Joyful singing and prayer took over the streets of the Parramatta CBD as young people from across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains gathered for the eighth annual Palm Sunday celebrations.
Over 800 youth, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv and other clergy from the Diocese of Parramatta gathered at Parramatta Town Hall for the blessing of the palms and procession down Church Street toward St Patrick’s Cathedral for the 6pm Mass. The event was organised by Catholic Youth Parramatta and commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to begin Holy Week.
VIEW: Images from Palm Sunday 2018 below or click here.
After Palm Sunday Mass, the youth gathered in the Cathedral cloister for local celebrations and the official launch of the World Youth Day raffle.
The raffle will help young people from the Diocese of Parramatta offset their travel costs to World Youth Day 2019 to be held in Panama as they join 500,000 other youth from around the world for an encounter with Pope Francis. For the first time, raffle tickets can be purchased online.
Catholic Youth Parramatta expects over 150 people from the Diocese of Parramatta to join the pilgrimage to Panama making it one of the largest contingents travelling from Australia.
WATCH: The procession from Parramatta Town Hall to St Patrick’s Cathedral below or click here.
James Camden, Director of Catholic Youth Parramatta said he was looking forward to World Youth Day 2019, “We’re very excited by this pilgrimage that will take us to the US, Mexico and Panama. Some may have thought that Central America is an impossible place to get to, but for us it’s working together across all areas of the Diocese to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. It’s all about making this unique 3-year opportunity possible for young people in this Year of Youth”.
To purchase raffle tickets online go to: www.rafflelink.com.au/wyd2019
To register for World Youth Day: www.parrawyd.org
