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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - As part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' ongoing 250th year celebration, Archbishop José H. Gomez will lead an 11-mile ``spiritual pilgrimage'' past eight of the archdiocese's parishes in April, it was announced today.
``Camino: A Walk with Jesus,'' will take place Saturday, April 2, starting at 9 a.m. at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in San Gabriel and ending with a closing prayer service at 2:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
``All are invited'' to join Gomez along the route, the archdiocese said.
The pilgrimage will feature relics of St. Mother Teresa, St. Pope John Paul II and St. Frances X. Cabrini -- who all visited Los Angeles ``and walked with Angelenos in their lifetime,'' the archdiocese said.
``Walking can be a spiritual exercise; a pilgrimage from one place to another expresses our journey with Jesus to the Father in the Spirit,'' said Father Parker Sandoval, vice chancellor of the archdiocese and a lead organizer of the Jubilee Year celebration.
``The `Camino' pilgrimage is an opportunity to show that the church is alive in the streets of Los Angeles. As we walk, we will pray and witness to our faith in Jesus Christ,'' Sandoval added.
The walk will also include rest and water stops at six parishes along the route -- All Souls, All Saints, Our Lady of Guadalupe (Rose Hill), Our Lady Help of Christians, St. Peter and Our Lady Queen of Angels (La Placita).
Free lunch will be provided at Cathedral High School, and shuttles for a return trip to the mission will be available for free.
Starting at 8 a.m. on the day of the walk, participants will also have the chance to view progress on renovations of the interior of the San Gabriel Mission Church, which was damaged by an arson fire in summer 2020.
The archdiocese's Jubilee Year celebration began on Sept. 11, 2021 and concludes this Sept. 10. It marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first church in what is now the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
During the celebration year, the faithful are encouraged to go on pilgrimages to designated sites, including Mission San Gabriel and the Cathedral, to pray and obtain a special blessing.
A full list of pilgrimage sites across the tri-county Archdiocese -- Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties -- is available at forwardinmission.com/pilgrimage-sites. For more information about the pilgrimage and to register, visit forwardinmission.com.