Dinner and Discourse
Brendan Flannery, Crossroads walk organizer, speaks at UD
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: News
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Last week's Dinner and Discourse featured Brendan Flannery, one of the organizers of the Crossroads Walk program.
Crossroads was originally developed in 1995 as a pro-life pilgrimage from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., with a small group of Franciscan University students leading the charge.
It is now held annually in the summer, and has grown to include three walks. The southern walk begins in Los Angeles and the Northern Walk in Seattle. All end in Washington, D.C.
The program was created as a response to Pope John Paul II's 1993 call to spread the Gospel of Life, Flannery said. It began with six walkers, a tight budget and a set of white t-shirts displaying "PRO-LIFE" in large blue letters on the front.
"It was their trust in God and His Providence that held them to the end," said Flannery.
Today, 50 students from 26 colleges and universities across the United States attend the pilgrimage, with an average of 15 walkers per walk. A group of six walkers take turns walking five four-hour shifts per day, offering up their prayers for an end to abortion and the culture of death.
As spiritually and physically exhausting as the walk may be, it's not without its fruits, said Flannery.
"Just experiencing this pilgrimage and seeing more than a hundred people in about 15 states, it's inspiring to know just how pro-life America is," he said.
Beth Anne Flessner, a senior English major who participated in the continental pilgrimage this summer, said it was an experience unlike any other.
"There are very grateful people out there, and when they see you walking in those t-shirts, they treat you like a celebrity," she said.
For those who may not have the time to walk the entire summer, said Flannery, they can join the walkers by contacting Crossroads in advance, through crossroadswalk.org or by calling 800-353-8817.
Crossroads was originally developed in 1995 as a pro-life pilgrimage from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., with a small group of Franciscan University students leading the charge.
It is now held annually in the summer, and has grown to include three walks. The southern walk begins in Los Angeles and the Northern Walk in Seattle. All end in Washington, D.C.
The program was created as a response to Pope John Paul II's 1993 call to spread the Gospel of Life, Flannery said. It began with six walkers, a tight budget and a set of white t-shirts displaying "PRO-LIFE" in large blue letters on the front.
"It was their trust in God and His Providence that held them to the end," said Flannery.
Today, 50 students from 26 colleges and universities across the United States attend the pilgrimage, with an average of 15 walkers per walk. A group of six walkers take turns walking five four-hour shifts per day, offering up their prayers for an end to abortion and the culture of death.
As spiritually and physically exhausting as the walk may be, it's not without its fruits, said Flannery.
"Just experiencing this pilgrimage and seeing more than a hundred people in about 15 states, it's inspiring to know just how pro-life America is," he said.
Beth Anne Flessner, a senior English major who participated in the continental pilgrimage this summer, said it was an experience unlike any other.
"There are very grateful people out there, and when they see you walking in those t-shirts, they treat you like a celebrity," she said.
For those who may not have the time to walk the entire summer, said Flannery, they can join the walkers by contacting Crossroads in advance, through crossroadswalk.org or by calling 800-353-8817.
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