WILMINGTON — It may have been the wettest youth pilgrimage the Diocese of Wilmington has ever had, but that didn’t damper the spirits of the hundreds who attended. Young people and their faith leaders joined Bishop Koenig and others from the diocese in the annual march, which was held March 23, the Saturday before Palm Sunday.
Hundreds of participants warmed up inside the St. E Center before setting out on an abbreviated route in the city of Wilmington. There, they listened to Catholic musician Sarah Kroger and participated in a prayer service led by Bishop Koenig and the diocesan Youth Leadership Team, which works with the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Kroger told the group it takes courage to share with the world who you are, but it is important that we do.
“If you have a gift from God and you’re not using it,” she said, we are letting God down. She then sang her song “I Will Say Yes,” which talks about doing what God asks without hesitation.
When area residents see the group walking through the streets of Wilmington, they would be interested to know what is that important that the group would persist in a driving rain.
Dan Pin, the director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, told the group that the large wooden cross that they would carrying is a witness to their faith, but also a burden.
“God’s got a message for you, so work with that,” he said.
After a prayer, Bishop Koenig spoke about the places the group would stop along the way and called them “monuments to the faith of the people of God.” The pilgrimage, he added, would not only enrich them, but those who saw them. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to walk with the young people.
Kroger said she prays that the young people will see themselves the way God sees them.
“He knows you better than you know yourself,” she said.
Speaking of prayer, Kroger said the church has given us prayers that we can fall back on “when we can’t find the words.” She said she particularly likes the “Glory Be.”
After leaving St. Elizabeth, the group headed to St. Francis Hospital, where they prayed a litany of the saints for the patients and staff. After that, it was a short trip to St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Inside, 21 priests were stationed around the church to hear confessions. Lunch was held inside the cafeteria at St. Anthony’s School.
The group then headed back to St. Elizabeth instead of going to St. Paul Church. A closing Mass was celebrated there.
J.W. Ruth, a catechist from Our Mother of Sorrows Parish in Centreville, Md., said he experienced the pilgrimage as a student when he was preparing to be confirmed, and he was happy to bring others as a leader for the first time. The ride up from the Eastern Shore was a bit subdued, largely because of the early start, but the kids were ready.
“We’re all excited,” he said.
One of the students from Our Mother of Sorrows, Helen Willard, was looking forward to reflecting on her faith and thinking about its place in her life.
“Kind of understanding more of what the faith is about,” said Willard, a student at Queen Anne’s County High School. “Maybe learning more about the rest of the children in confirmation and see how everybody else does everything.”
Patrick Riddle, an eighth-grader from St. John the Apostle Parish in Milford, said other family members had participated in past pilgrimages and recommended he give it a shot.
“It seemed very interesting, and it could help me with my faith,” he said.
Over lunch at St. Anthony’s, Sarah Voigt, a member of the Youth Leadership Team, said she was happy with the way the event had turned out despite the weather.
“I think it’s really great,” said Voigt, a junior at Padua Academy who was at her first pilgrimage. “It shows how many people care to pray. It’s great to see people coming together for a common goal.
“We’re all in it together, and we made it here.”
