BRUNSWICK COUNTY, Va. — A group of Buddhist monks will enter Virginia on Wednesday for the final leg of their 2,300-mile Walk for Peace.
The highly-shared Walk for Peace, which began in Texas in October and plans to end in D.C. in February, aims to promote peace, compassion, and nonviolence. The monks will cross the border from North Carolina into Brunswick County, Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 28 — the 95th day of their journey.
The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office offered a late Wednesday morning update on the group's anticipated entrance into Virginia:
The plan is still to welcome them into Virginia in the Gasburg Area on Elam Road between 3 - 4:30 p.m. and continue to Pleasant Hill Christian Church (175 Ankum Road, Gasburg) via Oak Grove Road.
The monks will be having visiting hours there from 6 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. [Wednesday night].
Their journey will continue on Thursday as they depart from Pleasant Hill Christian Church around sunrise and will continue on Ankum Road to Highway 46 North (Christanna Hwy).
The monks will walk along 46 North for the entire morning on Thursday stopping at the Brunswick Byways Visitor (13516 Christianna Hwy, Lawrenceville) Center for lunch and continuing Northward through the Town of Lawrenceville.
Citizens and visitors are welcomed in the Town of Lawrenceville along their route as this section of their journey will be the safest area for citizens to safely view and experience their travel.
The route will continue out of the Town and continue on Poor House Road towards Alberta to their overnight rest location of Bethel United Methodist Church (45 Church Street, Alberta).
It is unknown at this time if the Monks will be hosting visiting hours at this location.
Again, traffic delays along this route will be significant. Citizens are urged to take alternate routes for daily travel if possible.
Their exact route after they leave Lawrenceville has not been confirmed.
They are expected to arrive in Petersburg on Jan. 31, and Richmond on Feb. 1, according to the Walk for Peace Overview Map.
The sheriff's office urges citizens to prioritize safety and treat the monks with kindness and respect, providing the following guidelines:
- Keep the area quiet, peaceful, and deeply respectful
- Please do not walk with the monks
- When greeting the monks, place your hands in prayer and bow
- No gifts other than flowers as a sign of respect
- Do not touch the monks — no handshakes, hugs, or high fives
- The monks may avert their eyes, it is a sign of respect
- Some monks take vows that prohibit contact with the opposite gender, please be mindful
Traffic delays along their routes will be significant, the sheriff's office said.
"Citizens are urged to take alternate routes for daily travel if possible. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office will be escorting this walk for its entirety with assistance from many of our other law enforcement partners, specifically Lawrenceville Police Department, but some delays will be unavoidable," the post reads. "If you are interested in supporting and experiencing a part of this historic walk, citizens are urged to gather in safe areas off of the public roadways and watch from a safe distance. The current route is planned to travel through the Town of Lawrenceville that will allow for many safe viewing and engagement areas."
For more information on the Walk for Peace, visit their Facebook page or website.
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