Immediate Release July 6, 2011 Contacts: Robert Williams, Youth Director Joe Aponick, Communications (717) 657-4804 www.hbgdiocese.org Local Pilgrims Prepare for Worldwide Spiritual Journey 11 To Serve as Correspondents Bishop Joseph P. McFadden will celebrate a Mass on Sunday, July 17 with the 225 local pilgrims from the Diocese of Harrisburg that are preparing for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain. The Mass will be held at Noon at St. Theresa Parish, 1300 Bridge Street, New Cumberland, PA. Bishop McFadden, who will also attend World Youth Day in August, will be the celebrant and deliver the homily at the Mass. Following the Mass, the pilgrims will walk to Boro Park in New Cumberland for a picnic with their families and Bishop McFadden. During the walk the pilgrims will be reciting the rosary in Spanish as they make the pilgrimage to the park. The Mass serves as an opportunity for the local pilgrims to gather together as they begin their final spiritual preparations for the trip to World Youth Day. The pilgrims will depart on their pilgrimage on August 10 and return to the United States on August 22. The Mass with Bishop McFadden will take place exactly 5 weeks prior to the World Youth Day closing Mass to be celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in Madrid, Spain. Eleven local pilgrims will serve as Media Correspondents for the Diocese of Harrisburg for World Youth Day. These youth from high school thru college age will be sharing their personal experiences of their spiritual journey via the diocese’s Facebook and YouTube pages, and via a blog. The correspondents will post daily photos, articles and videos of their experiences while in Spain for people to follow during the pilgrimage. The pilgrim correspondents and their parishes/hometowns are: Eric Cross, St. Margaret Mary, Harrisburg Katherine Mullen, St. Columba, Bloomsburg Mary Kate, Mary Teresa and Peter Lee, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Harrisburg Carmen Garcia, St. Francis of Assisi, Harrisburg Dariana Garcia Munoz, St. Francis of Assisi, Harrisburg Olivia Sielaff, Immaculate Conception BVM, Fairfield Britta Bender, St. Joseph, Hanover Monica Burke, St. Joseph, Danville Breanna Mouery, St. Monica, Sunbury Sarah Neitz, St. Francis Xavier, Gettysburg Kate Ressel, St. Francis Xavier, Gettysburg World Youth Day is an unbelievable weeklong spiritual journey where pilgrims from all over the world unite to share their faith. The week includes prayer, song, concerts, drama, sharing, liturgy, catechesis, and an unforgettable vigil and closing mass with the Holy Father. In 1984, the Pope John Paul II invited young people from all over the world to participate in a pilgrimage at the very first World Youth Day. Since then it has been held in Argentina (’87), Spain (’89), Poland (’91), U.S. (’93), Philippines (’95), France (’97), Italy (’00), Canada (’02), Germany (’05), and Australia (’08). A World Youth Day is celebrated each year at the local level or at the international level. Worldwide gatherings take place every 2 or 3 years. + + + .