A group of 43 young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 years are soon to embark on a pilgrimage to Kracow, Poland, for World Youth Day.
The Diocese of Cloyne and the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore have come together to form one pilgrimage group, which will fly out to Poland on Saturday July 26th and return on Sat Aug 2nd.
Last Sunday (17th July) the pilgrims met to prepare for the pilgrimage and to celebrate Holy Mass; Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, was the chief celebrant of the Mass which took place in the Church of the Holy Family, Youghal. Concelebrating priests were Fr Pat O’Donoghue, Fr Chris Donlon, Fr Tom McDermott – all of whom will accompany the group to Kracow.
In his homily, Bishop Cullinan (who also will make the trip to Kracow) expressed the hope that the young pilgrims would “open their hearts to Christ” during their time in Poland. He reminded his listeners of the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke: that there is only “one thing necessary” (Lk 10:42) in one’s spiritual life and that is to “sit at the Lord’s feet and to listen to what he is saying” (Lk 10:39). World Youth Day will be an opportunity for a young people to hear what Jesus has to say to them.
31 of the 43 pilgrims are from the Diocese of Cloyne; 12 from the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore.
If you are a young adult and would like to engage in future prayer activities in our diocese please check out our section on Young Adult Ministry.