As the Israel-Hamas war continues and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens with famine spreading, people in Ottawa have an opportunity to walk in the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage on May 22.
Organized by Kairos, an ecumenical social justice organization, the initiative “aims to be a pilgrimage of churches in Canada as [they] walk or wheel/roll in solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis on the road to justice and peace.”
Those who wish to participate will gather at Minto Park (near St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church at Elgin and Somerset streets) at 8 am with opening prayers at 8:30 am. They will walk to Parliament Hill for a vigil to take place at 10 am with prayers and reflections from church leaders. Bishop Andrew Asbil of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto will take part in the pilgrimage.
After the vigil, representatives of Kairos member churches will also meet with parliamentarians on the afternoon of May 22 and on May 23 “to amplify the collective calls of Palestinian and Israeli partners, their congregations, communities of faith and Canadians for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.”
The pilgrimage is a part of a global movement. Particularly during Lent this year, many churches, congregations and communities of faith made efforts to prayerfully walk part or the full length of the Gaza strip in solidarity with all those suffering through the war.
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