Parishioners 'walking' all the way to Jerusalem

This Lent, for the second year in a row, parishioners at Immaculate Conception parish in Glenville are walking approximately 5,590 miles to Jerusalem.

Sort of.

"Walk to Jerusalem by Easter" began at the parish on Ash Wednesday. People signed up to count their daily steps in order to improve both their physical and spiritual health during the 40 days of Lent.

Fran Bosher, a member of the nurse ministry at the parish, said that the program was developed by the St. John Health Parish Nurse Team Ministry in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, to promote health among parishioners as well as to encourage spiritual growth by focusing on Bible verses, devotions, daily prayer and contemplation.

Body and soul

Last year, the Immaculate Conception nurse ministry got permission to use the project. They prepared a packet for those interested; it consists of a page of Scripture and discussion questions for each week of Lent.

At the end of each day, participants record the number of miles they walked or the equivalent aerobic exercise they performed. At the end of each week, people return their slips to the church.

"They can count 20 minutes of aerobic exercise -- like swimming, skiing, skating, basketball -- as walking one mile," Ms. Bosher explained. "People walk either individually or as a family."

Across the ocean

Last year, the ministry team hung a large map of the world in the back of the church. As the miles are posted, Ms. Bosher tracks the progress from Glenville to Jerusalem.

"We walk from the Capital District through southern Vermont and New Hampshire up to the coast of Maine," she said. "Then we walk across the Atlantic Ocean, heading east and south through the Azores and then on to Gibraltar, Spain, and down through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Tripoli in Libya and Egypt. Our final leg takes us up to Israel, where we finish in Jerusalem."

At certain points along the journey, Ms. Bosher posts information about cities and areas they "walk through" in order to keep the interest level high.

"Watching our progress and reading about the different areas we go through is both fun and educational," she said. "Throughout Lent, it gives us something to work towards. Each weekend before and after Masses, it's fun to see the interest that this generates, especially among the children."

Second trip

The nursing ministry looks forward to meeting the challenge that the parish set on its initial walking trip.

"Last year, between 125 and 150 families and individuals participated in our walk," Ms. Bosher said. "We completed our journey! This year we hope to do the same."

(The parish nurse ministry at Immaculate Conception is affiliated with Seton Health's parish nurse program in Troy.)

(2/17/05)