'We made it out': Pastor says Kenosha church members on pilgrimage to Holy Land are safe

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A spokesperson at St. Mary's Parish in Kenosha says more than 30 adults from their church and St. Mary Catholic Church left last Monday on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

They were in Bethlehem when the Hamas militant group launched a surprise assault on Israel from Gaza. Now, they're about six hours away in Jordan. 

The following is an audio recording from Father Roman Stikel assuring the community they are all safe and will be back home soon.

"I'm calling you from the border, from Jordan. I want everybody to know that all the pilgrims are safe, we made it out of Israel this morning. It was quite an adventure to get across the border in Jordan, took a very long time. But we all made it and we're all safe, we're looking forward to a quiet night at our hotel this evening," he said. 

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee also issued a statement asking all Catholics and people of goodwill to join in on prayers for an end to the violence.