DURHAM, N.C. – Friars Jacek Orzechowski and David McBriar next month will be leading a Franciscan pilgrimage to the Holy Land.The 17 pilgrims who will be participating in the program organized by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, are from the Province’s parishes in Raleigh, Durham and Camden.
Between March 3 and March 17, they will visit the holy sites in Israel, the Palestinian Occupied Territories and in Jordan. They will also meet with the local Christian communities, “the Living Stones,” and look into ways of building bridges of hope and solidarity with the faith communities in the Holy Land.
“I’m so excited about this special pilgrimage,“ Jacek said. “This gives us a unique opportunity to act on the Franciscan Pre-emptive Peacemaking Proposal from the Chapter of 2005.”
This proposal, set in the context of the approaching 800th Anniversary of the Founding of the Franciscan Order, states: “In today’s globalized world and the current context of violence, Franciscan peacemaking will likely have to include … reflection upon U.S. policy and our own Franciscan involvement in the Holy Land.“
“As a group of Franciscan peacemakers, we set out to the Holy Land with a prayer: ‘Lord, open our eyes, we want to see.’ And we look forward to sharing that with you,” said Jacek.
Space is available for one more participant in the pilgrimage. Anyone interested in joining the group should contact Jacek at jacekofm2002@yahoo.com