What is "Walk to Jerusalem?"

WHAT? Walk to Jerusalem is an exercise program to promote physical and spiritual well-being. The goal is for participants to accumulate enough miles of exercise to walk from Madison to Jerusalem. That’s 6400 miles. Travel with us across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland and then to Britain where we begin to travel the same route the Crusaders took on their way to “Reclaim the Surrendered Ground of the Holy Land.”

HOW? You can either count the miles that you walk or run, or 20 minutes of any aerobic activity (e.g. swimming, biking, cardio machines, team sports, tennis, etc.) equals 1 mile of walking/running. Keep track of your miles and turn them into the collection basket at Fr. Rick’s parishes each Sunday, or record them each week at this Walk to Jerusalem blog.

WHO? Anyone! We encourage you to use this program as an opportunity to exercise as family, with friends and co-workers, with people in your neighborhood group, and with other church members.

WHEN? We officially begin at the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

WHERE? Anywhere! You can exercise in your neighborhood, at a gym, or at home.

WHY? To commit to improved physical, spiritual health in 2009. Walking and exercise can be strenuous, so are kinds of sacrifice. The word, “sacrifice” actually means “to make holy.” Pope John Paul II said, “Prayer and sacrifice constitutes the greatest force in the universe.” We encourage you to offer up these sacrifices to God, asking Him to bring more holiness and sacred into the world, especially helping us to see all life as sacred, from conception to natural death.