Pilgrimage to the American South
June 18-22, 2025
For the culminating event of the Diocese of Newark’s 150th Anniversary, Bishop Hughes and 41 pilgrims will be on a powerful pilgrimage through Alabama, retracing the footsteps of history and the brave souls who fought for civil rights.
Their pilgrimage includes:
- the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, site of the 1963 bombing that killed four young Black girls;
- the three Legacy Sites in Montgomery: The Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Justice and Peace, and Freedom Sculpture Park;
- the Jonathon Daniels Memorial in Hayneville;
- the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, the site of Bloody Sunday in 1965, which spurred the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year.
The pilgrims gathered last month – both in-person and online – to prepare for the pilgrimage. BILL CRUSE PHOTO
Follow the pilgrimage online
During the pilgrimage, photos will be posted on the diocesan Facebook page and Instagram feed.
Afterwards, full coverage will be included in the June 25 issue of The VOICE Online.
Pray for – and with – the pilgrims
The pilgrims invite the diocesan family to support them by beginning each day with the following prayer, adapted from an Episcopal Litany for Social Justice:
Siblings: God commands us through Jesus Christ to love one another. In baptism, we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves and to strive for justice and peace, and respect the dignity of every human being. Let us now honor those vows as we prepare for this sacred journey and for the needs of others throughout our country and the world. We pray for continued blessings on all peacemakers, on leaders who value peace, and on everyone who promotes nonviolent solutions to conflict. We pray for a speedy end to all violence and warfare around the world. Amen.
At each site there will be time for reflection, meditation and prayer – and friends at home are invited to pray along with the pilgrims. This resource includes the prayers and liturgies the pilgrims will use. Note that the Prayers for Love, Justice and Liberation on pages 1 and 2 were developed, as a group, by the pilgrims themselves.
