A 76-year-old Connecticut man is making a pilgrimage from Yankee Stadium in New York City to Fenway Park in Boston to promote peace, but not between the two rival teams, but rather that of the world.
Al Forte began his journey on Aug. 4 at New York’s Grand Central Terminal, joined by 30 people he walked from there to Yankee Stadium where the real trek, about 200 miles, began. He has walked alone since then, although he is picked up by his friend every evening to drive him to hotels.
“I’m doing this to spread the message of praying for peace,” he told The Providence Journal Friday as he walked through Warwick, a city in eastern Rhode Island. “If we pray for peace, there will be peace, first in ourselves, then our families, then our cities, our country and the world.”
During his voyage, Forte has been wearing a T-shirt that asks passersby to pray and hands out cards with a picture of six soldiers and the caption, “They pray for peace. Will you?”
Forte said he walks every day and if it starts raining, he simply takes out an umbrella and dons a poncho, although he said he doesn’t walk when there are thunderstorms. He said he has seen beauty throughout his journey, both in the landscapes he traverses and in the people he meets.
“We’d all see this if we walked more places. I’ve walked along the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island so far, and it’s absolutely magnificent,” Forte said. “It’s just one scene after another.
“All I’ve been meeting is very, very nice people,” he added.
Forte remains above the rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, noting that he is a fan of a now non-existent baseball team.
“The saddest day of my life was when the Dodgers left Brooklyn,” he said.
