Arthur Owen Blessitt (October 27, 1940 – January 14, 2025) was an American traveling Christian preacher who was known for carrying a cross through every nation of the world.
Background
Blessitt was born in Greenville, Mississippi, on October 27, 1940, and grew up in Louisiana, where his father managed a large cotton farm. At the age of seven, Blessitt became a Christian. He studied at Mississippi College and Golden Gate Baptist Seminary, but abandoned his studies to serve as a pastor in several Baptist churches across the US. In March 1968, he opened a coffee house called His Place in a rented building next door to a topless go-go club.
Cross walk
Arthur Blessitt was perhaps best known for his "cross walks" - travelling on foot, he dragged a wooden cross that he had originally built in 1968 to hang on the wall of "His Place" on Sunset Strip, Hollywood. For a short while, from 1970 to 1971, he set up an evangelical outreach at New York's Times Square, which was similar to his Hollywood coffeehouse. In May 1971, Blessitt made his first overseas cross-walk, beginning in Northern Ireland.
Blessitt carried the cross to all parts of the world. During the Cold War, he carried his cross into Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and other countries. He carried the cross through such places as Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, China, South Africa, Lebanon, India, Antarctica, Palestine, Israel, Cuba, Libya, Northern and Southern Yemen, Vietnam and Mongolia.
On June 13, 2008, Arthur Blessitt walked his 38,102nd mile (61,319th km) in Zanzibar, completing the goal he had set for himself to walk to every "country and island group" in the world.
As of July 2019, Blessitt still partook in cross walks globally. Blessitt claimed to have covered over 43,000 miles (69,202 km) through 324 "nations, island groups and territories". He also claimed to have traveled every ocean and walked on all seven continents (including Antarctica). Trinity Broadcast Network's PR Newswire claims that he is known internationally as the "Pilgrim with the Cross". He is featured in the Guinness World Records 2015 for holding the record for Longest Around the World Ongoing Pilgrimage/Walk.
Religious views
Blessitt practiced within the evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity and sat within the Charismatic wing of that tradition. He listed R. T. Kendall and Charles Spurgeon as inspirations.
Presidential campaign
Blessitt made a failed bid for the 1976 Democratic nomination for President. He withdrew from the contest after contesting the New Hampshire and Florida primaries. He polled fifth in Florida with 8,171 votes. He stated that he was "a happy loser" because "spiritual and moral reform has become a major campaign issue anyhow."
Personal life and death
His first marriage was to Sherry Anne Simmons, whom he married within three weeks of dating in 1963. Together they had six children: Gina, Arthur Joel, Joy, Arthur Joshua, Arthur Joseph and Arthur Jerusalem.
He married Denise Irja Brown later in 1990. Together, they adopted a child, Sophia, and lived in Denver, Colorado.
Blessitt died on January 14, 2025, at the age of 84.
References
Turned On To Jesus, Arthur Blessitt (autobiography) with Walter Wagner, Word Books ISBN 85009 034 21971