The pilgrimage of the Cross and the Icon of Our Lady, symbols of World Youth Day, in the birthplace of Saint John Paul II, will take place until September 1.

Neewsroom (23/08/2021 14:30, Gaudium Press) On Saturday, August 21, the pilgrimage of the Cross and Icon of Our Lady, symbols of World Youth Day (WYD), began in the dioceses of Poland, where they will remain until September 1.

According to information released by the Local Organizing Committee of WYD, the pilgrimage of the symbols in the country of birth of St. John Paul II, the Pope who created World Youth Day, will pass through several symbolic places for Catholics in Poland.

A very important moment for Poles

According to Father Mariusz Wilk, National Director of Youth Ministry in the Episcopal Conference of Poland, young Polish Catholics are excited about the pilgrimage of the symbols through Poland. “We are very grateful to be able to celebrate this great feast in Poland, when we have the symbols of WYD among us,” he assured.

“We want the presence of the symbols here among us in Poland to be a very important moment so that, uniting ourselves with the Cross and the Icon of Our Lady, we can proceed to Lisbon for WYD. At this difficult time, and after it is over, we want to be able to celebrate this great feast,” he said.

Pilgrimage through Spain and Portugal

After a ten-day pilgrimage through Poland, from August 21 to September 1, the symbols of WYD Lisbon 2023 will be sent to Portugal. Between September 5 and October 29, there will be a pilgrimage through Spain.

In Portugal, the Cross and Icon of Our Lady will pilgrimage through the 21 Catholic dioceses of the country, spending a month in each one. This pilgrimage will take place between November and July 2023. From August 4 to 7, 2022, the symbols will return to Spain, where they will participate in a European youth meeting in Santiago de Compostela. (EPC)