2025 Pilgrimage for Justice

June 8, 8:00am - June 14, 11:59pm

Purchase Tickets

The Pilgrimage for Justice is a faith-based, intercultural, intergenerational immersion experience for pilgrims to travel, learn, reflect, pray, and grow as we rediscover Civil Rights history.

The pilgrimage will be led by DSAO staff and a team that includes Clergy and Religious leaders. Pilgrims will have opportunities to reflect on what the Civil Rights Movement achieved and the nonviolent methods that it practiced. We will also honor the legacy of the prophetic courage, discipline, and self-sacrifice of Civil Rights leaders and the spiritual source of their strength. Lastly, we will examine racism and segregation past and present while exploring a response based on our Catholic Social Teaching.

For over 50 years, the Diocesan Social Action Office has worked to uphold the human dignity of all people, especially those seen as the least, the lost, and the left behind. Our mission is to empower people through justice formation, advocacy, and community collaboration, based on the Gospel call to work for the respect of all human life, the elimination of poverty, to speak out against injustice, and to promote the common good.

Watch the video re-cap from our first pilgrimage last year.

Watch Video

Itinerary

The pilgrimage will depart from Cleveland and travel to Cincinnati, Memphis, Jackson, and Montgomery. Along our journey, we will visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum in Cincinnati, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the Civil Rights Museum and the statue of Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA in Jackson, and the National Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery.

Cost

The cost for the Pilgrimage for Justice is:

• $1,195.00, which includes bus transportation, overnight double-occupancy accommodations, site visit fees, and most meals.
• $1,495.00, which includes bus transportation, overnight single occupancy accommodations, site visit fees, and most meals.

Scholarships

Limited scholarships from the Rosa Parks Scholarship Fund are available. They are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to new attendees. Click below to download and complete the scholarship application or to make a charitable contribution. Please inquire by May 5, 2025.

Rosa Parks Scholarship Application Donate

Registration

Space is limited. To secure your place on the pilgrimage, please complete registration either online or by mail, as detailed below, along with a refundable deposit of $400 or the full fee.

Final and full payment is due by May 5, 2025.

How To Register Online

• Continue scrolling below to select the registration that best fits your needs.
• Select the quantity of registrations you wish to purchase.
• Complete the questionnaire for each registrant in its entirety.
• Submit payment and registration.

How To Register Via Mail

• Click the button below to download and complete the registration form.
• Return the completed registration form and check made payable to Catholic Charities Pilgrimage to: Diocesan Social Action Office, 795 Russell Avenue, Akron, OH 44307.

Download Registration Form

Upon receiving your registration form and payment, you will receive confirmation for your registration and information regarding the next steps to prepare for the 2025 Pilgrimage for Justice.

Questions?

For more information, please contact Shawn Witmer, Pilgrimage Coordinator, at shawn.witmer@ccdocle.org or 216-316-9544.