Prayerwalk to Pass by in 786-Mile Trek

The first-ever California Prayerwalk is one major mission.

Several dozen dedicated walkers will set out from San Diego next week on a spiritual 40-day trek past all 21 of California’s missions--including downtown Ventura’s. As they hike, they will pray for the state’s renewal.

“There’s no political agenda--we just want to pray,” said Mark Trimble, a local coordinator of the expedition. “Specifically, we will pray for the state and the people of this state, for unity and healing.”

The walkers will pass through Ventura County on March 13 and 14, winding down Thousand Oaks Boulevard, through the fields surrounding Camarillo State Hospital and along Telephone Road and Main Street in Ventura. The course roughly follows the route of El Camino Real, the trail Franciscan missionaries followed as they built a string of churches on California’s coast.

All along the route, the hikers have invited public participation.

A three-hour public walk will be organized in Ventura on March 14, probably starting near the county government center and winding up outside the whitewashed mission.

They will be praying throughout the 786-mile journey, which will end April 9 in San Francisco, but participants will not be chanting aloud or holding noisy vigils. “It will be very low-key, very unobtrusive,” Trimble said.

Coordinators are seeking donations of refreshments and overnight lodging for the walkers. For more information, call the Prayerwalk Expedition Base in Ventura at 641-WALK.