Pilgrimage of Mercy to the Holy Land - an Open Stewardship Campaign
Establishing a Community Outreach Initiative
5 days in Jerusalem, 1 day in Bethlehem & 2 days in Galilee, 9th day returning to Tel Aviv and then Chicago.
Call for Participation by Gus Zuehlke:
Many people are asking me about the upcoming Pilgrimage of Mercy, which I am helping to organize in the Holy Land for this November (2016).
WHY A PILGRIMAGE OF MERCY?
Pope Francis has called for a Year of Mercy from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016. Pope Francis' announcement of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy calls for pilgrimages as journeys of personal discovery and conversion; dialogue between the major world religions, especially Christianity, Judaism and Islam; and a quest for greater justice for the poor and marginalized.
This pilgrimage will build on the Peace Retreat that I organized in Champion, Wisconsin last September (2015), titled “Healing America's Wounds: A Moral.Vision of Reconciliation.” That retreat was inspired by the example of Father Hesburgh, whose death in February 2015 precipitated in me a desire to respond to his life by gathering people whose communities were riven by violence and who needed to reconcile, including those from beleaguered cities in the United States, as well as from Israel/Palestine.
Tom Marentette, one of the participants in that Peace Retreat wrote:
Through the dialog centered on peace and reconciliation, with topics such as race relations in the United States to peace-building in northern Uganda to Palestinian-Israeli relations in the Middle East ….so many of the conversations were so deeply personal and touching, that I prefer not to share them here. But know this, it seems at every impasse or solution, we focused on common ground and our collective and shared humanity. We are all brothers and sisters on this big blue ball hurtling through space, and I think if we can all focus on our shared humanity we may all just get along a little better. I learned a lot about forgiveness and the enormous capacity for human beings to forgive violence and deep pain and suffering on a scale I could never imagine.
Face to Face Fine Art has agreed to sponsor and participate in this pilgrimage as part of their mission. Face to Face is a northwest Indiana nonprofit organization that serves the families of people who have died suddenly, tragically, or unexpectedly, by gifting them with an original portrait of the loved one to aid the healing and bereavement process, Face to Face has accepted the plan to go to the Holy Land and present portraits to bereaved families on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as a work of mercy in the Year of Mercy.
Finally, current tragic and divisive events in many parts of the United States, as well as the world, especially parts of the Middle East, seem to cry out that we need to celebrate and practice mercy.
WHAT WILL WE DO TO GROW IN MERCY ON THE PILGRIMAGE? HOW WILL WE WITNESS TO MERCY?
Through talks, discussions, and conversations, we will encounter and reflect on the truths of mercy exemplified by the events and narratives connected with the holy sites of the Holy Land.
Archbishop John the Baptist Odama from Gulu Archdiocese in Uganda (East Africa) will lead talks and discussions at the various sites. He will proclaim his powerful message of reconciliation that enabled him to graciously stop a 23 year hot war of insurgency between the Lord's Resistance Army (Joseph Kony) and the Ugandan government, bringing peace to his ravaged land.
Face to Face is planning to commemorate with portraits up to 30 victims lost to violence on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The pilgrimage will be structured around the delivery of these portraits to families in the Holy Land. We will be able to meet the bereaved families and encounter them as afflicted children of God. The first several recipients have already been identified, and Mrs. Anne Jones, the principal artist, is in the process of creating these portraits.
As we travel through the Holy Land, we also hope to engage local faith and community leaders in conversations in order to gain insights regarding the conditions and needs of the region. We hope to build relationships with local leaders and look for ways that we can support their work.
WHEN AND WHERE?
This Pilgrimage of Mercy will take place from November 9-19, 2016.
We will be traveling as a group from Chicago to Tel Aviv. From there we will be transported to Jerusalem, where will spend 5 nights. We will have visits to the principal Christian holy sites of the Jerusalem area, as well as seeing the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock. There will also be 2 free days for rest, recreation, personal exploration and/or prayer.
On the 6th day, we will go to Bethlehem and visit sites in that area.
On the 7th day, we will travel to Galilee, spending days 7 and 8 visiting sites in that area, as well as Masada and the Sea of Galilee.
On day 9, we return to the airport in Tel Aviv and fly home to Chicago.
The pilgrimage will cost about $2900 for each participant, including airfare, hotels, admission to the sites, and all breakfasts and dinners.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE PILGRIMAGE OF MERCY?
We want to welcome anyone, of any religion or none, who is seeking mercy for themselves and the world, and who cares to plant the seeds of mercy in the Holy Land. We are hoping to travel with a group of 25-30 participants.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For more information on the pilgrimage and a full itinerary, please contact Gus Zuehlke at gusaz@aol.com, or 574-287-2251 (please leave a message), or write to Gus Zuehlke at 134 S. Greenlawn Avenue, South Bend, IN 46617.
We will need a commitment and a deposit by September 9th. The balance of the payment will be required a few weeks before departure.