Pilgrimage for Peace is set for Good Friday

Faith and activist groups in Pulaski County will join in a Pilgrimage for Peace to mourn victims of violence and pray for peace on Good Friday.

The pilgrimage will start at 1:15 p.m. Friday in front of Heifer International at 1 World Ave. in Little Rock. Walkers will pass by the Clinton Presidential Center, through the River Market and cross the Junction Bridge. The walk will end at the Beacon of Peace and Hope at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, located on the northern banks of the Arkansas River.

Organizer Caroline Stevenson said a program of remembrance will be held at the beacon at 2 p.m. and will include a silent vigil, prayers, reflections from Scripture and literature. The names of homicide victims in Pulaski County from the past year will also be read.

“Too often these are the victims that are forgotten, except for family and friends,” Stevenson said. “We believe we all share a responsibility to remember and to overcome the violence and numbness that surround these terrible events; the loss of any life in such a manner is deplorable. We hope this recognition observance will strengthen our faith and resolve as we join with others in saying ‘with God’s help, we must do better.’”

Groups participating so far include the Episcopal Peace Fellowship of Arkansas, the Quaker Meeting of Little Rock, Arkansas Women’s Action for New Directions, Just Communities of Arkansas, the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. Also participating are Interfaith Arkansas, Arkansas Justice for Our Neighbors, the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, Church of Peace, Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light and Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation. Stevenson said she expects more groups to join in by the time the event steps off.

Stevenson said Good Friday, the day Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus, seemed to be an appropriate day to address violence. Although scheduled on a Christian holy day, the event is interfaith, she said and will include participants of many faiths.

The public is welcome to participate. Stevenson said signs and banners will be provided to those taking part in the pilgrimage. Those unable to make the walk can meet at the Beacon of Peace and Hope, at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, 120 Riverfront Park Drive, North Little Rock, for the remembrance service. Transportation back to Heifer International will also be available.

Information is available by calling (501) 224-1442, Extension 107 or online at pilgrimageforpeace.com.

Religion, Pages 13 on 04/12/2014

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