As Bishops Go to the Holy Land to Pray for Peace, Follow Their Pilgrim Experience

Do you have plans the week of September 11-18? How about following 18 U.S. bishops on a pilgrimage to pray for peace in the Holy Land? You can do it from the comfort of your home or anywhere you might have access to a device with an Internet connection -- which is to say, practically anywhere.

Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, is leading the pilgrimage. “Our pilgrimage could not come at a more critical moment,” Bishop Pates said. “The conflict between Israel and Hamas, the latest of far too many cycles of violence, has seriously eroded hope for peace in the Holy Land. Prayer for peace is needed now more than ever.”

The need for the power of prayer has prompted the bishops to open their pilgrimage experience up to virtually everyone through social media. The bishops will visit Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, the sites of the Jesus' birth, upbringing, ministry, suffering and death, and as they do so, they will blog, tweet, post on Facebook and share stories with media.

For many Catholics in the United States, particularly those in Iowa, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas, California, Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and in the military, this might just mean your bishop (or retired bishop, or auxiliary bishop, or a neighboring bishop) is making this journey and needs your prayers.

Here are the bishops going on pilgrimage and, where applicable, how you can follow them:

Bishop Richard E. Pates, Des Moines, Iowa (diocesan Twitter, blog)

Bishop John Barres, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Archbishop Eusebius Beltran, (retired) Oklahoma City

Bishop Stephen Blaire, Stockton, California

Bishop J. Kevin Boland, (retired) Savannah, Georgia (also Twitter)

Bishop Paul Bradley, Kalamazoo, Michigan (also Twitter, blog, YouTube)

Bishop Tod Brown, (retired) Orange, California

Bishop Oscar Cantú, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Bishop Robert Coyle, (auxiliary) Archdiocese for Military Services

Bishop Bernard Harrington, (emeritus), Winona, Minnesota

Bishop Richard Higgins, (auxiliary) Archdiocese for Military Services

Bishop Howard Hubbard, (retired) Albany, New York

Bishop Richard Malone, Buffalo, New York (also Twitter)

Bishop William Medley, Owensboro, Kentucky

Bishop Dale Melczek, Gary, Indiana

Bishop William Murphy, Rockville Centre, New York

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, (retired) San Angelo, Texas

Bishop Edward Weisenburger, Salina, Kansas (also Twitter)

You can also look for updates from USCCB on Facebook and Twitter, as well as Catholic Relief Services (Facebook, Twitter).

These bishops will follow in the footsteps of Jesus by 2,000 years, follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis by just over three months, and follow the devastation of war by only days. People everywhere are encouraged to follow them, both on social media and with prayers.

(CNS Photo/Paul Haring)