Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Leon (Agenzia Fides) - The Witness and Hope Movement has urged young Catholics to take part in the National Youth Pilgrimage to the Mount of Christ the King the geographical and spiritual heart of Mexico with the theme "Disciples and Missionaries of Christ that our Peoples may have Life in Him", in keeping with the title of the upcoming 5th CELAM General Conference in May in Brazil. This is the 24th such pilgrimage which draws thousands of young participants from all over the country every year, 25,000 last year.
Witness and Hope Movement coordinator in Guadalajara, María de la Fede Torres, says the pilgrimage will move from Guadalajara at 10 pm on Friday 26 January and arrive in time for the first event, a Festival in John Paul II Valley starting around 4am on Saturday 27. The pilgrimage will then continue to the Shrine for Mass concelebrated by bishops from various dioceses including Bishop José di Jesús Martínez Cepeda of Irapuato and Bishop Leopoldo González. auxiliary of Guadalajara. At the end of the return pilgrimage in their respective dioceses the young people will consecrate themselves to Christ the King.
The National Mount of Christ the King Youth Pilgrimage was started in 1983 by a group of young Catholics. It has become an annual tradition in the last week of January. It is promoted by the Witness and Hope movement which encourages young people to bear Christian witness and the live with Christian hope. The movement’s goal is to promote testimony of human and Christian values among young people in Mexico and the rest of Latin America so as to illuminate the temporal order with the light of the Gospel to build a civilisation of Love in a Christian spirit. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 25/1/2007; righe 22, parole 323)
