Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Symbols of WYD in the Archdiocese of Krakow

On May 20 in the Archdiocese of Krakow, the pilgrimage of Symbols of WYD – the Cross and the Icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani – will begin, and will last until the events of WYD themselves.

The pilgrimage of the WYD Symbols will be begun by a ceremonial inauguration on May 20 in the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Krakow. The symbols will be brought by young people from the Greek Catholic Cathedral in Przemyśl. The symbols will be brought to the sanctuary, where at 5:00pm a solemn Holy Mass will begin during which Card. Stanisław Dziwisz will preach the homily.

On May 21 the Symbols of WYD will be brought to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki. The symbols will be present during the official “For us and for the whole world” retreats before WYD.

“This month the retreat will begin unusually early so that there would be time for a short introduction, so that at 4:30pm the symbols would be brought to the Basilica,” says Fr. Paweł Mielecki from the Department of Pastoral Care of the OC WYD Krakow 2016.

During the pilgrimage the symbols will visit 45 deaneries, around 200 churches and chapels, 50 schools, over a dozen hospitals, as well as prisons and correctional centers in the whole Archdiocese. They will also be present during the time of the evangelizational concert in the Market Square that will take place on May 25. Young people from various communities will carry them during the time of the traditional Corpus Christi procession from Wawel to the Market Square.

The symbols have accompanied young people since 1983, when Holy Father John Paul II offered them to young people on the occasion of the inauguration of the Holy Year Jubilee of Redemption. From this time the Symbols of WYD have pilgrimaged around the whole world.

“The symbols were present in many places around the whole world, which emphasizes the universal character of the pilgrimage,” explains Fr. Paweł Mielecki. “Now these same symbols will come to us. At the beginning they will be in significant places like the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II, and later will visit even small parishes, churches, communities, schools. An important aspect of the pilgrimage is that the Symbols arrive also to those places where people for objective reasons cannot go to church to pray, and so to hospitals, prisons, correctional facilities and seniors homes,” explains Fr. Paweł.

In accordance with tradition, the host diocese of the events of WYD is the last place of the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage began already on April 2014. The symbols visited in turn almost all the dioceses of Poland as well as neighbouring nations: Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Moldovia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The pilgrimage will last until July 25. In the time of the week of the main events of WYD the symbols will be accessible to pilgrims in the Adoration tent found in Jordan Park (next the Krakow’s Błonia, between Al. 3 Maja, Reymana street and Reymonta street). They will also be present at all celebrations in Błonia and Campus Misericoridae. 

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