Dear friends,
At this very moment, a group of 20 Buddhist monks, accompanied by their rescue dog Aloka, are walking 2,300 miles across the United States in a Walk for Peace. Beginning last October in Texas, they are making their way toward Washington, D.C., where they hope to arrive later this week. Each step is taken in silence and intention—an embodied expression of nonviolence and compassion in a world marked by fracture and fear.
As I have followed their journey, I have been struck by the response they have evoked. Along roadsides and through town centres, hundreds of people have gathered to witness them pass: local families, elders and children, veterans, law enforcement officers, students, Republicans and Democrats alike, and leaders from many faith traditions. Some walk alongside for a while; some kneel, some weep, and some offer gifts. These gatherings are not protests or performances, but moments of shared presence.
People come, it seems to me, with a simple and profound desire: to witness peace, and to be witnessed by it. In a time of heightened conflict across the world, this feels both rare and precious.
This desire to be witnessed is something we recognise deeply at St Ethelburga’s. People enter our Bedouin tent longing to be seen: in their challenges of holding communities together where difference and tension are present; in their fear, vulnerability, and grief shaped by both near and distant conflicts; and in their values that offer steadiness in a shifting landscape.
The word witness comes from the Old English witnes, meaning knowledge, testimony, or truth-telling. To witness is not merely to observe, but to remain present with what is painful or contested, without turning away. In times of conflict, witnessing becomes an act of courage. Peace, as we know, cannot take root where truth is left unattended.
The longing for witness is so great that recent years have seen a rise in public demonstrations and an increasing pressure to declare political positions quickly and visibly. In such an atmosphere, silence can be misread, nuance can struggle to survive, and complexity can feel risky. Yet it is precisely in these moments that spaces for careful listening and honest encounter become most necessary.
These spaces do not simply happen. They are carefully and intentionally cultivated by facilitators who have done their own inner peacemaking, and who can offer a grounded, non-anxious presence when tensions rise. This is why we created our one-day Facilitation Training: to support community leaders, faith leaders, team leaders, and conveners in developing the generous and vital skills of witness—learning how to hold a group in moments of tension, offer presence, and steward conversations that are rooted in reconciliation, strong enough to build community across differences.
As Thích Nhất Hạnh reminds us, and as the walking monks quietly demonstrate, “peace is every step.” It is found in small, faithful acts of presence: in how we listen, how we gather, and how we choose to remain with one another when it would be easier to turn away. These are not grand gestures. But through them, peace, unfinished and fragile, continues to find its way into the world.
Join us on 5 March for our next Facilitation Training: Tools for Holding Difference with Courage and 23 March for Conflict Transformation 101 online. There is still time to register for one-day Depolarisation Training: Holding a radical centre in divided times on 11 February, and 4-day intensive Depolarisation Training from 16-19 March.
Our ever-popular Conflict Coaching returns on 16 April, with an online option on 20 April.
Listen to the World welcomes Yijia Tu and Peadar Davey on 3 March, as Yijia, a singer-songwriter from China explores her cultural identity and diverse traditions through music-making. Our Bedouin Tent is open as usual on the second Tuesday of every month for Contemplative Practice.
On 2 April Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee brings a special evening lecture drawing from his new book Song of the Seasons: A Meditation on Cycles, Story, and Humility.
Grab your early bird tickets now for Spiritual Ecology Festival 2026, taking place on 13–14 June. This year we are joined by many inspiring voices including Sicelo Mbatha, Martin Shaw, Sharon Blackie, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Simmy Singh, Nessie Reid, Dana Karout, and many more. Grab your ticket today and join us for a joyful celebration!
Want to find ways to support our ongoing projects and mission? Explore our online merchandise store and discover a beautiful collection inspired by our Bedouin Tent and rich history. Shop meaningful gifts that make a difference, or Pledge a Hedge today.
With warmest wishes
Rebecca Brierley
Community Reconciliation Programme Manager
and St Ethelburga’s Team