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World Youth Day cross and icon to tour Washington

Special To The Herald

Young people pray near the World Youth Day cross during a recent prayer vigil at the Church of Christ the Redeemer near Panama City. BOB ROLLER | CNS

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The Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington will host
the official World Youth Day Cross and Marian Icon Aug. 25 as part of the
international procession in advance of the World Youth Day event in Panama this
coming January.

The shrine is one of five venues in the United States that have
been selected for this honor. The other stops include Chicago, Miami, Houston
and Los Angeles. It is the first time in 25 years such a coordinated journey
has occurred.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Laity,
Marriage, Family Life and Youth, in particular its World Youth Day USA
initiative, is coordinating the national tour.

Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., Metropolitan
Archbishop of Panama and host of the next international World Youth Day
gathering in January 2019, extended the Latin American tour of the WYD symbols
to include the United States.

Bridgeport Bishop Frank Caggiano, WYD episcopal liaison for the
USCCB, said, “We are grateful for this opportunity to host these incredible and
unifying symbols in our country. I hope that young people and young adults will
have an encounter with Christ and his mother Mary through the cross and icon,
just as many have during World Youth Day. This summer tour is also very timely
because August 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the last time the pilgrim
cross made a journey across the United States in advance of WYD 1993 in
Denver.” 

The cross has traveled around the globe since 1984, when St. John
Paul II gave it to young people. It has been part of every WYD celebration
beginning with the first official event in Rome in 1986.

In 2002, the cross came to Ground Zero in New York City for a
brief visit to bring comfort to the nation’s young people in the aftermath of
the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In 2003, St. John Paul II presented the world’s youths and young
adults with a Marian icon, under the title of Salus
Populi Romani, which has accompanied the WYD Cross for the past 15
years.

The USCCB is coordinating efforts with local dioceses, institutions
and pastoral leaders in each of the five hosting locations.

Find out more

Go to wydusa.org and social media channels @wydusa.

 

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