Youths from Panama carry the World Youth Day cross after receiving it from representatives from Poland in 2017 at the conclusion of Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

World Youth Day Cross and Marian Icon to tour U.S. in August

1001 0

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced June 5 that the official World Youth Day Cross and Marian Icon will make a tour of the United States Aug. 19-27.

Panama Archbishop Jose Domingo Mendieta decided to extend the Latin American tour of the Cross and Icon to include stops in the United States.

Panama will host the 16th World Youth Day Jan. 22-27. It will be the first Central American nation to host the massive event, which will include a music festival, dozens of seminars for youth and an expected four-day visit by Pope Francis.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who is the World Youth Day episcopal liaison for the USCCB, is excited for the chance for the United States “to host these incredible and unifying symbols.” He said he hopes that “young people and young adults will have an encounter with Christ and his mother, Mary,” just as many people do during WYD.

The tour, which is being organized by the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, will take the cross and icon to Chicago, Miami, Houston, Washington and Los Angeles.

The cross, which St. John Paul II gave to the youth and young adults of the world in 1984, has been part of every WYD celebration and also made trips around the world. In 2003, St. John Paul presented the Marian icon to the world’s youth, and it has accompanied the WYD cross since then.

Related Post

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur talks with offensive linemen T.J. Clemmings, Austin Shepherd and Alex Boone during practice Aug. 3 at Minnesota State University, Mankato. "My Catholic faith influences really every facet of my life," Shurmur said. "I've always believed it's a terrific guideline for living and certainly has carried over to coaching." (CNS photo/Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit)

Minnesota Vikings coach brings faith to the field

Posted by - September 2, 2017 0
MANKATO, Minn. (CNS) — Each morning, Pat Shurmur pulls out a laminated card with his priorities for the day. “We…
JD Duran, a member of St. Charles Parish in Portland, Ore., speaks Aug. 3, 2019, during the national Singles for Christ conference in Portland and shares how he struggled with his degenerative nerve disorder before finding solace in God. (CNS photo/Katie Scott, Catholic Sentinel)

Singles for Christ organization grounds daily life, says meeting attendee

Posted by - August 23, 2019 0
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) — JD Duran was 2 when his parents noticed something was off. He could run and walk,…
Pope Francis uses a handkerchief during Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome Feb. 26, 2020. Pope Francis has a common cold and has no symptoms that could be attributed to another illness, the Vatican said March 3.(CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)

Pope Francis has a ‘common cold,’ Vatican says, amid Italy’s coronavirus outbreak

Posted by - March 8, 2020 0
Vatican City, Mar 3, 2020 / 04:10 am (CNA).- Pope Francis was reportedly tested for the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, with…