September 18th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

He is a veteran of 100-mile walks! Father John Lombardi, Pastor of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Hancock, Maryland and St. Patrick in Little Orleans, Maryland, is heading up a walking pilgrimage from downtown Baltimore to Philadelphia. Father Jack, as he is known in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, has undertaken such challenges in France, Spain and Portugal as well as in Baltimore. Sunday, September 20th, Father Jack along with Paul McMullen, managing editor of the Catholic Review, will lead about 20 "pilgrims" on a 108-mile walk from the Basilica of the Assumption in downtown Baltimore to Philadelphia. They will honor Pope Francis' first visit to the United States and raise money for both the Archdiocese of Baltimore and nations in the developing world. They will begin after a Mass at 10:45am, and lunch. Walking 16 miles most days, the group will rely on the support of parishes, schools and other Catholic institutions. Their goal on the first leg of their journey is to make it to St. Ursula parish in Parkville, then to The John Carroll School in Bel Air. On Wednesday, September 23 they plan to cross the Conowingo Dam by van. They hope to reach Oxford, Pennsylvania on Thursday, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on Friday and Neumann University in Aston, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Father Jack says the "pilgrims" plan to leave Neumann University at 6am Sunday, September 27 and make it to the Papal Mass at 4pm in Philadelphia.