CV NEWS FEED // The annual “Walk with Mary” pilgrimage in Washington, D.C. centers around the theme “a call for peace” this year, especially focused on interceding for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine.
As pilgrims walk through the streets of Washington, D.C. on December 9 from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, they will pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for her intercession to end conflict throughout the world.
The Archdiocese of Washington’s newspaper the Catholic Standard reported that this year the pilgrims are “called to pray to the Virgin Mary to intercede in the resolution of war in the Middle East and Ukraine.”
“We are all called to be peacemakers in our homes, workplaces, and communities,” Washington Auxiliary Bishop Menjívar told the Catholic Standard:
Each one, to the extent that they live together, share and work in harmony and respect with people of diverse cultures, creeds and races, is contributing to building a more pacifist and just world. Especially as Christians, we are called to live this way to deserve to be called children of God… May the Lord bring us a just peace because war is always a defeat.
According to the Catholic Standard, thousands of laity, priests, religious, and seminarians typically attend the Walk with Mary pilgrimage to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pilgrims walk for three miles alongside a statue of Our Lady while carrying flowers, banners, and flags, and sing songs to honor her and St. Juan Diego.
The pilgrimage will conclude with a rosary and Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
