The Diocese of Clogher has organised visits to the Holy Land on three occasions in less than eighteen months and every pilgrimage has been over subscribed. The fourth pilgrimage, this time to Jordan, will began yesterday (Sunday) and continues until 8 November.
It is offering an opportunity to explore the world of the Old Testament and of John the Baptist. Spiritually the desert will provide the personal and corporate space to prepare for Advent and Christmas.
Among the sites which the pilgrims will visit will be the city of Gardara, the location of the miracle of the Gadarene swine, the Old Testament Kingdom of the Ammonites, the rose red city of Petra and Lot’s Cave. It is hoped that through the good offices of the Revd Cameron MacDonald, from the Mission to Seafarers at the port of Aquaba, there will be a boat trip on the Red Sea. There will also be a visit to Mount Nebo from where Moses glimpsed the promised land and to Mukawir/Machaerus where John the Baptist was beheaded.
Christians comprise only six per cent of the population of Jordan and as well as Anglicans, under the Bishop of Jerusalem, there are Latin and Greek orthodox communities.
The pilgrimage is being led by the Bishop of Clogher, Dr Michael Jackson, and the Revd Glen West, Rector of Derryvullen North, and the Revd David Skuse, Rector of Maguiresbridge.
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