The following article was written by Liz Bishop, a parishioner and youth group leader at Basildon Parish.

On Friday 22nd May, I had the privilege of joining Caritas Southwark and Westminster for a Walk for Justice and Peace.

We began our day with breakfast at the London Jesuit Centre next to Farm Street Church, and I was able to meet my fellow pilgrims. The atmosphere was one of anticipation and joy, fuelling up, ready for our walk. As we set off, I was given the Justice and Peace flag to hold, and we all started talking and walking together towards Westminster Cathedral, our first stop.

We walked past Buckingham Palace and got slightly held up by a true plethora of tourists and their guides shouting about British history. It was quite a moment walking through the crowds with the flag, promoting Justice and Peace in a place representing the historical seat of so much power and suffering.

We continued on towards Westminster Cathedral, and upon arriving had a quick break, saying goodbye to some of our group – “dropping one off” to Confession taking place in the Cathedral – and then onwards we went towards Southwark. We walked past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and as we went along I was able to see peoples’ reactions to the flag, mostly of confusion…but some smiles and nods, which was nice!

We finally made it to St George’s Cathedral and were warmly received! We were invited upstairs to a special private chapel, and there we prayed together the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Ecological Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament. It was a beautiful experience, all of us united in prayer, laying our desire for Justice and Peace in our world before Jesus, and asking our mother Mary for her intercession, to bring peace and healing to these troubled times.

After this, we were invited to have refreshments with the priests and shared ice creams and juice (it was a very hot day!) as well as final snippets of conversation before parting ways. Our walk was prayerful and powerful as well as joyful – it served as a reminder both to ourselves and the bustling world around us that the fight for Justice and Peace is far from over – but we stand united against division, walking together in solidarity.