Return from Pilgrimage
by David Ball
SCM General Secretary
We’re back from Pilgrimage. Twelve young adults – from Camrose (AB), Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton and Kitchener-Waterloo (ON), Winnipeg (MB), Portland (OR) and Bridgeport (CT) – journeyed together to the School of Assassins protest and vigil at Fort Benning, Georgia. Joining thousands at the gates of this US army base responsible for the deaths and torture of hundreds of thousands throughout Latin America, our road-trip served even more importantly to highlight communities that are active in spiritual activism.
I can only describe the experience as profound, intense and very, very meaningful. We built a deep sense of community in our pilgrim crew. We sung out the names of tens of thousands murdered and disappeared. We carried our crosses to the gates of the base. We were inspired by activists along the route who shared their time, homes and wisdom with us. We shared glimpses of our lives with each other along the way – and celebrated our diversity of backgrounds, theologies, education and experiences.
Read more about this year’s Pilgrimage and see pictures from the pilgrims!
