BUGGY TO TAKE CARE OF A PRECIOUS CARGO

In true Ballarat tradition, the mode of transport for one of the holiest symbols in the Catholic faith won’t be a motorcade.

In a step back in time, a horse-drawn carriage provided by Sovereign Hill will be the main mode of transport for a 3.8m cross visiting Ballarat later this month. The cross is doing an Australia-wide tour as part of World Youth Day being held in Sydney next year.

World Youth Day will involve a pilgrimage of young Catholics across Australia, and the world, to celebrate their faith. Pope Benedict XVI will also attend the event, the first time he will have visited Australia as Pontiff.

Ballarat will play its part in the lead- up to the event. The World Youth Day Cross is a symbol of the event. The cross will arrive from South Australia later this month and after travelling around the Diocese be welcomed at the site of the Eureka Stockade on Friday, October 26 before travelling to St. Alipius Church for a ceremony. Sovereign Hill is now trying to figure out the best way to carry the cross when it visits.

World Youth Day diocesan co-ordinator Stacey Atkins said she was amazed at the response World Youth Day had already received in Ballarat prior to the arrival of the cross. “Numerous people have been working extremely hard to pack as many different experiences into one day as we can here in Ballarat,” she said.

“Everyone seems to recognise the unique opportunity it will be to pray with and touch the…cross as millions of people have done all around the world.”

The cross will arrive in Ballarat on Friday, October 26, after making its way from Mildura. It will visit several primary schools as part of its visit to the city.

World Youth Day is being held from July 15 to 20 next year.

Acknowledgement with thanks: Text and photo “Ballarat Courier”