A Carrigaline clergyman has set off on a 100km sponsored pilgrimage to raise funds to improve the lives of people living in poverty in an east African country he visited in 2019.
Rev Tony Murphy will visit all 22 Church of Ireland parishes in the Cork diocese during the month of May, before walking at least 5kms in each area while collecting sponsorship for Christian Aid’s farming projects in Burundi. The pilgrimage coincides with Christian Aid Week which runs from May 10-16.
Rev Murphy will visit the following local parishes as part of his fundraising quest – Mallow, Thursday, May 13; Fermoy, Thursday, May 20th; Cobh & Glanmire on Tuesday, May 25; Cloyne, Thursday, May 27th.
He will be joined on his socially distanced walks by the local rector, parishioners and other supporters at each location. He was waved off on his month-long pilgrimage by Bishop of Cork, The Rt Rev Dr Paul Colton at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork city.
The Anglican diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross has raised more than €70,000 since 2017 when it began supporting Christian Aid’s work in Burundi, a country affected by poverty, hunger and conflict.
The diocese has committed to provide ongoing support in 2021 and 2022 to three farming cooperatives established by Christian Aid’s local partner, the Anglican Church of Burundi in the south of the country.
Funding levels have declined due to the coronavirus pandemic and Rev Murphy hopes that this diocese-wide initiative will help to achieve the yearly target for 2021.
Speaking as he set out on his 100km walk, Rev Tony Murphy recalled his visit to Burundi in October 2019.
“The commitment of the diocese to help establish three cooperatives and bring them to a level where they are self-sustaining was hugely appreciated by the people in Burundi, a people with spirit and resilience who are working hard to move from subsistence living.”
You can sponsor Rev Murphy by visiting his Justgiving page at www.JustGiving.com/fundraising/walking4burundi or you can post a cheque to Rev Tony Murphy, 9 Riverside, Carrigaline, County Cork, P43 FP11 marked ‘Burundi’ on the reverse.
