).