World Youth Day 2019 – Day 2

16 January 2019, Pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2019 Panama
Inside the Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla in Cholula, Mexico. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.

 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv is leading 171 pilgrims from the Diocese of Parramatta to World Youth Day 2019 (WYD).

WYD 2019 will be a pilgrimage to Mexico, Panama and the United States for a two-week festival of faith with millions of youth from around the world joining Pope Francis for an encounter with Jesus and deeper faith formation.

The Diocese of Parramatta Communications Team will be capturing stories during WYD 2019. You can follow the pilgrimage below through our daily updates and on parrawyd.org.

For Day 1, click here.

For Day 1 (In Transit), click here


“Create a massive space for God”

Mexico City to Cholula, Puebla

Pilgrims en route to World Youth Day 2019 from the Diocese of Parramatta have been challenged to “create a massive space for God” as they embark on their first complete day as a group in Mexico. The challenge came from Fr John Paul Escarlan (Mary, Queen of the Family Parish, Blacktown) during the opening Mass, celebrated by Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv at the historic Santa Maria Tonantzintla Church.

Constructed in the late 17th century, Santa Maria Tonantzintla, outside the town of Cholula is a visually striking church where its interior blends the shape of a European baroque-style church with a mosaic of mouldings depicting aspects of the indigenous culture, such as figures, masks, and flowers. The centrepiece, a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, provided a stunning backdrop for the Mass which honoured Mary, the Mother of God.

Fr John Paul Escarlan said Mary was the perfect model of Christian Discipleship and that pilgrims should try to have a humble and faithful heart like Mary’s and this humility should lead to a life of service.

Father John Paul Escarlan (centre left) and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv (centre right) say Mass inside the Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla in Cholula, Mexico. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.

He said in order to create this, pilgrims will need to, “like Mary…create a massive space for God, be open to God. We are far from home and Mary during her life was far from home when she travelled to Bethlehem and escaped to Egypt.” He warned pilgrims that there will be challenges and problems on the pilgrimage, but ultimately the experience is a journey of faith.

After the Mass, pilgrims were welcomed by local Catholic youth from the Archdiocese of Puebla who served as guides and translators for the pilgrims. It was also an opportunity for the local youth to share with the pilgrims their own experience of life and faith in Mexico.

In the afternoon, pilgrims travelled to Cholula for lunch and walked up to the monumental Our Lady of Remedies Church that was built on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the Tlachihualtepetl, ‘hand made mountain’, the largest pyramid in the Americas.

The 171 Diocese of Parramatta pilgrims pose for a photo at Our Lady of Remedies Church, on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.

Pilgrims then travelled into Puebla where they will stay for the next two days.

View the photos from today here or click on the images below.

WYD 2019
 


World Youth Day 2019 IN-Sync

The Diocese of Parramatta will be a hosting a special World Youth Day event on January 27.

As the 171 pilgrims from the Diocese of Parramatta prepare for the final Mass at World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, their families and friends are being invited to celebrate alongside them thousands of kilometres away in Parramatta.

The World Youth Day (WYD) 2019 IN-Sync event on Sunday 27 January will allow those families and friends to connect with the pilgrims as they finish their pilgrimage.

WYD2019 IN-Sync has been organised by Catholic Youth Parramatta, Institute for Mission, St Patrick’s Cathedral Community and the Diocesan WYD Steering Committee.

The World Youth Day 2019 IN-Sync event will be held at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, on Sunday 27 January at 6pm.

Fr Paul Roberts, Director for the Institute for Mission, Diocese of Parramatta, said that IN-Sync is “an attempt to link the local community with our travelling pilgrims, and a chance for those at home to share directly in the spirit of World Youth Day.”

The IN-Sync event will begin with Mass at 6pm at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, with a celebration of food, music and fellowship to follow.

If you wish to attend, please RSVP by 22 January to Fr Paul Roberts – connect@ifm.org.au

 

Essential details

  • 27 January, from 6pm
  • St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta
  • 6pm – Special WYD Mass
  • 7pm – Food, shooting video messages to be used for the pilgrims’ retreat in Houston, video messages from our pilgrims in Panama

To follow the Diocese of Parramatta’s pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, please visit parrawyd.org

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