Led and organised by Anto Crossey of Armagh, ‘Walk the Cross’ is an annual pilgrimage event that invites pilgrims to walk 33 kilometres – one for each year that Jesus lived. The event took place in Co. Down and across the UK on the weekend of September 13 and 14.
While last year’s event saw Irish pilgrims walking from Clonmacnoise to Dublin, Mr Crossey sad he felt called to the north for this year’s pilgrimage.
On Saturday, September 13, the event began at Slieve Patrick in Saul, and Deacon Jackie Breen from Saul blessed pilgrims along the way on their 33 kilometre route towards Carryduff.
The following day, September 14, pilgrims began in Carryduff, walking towards St Michael’s Church in Belfast. In the afternoon, there was a Eucharistic Procession from St Michael’s Church to St Peter’s Cathedral, where hundreds gathered for Mass, Anointing of the Sick and Benediction.
In a message to pilgrims prior to the event, Archbishop Eamon Martin described the initiative as a “wonderful gesture particularly during the Jubilee Year of Hope because the cross itself is our hope.”
