Pilgrimage for Peace
“The world would be a paradise of peace and justice if global citizens shared a common definition of love which would guide our thoughts and action.” -bell hooks
At Faith Matters Network, our mission is to heal the healers – and this moment in our global history calls for so much healing. Across the world, from Gaza to Ukraine to Congo and the Sudan, parents are putting their children to bed at night afraid as to whether they will wake up safe in the morning.
Over the past few months, we have borne witness to the pain in our communities and also our vision for the society we deserve. Many of our staff have been involved with various movements for peace and justice in the midst of so much crisis.
Recently, one of those efforts was to accompany the Pilgrimage for Peace, a multi-faith coalition for peace in Gaza which organized a prayerful march from Philadelphia to Washington, DC in February. Hundreds of people from diverse faith backgrounds walked from city to city to call for a ceasefire. Soon after, representatives from the Pilgrimage for Peace met with Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Biden Administration started using “ceasefire” language for the first time in their own policies.
Started by Faith for Black Lives, the Pilgrimage for Peace brought together a wide range of multi-faith partners including Rabbis for Ceasefire, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Hindus for Human Rights, and local chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to accomplish an arduous journey by foot. Along the way, faith communities hosted the walkers– who dined together, participated in rituals together, and built long-lasting relationships and friendships. Now, local pilgrimages in other parts of the country are taking place inspired by the initial walk, including one recently completed in Western Massachusetts.
Faith Matters Network has been proud to support the Pilgrimage for Peace through coordinating Movement Chaplaincy for the walk from Philadelphia to D.C. and we celebrate the ongoing work of the coalition. In preparation for the pilgrimage, we also prepared a resource guide for community care for non-violent direct action. We have adapted this guide for use by our whole network– whether you are engaged in efforts for peace across the world or justice movements in your own neighborhood, workplace, schools, and local community. Please share this far and wide! Click below to download the PDF guide.
