King's followers' pledge to the nonviolent movement

Maybe not all of this applies to us on our Pligimage, but let's meditate on it and pray over it anyway. It comes from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Why We Can't Wait, p.50-51.

Every volunteer was required to sign a commitment card that read:

I hereby pledge myself - my person and body - to the nonviolent movement.

Therefore, I will keep the following Ten Commandments:

1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
2. Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.
3. Walk and Talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.

I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.

Get a Pilgimage T-shirt

We hope you will join our Pilgrimage and walk with us to bring about abolition and reconciliation. Whether you can join us or not, you can support us by wearing one of our shirts. They are white cotton, so they will help keep you cool (in multiple ways) while you march for justice.

A donation of $10 will help offset the costs of the shirts and the Pilgrimage. We will have the shirts available along the march.



The front reads:

Making Strides toward Abolition & Reconciliation
Pilgrimage and Walk of Remembrance
Raleigh NC to Washington D.C.
June 2008

The back reads:

Our Hope:
Restorative Justice
Compassion for Victims’ Families
Support for Death Row Families
Abolish the Death Penalty

Reflection Wednesday, June 11, 2008

From Disarming the Heart by John Dear

One way to define violence is to see it as the act of forgetting or ignoring who we are — brothers and sisters of one another, each one of us a child of God. Violence occurs in those moments when we forget and deny our basic identity as God's children, when we treat each other as if we were worthless instead of priceless, when we cling to our own selfish desires, possessions, and security.

From a review of John's book, by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat:

With great clarity and insight Dear lays out six points that comprise the spirit of nonviolence: (1) It means remembering we are all God's children; (2) it flows from unconditional, active love; (3) It invites solidarity with the poor and the oppressed; (4) it involves resistance and truth; (5) It is rooted in prayer; and (6) it is a way of transformation. The author challenges us to make a vow of nonviolence as a way of witnessing to others that God has disarmed us and wants to disarm us all.

Pilgrimage of Remembrance Agenda for Sunday June 15 and Monday June 16

Friends,

The 300-mile Pilgrimage of Remembrance: "Making Strides toward Abolition and Reconciliation" begins in Raleigh on June 15 at 1:00 PM at Central Prison, 1300 Western Blvd. We walk to remember murder victims, people on death row, the executed, the exonerated and the families of all these persons and we walk to call for an end to the death penalty.

For more information on the purpose of the Pilgrimage, please see our first blog post.

Schedules for our first two days are below. Those joining us at Central Prison are encouraged to park on Dorothea Drive or Cabarrus Street immediately east of the prison.

Sunday, June 15

• 1:00 Gather for spiritual reflection and blessing of the Pilgrimage.
• 1:30 Begin walking
• 2:30 Prayer and Reflection on the State Capital grounds (also first stop for rest!)
• Resume walking by Governor's Mansion to Circus Restaurant, 1600 Wake Forest Road
• Continue walking up Capital Blvd to Triangle Town Center vicinity
• 6:00 Potluck Dinner and Service of Blessing and Support, Church of the Nativity, 8849 Ray Road
• Rev. William Barber speaking

This will be a great time for so many of you who've said, "I'd like to walk with you but I can't" to eat with us and bless our journey.

Monday, June 16

• 8:00 AM Begin walking along Capital Blvd near Triangle Town Center. (For exact meeting location, call Scott at 919-231-9752.)
  
• Walk from Raleigh to Wake Forest to Franklinton.

Check out our Itinerary (still in flux) for where we are considering walking and holding a presence.

Pressing needs:

• Food for Sunday's potluck dinner. It's hard to walk and cook at the same time, so we need people to bring food to Church of the Nativity, 8849 Ray Road, before 6:00 PM.
• We also need help with set up and clean up for the potluck.

Thanks for your support!

Scott & Roberta
Nazareth House
(919) 231-9752
Hospitality, Community, Simplicity, Peacemaking, Nonviolence & Prayer

Itinerary

The Pilgrimage will start in Raleigh and move through small towns and rural sections of North Carolina, will cross the Virginia border and wind up the I-95 corridor, arriving in DC on June 29th if most matters go as planned. We will stop for prayer, public witness and conversation at such places as the execution facilities in North Carolina and Virginia, sites of murders along the way, houses of faith, county courthouses, district attorneys’ offices, and state governmental sites associated with the death penalty.

Here is our preliminary itinerary:

Sunday, June 15

• 1:00 PM (tentative) Gather for prayer in front of Central Prison, 1300 Western Blvd, Raleigh



• 1:30 PM (tentative) Begin walking to the Wake County Courthouse and State Capital, north out of downtown and up Capital Blvd toward Triangle Town Center.



• 6:00 PM Potluck Supper and Service of Prayer and Blessing for the Pilgrimage (location to be announced)

Monday, June 16

North Raleigh to Franklinton via Capital Blvd

Tuesday, June 17

Franklinton to Henderson via US Hwy 1

Wednesday, June 18

Henderson to Warrenton to Vaughan via US Hwy 158

Thursday, June 19

Vaughan to Littleton to Roanoke Rapids via US Hwy 158

Friday, June 20

Roanoke Rapids to Emporia via Hwy 48 and US Hwy 301

Saturday, June 21

Emporia to Jarratt, Virginia – Vigil and Public Witness at Virginia’s execution facility at Greensville Correctional Center; then continue to Stony Creek

Sunday, June 22

Stony Creek to Petersburg via US Hwy 301

Monday, June 23

Petersburg to Richmond via US Hwy 301

Tuesday, June 24

Public Witness in Richmond; then on to Ashland via US Hwy 1

Wednesday, June 25

Ashland to Ladysmith via US Hwy 1

Thursday, June 26

Ladysmith to Fredericksburg via US Hwy 1

Friday, June 27

Fredericksburg to Triangle via US Hwy 1

Saturday, June 28

Triangle to Woodbridge to Hybla Valley via US Hwy 1

Sunday, June 29

Hybla Valley to Alexandria to US Supreme Court via US Hwy 1 to join the Annual “Starvin’ for Justice” Fast and Vigil Against the Death Penalty.

If you would you like to support the Pilgrimage...

We're a small group with a lot to do. We can use some help, including prayers and moral support, to logistics, to contacts to make on the journey. Please take a look - you may be able to help in more than one way.

Along the route we need:

1. Lodging: church floors, retreat centers, houses and motel rooms are among the options. Our number will vary widely from as few as 3 to as many as 20, depending on our location. We are most grateful for lodging that includes showers and access to a kitchen.
   
2. Food: We seek people along the route to provide one or more meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3. Opportunities to listen and talk: These might include arranging for us to hear the story of a murder victim family member or family member of someone on death row. Also, we want to talk with groups – church and clergy groups – both Protestant and Catholic - are our favorites but we’ll consider any group that’s suggested.
4. Suggestions for public witness and prayer: Sites of murders in your town, your county courthouse, etc. are options. We prefer to vigil at governmental locations only if we have local residents with us.
5. Vehicle support: At times, we’ll need someone to drive along near us with water and first aid and to ferry our supplies and even us to our lodging for the night.
6. Funds: We do have costs to cover. Excess funds will be used to support work with families of people on death row and outreach and support for families of murder victims. Please send donations to Nazareth House, 2720 Poole Road, Raleigh, NC 27610 and write "Pilgrimage" in the memo line.
7. Spread the word: Please pass on information about our Pilgimage to your friends, faith communities, and peace and justice organizations. Our blog web address is http://abolition-reconciliation.blogspot.com/ .
   

Pilgrimage of Remembrance 2008

The Pilgrimage and Walk of Remembrance 2008 is a 300-mile walk from Raleigh NC to Washington, DC. We embark on a spiritual pilgrimage and walk of remembrance – remembering murder victims and their families, people on death row and their families, persons executed and their families and calling for abolition of the death penalty.

We will journey from Central Prison in Raleigh, NC to the Supreme Court in Washington, DC., passing through cities, towns and rural areas of North Carolina and Virginia. The Pilgrimage will stop for prayer, public witness and conversation at locations in North Carolina and Virginia, including murder sites, execution facilities, houses of faith and governmental sites related to the death penalty. We will arrive in Washington, DC to join the 15th Annual "Starvin’ for Justice" Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court June 29th - July 2nd, 2008.

The Pilgrimage begins in Raleigh on June 15th and concludes in Washington, DC on June 29th.

The walkers are a core group of Raleigh residents and others who join them along the way. Walkers are asked to embrace the walk’s commitment to nonviolence, compassion, and the prayerful, contemplative tone of this witness. The group is organized and led by Nazareth House, a Catholic Worker community in Raleigh that works with people on death row and their families, murder victims and their families and others impacted by the cycle of violence. While the core spirituality behind this walk is decidedly Christian, persons of other faith perspectives who embrace the purpose and values of the Pilgrimage are definitely welcome!

To participate and/or support this Pilgrimage, please contact Scott Bass at Nazareth House at (919) 231-9752 or send email to nazhouse@att.net.

Thank you for your prayers, your participation, and your support.