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2014/06/02

Newsletter 1-2014

Pilgrim Crossing Borders

Dear participants and supporters,

Thank you for joining and for supporting Pilgrims Crossing Borders. 45 participants have so far (3 June 2014) signed up to take part in this pilgrim relay from Norway to the Holy Land.

Our participants come from from Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, UK, USA and Norway. The international participation is promising.

The distance from Trondheim to Rome is approximately 3000 kilometers (walking distance), while the distance from Rome to Jerusalem is 2300 kilometers (air distance). Fortunately, we have many participants and enough time to reach our destination. A pilgrim staff and a diary will follow us all the way to Jerusalem. All participants in the relay, regardless of the length of their walk, will receive a pdf version of our diary when it is complete.

The pilgrimage will start off  Wednesday 22 April 2015 from Trondheim/Nidaros. Our route follows the old pilgrim way to Oslo – where the group will continue onwards to Larvik to take the ferry bound for Hirtshals in Denmark. The relay continues along Hærvejen – the pilgrim way through Jutland (Jylland) – to Padborg near the border between Denmark and Germany. Pilgrims from Jacobi Kirche in Hamburg will meet us at Bov kirke in Padborg to take over the pilgrim staff and diary 21 June. The pilgrim relay continues with participants from many countries.

After one and a half week walk in Germany, the group will reach Hamburg where there will be an exchange of the pilgrim staff. The pilgrims from Jacobi Kirche will hand  the pilgrim staff over to a group of pilgrims from the Friends of the Via RomeaStadensis. They will maske their way through Germany to the Austrian border where fellow pilgrims have volunteered to carry the staff through Austria to the Brenner Pass. Here we  will meet participants from the Club Alpino Italiano who will join us part of the way toward Rome. Members of the Via Romea Germanica will walk with us from Ravenna to Rome, where we’ll have a day of rest and celebration. There will be a concert for pilgrims Thursday 15 October (2015) with music by the Trondheim Soloists in Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi. More details re. this event  will be published on our blog (this blog). All participants and supporters are cordially invited to attend the concert.

Our Walk in the Holy Land
We  will take a plane from Rome to the Holy Land around mid-October 2015. Once there, we will follow this trail: Nazareth – Sebastia – Nablus – Ariel – Aboud – Jifna – Jerusalem.  The distance is approximately 170 km, and we expect to be on our way for 10 days. Estimated time of arrival in Jerusalem is yet to be decided (ultimo October 2015). Those who wish, may choose to continue on a pilgrim walk from Jerusalem via Bethlehem and Jericho to the Jordan valley, an excursion that will take 3- 4 days.  Dates and details will follow.

Tolerance, respect, freedom and solidarity
Pilgrims Crossing Borders is an international project made possible thanks to voluntary efforts by pilgrims and pilgrims’ associations. A Guiding Vision for our walk is inspired by the following Declaration:

“May the faith which has inspired pilgrims throughout history, uniting them in a common aspiration and transcending national differences and interests, inspire us today, and young people in particular, to travel along these routes in order to build a society founded on tolerance, respect for others, freedom and solidarity.” 
(Declaration of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe)

All the participants – from Nidaros to Roma and Jerusalem – are encouraged to contribute a brief text about their day's walk in the diary, which will accompany the staff. A blog will also be set up where we will publish reports and pictures. All participants and volunteer helpers will receive a .pdf version of the final diary after the walk has been completed (i.e. a computer file with a scanned version of the diary in Adobe format).

We are looking forward to our long walk with you, and also to making friends with “peregrini” near and far. You will find an updated itinerary, a map of our route and contact details on our blog picrobo.blogspot.no

Questions and queries are always welcome. Do feel free to share this newsletter.


Kind regards,


Alberto Alberti
The Gruppo dei Dodici
Italy
Stein Thue
The Pilgrim Confraternity of St. Olav
Norway

Rodolfo Valenti
Chairman of the Via Romea Germanica
Italy

Andreas Memmert
Chairman of the Via Romea Stadensis
Germany

Einar Vegge
Pilgrim Pastor
Diocese of Nidaros
Norway

Elisabeth Lidell
Pilgrim Pastor
Diocese of Aarhus
Denmark


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