'Very powerful experiences': Regina church group's pilgrimage interrupted by outbreak of Israel-Gaza war

As the Israel-Gaza war continues to escalate, it continues to draw attention from people from all over the world, including in Regina.

A group of 32 Regina parishioners from Resurrection Roman Catholic Parish are currently in Jordan after their pilgrimage to the Holy Land was disrupted as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

“What happens in the next 24 hours are going to be crucial, we just don’t know anything yet,” Father Brad Fahlman told CTV News.

“There’s so much uncertainty, volatile, there was a lot of tension building but we weren’t sure how it would go.”

According to Fahlman, the group was cautioned by tour guides of the danger. However, the escalation of the conflict was alarming for all involved.

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The reach of the war – now in its sixth day – is becoming more prominent in Regina, including a vigil held on Wednesday night following a recent deadly attack by Hamas.

The group was advised to travel to Jordan to avoid getting stuck as a result of a possible border closure, which was described as the most unsettling night on their tour.

“I think the scariest night was the Sunday night when we just had the meeting about going to Jordan instead of Jerusalem. There were fighter jets in the sky, we could hear them going north and south all night,” Fahlman explained.

“Probably every 5-10 minutes, you heard jet planes flying over and some people kind of joked that would make us feel safer, we know they’re patrolling the skies,” parishioner Debbie Johnson added. “But it certainly was something we’re not used to hearing.”

The group carried on with their tour as much as they could while awaiting word about return flights after Air Canada cancelled their flight home.

The group eventually got confirmation from the Canadian embassy that they were documented.

Fahlman said in spite of the turmoil, the group still found lots of value in their trip.

“I don’t think any of us have ever been in a country that was actively at war,” he said.

“They were very powerful experiences, we got on to the Sea of Galilee on a boat and we went out to the middle of the lake and just sat in silence and we prayed together.”

The group is now scheduled to fly home within the week via three separate flights.