Hundreds of Athenians and students will gather Tuesday night to remember loved ones and to celebrate different religious groups coming together for the second annual Interfaith Peace Walk.
The Interfaith Peace Walk began last year for the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but event organizers hope it continues, said Melissa Wales, executive director of United Campus Ministry.
“I believe in the power of this event to bring people together,” Wales said.
Last year, with the help of many organizations at Ohio University, the Better Together group obtained a parade permit allowing 300 to 400 participants to walk from the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard on University Terrace. The route passes an assortment of churches with six different faiths and ends at the Islamic Center on Stewart Street.
The walk is “incredibly powerful,” said Wales, adding that she expects around the same number of participants as the 2011 walk.
The parade will pass the First United Methodist Church, Athens First Presbyterian, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Hillel at Ohio University, St. Paul Catholic Church, Christ Lutheran Church, and Christ the King University Parish.
After the forty-five minute walk is over, there will be a brief reflection, a lighting of candles, a moment of silence at the Islamic Center.
This year the walk will begin promptly at 7:15 and end around 8 p.m.
For more information on the Interfaith Peace Walk and how to participate in other events, contact UCM atucm@midohio.twcbc.com
kc645811@ohiou.edu
