Scottish Catholic Observer

The international Catholic gathering takes place every two to three years, and this year takes place in Krakow from July 25-31.

Some pilgrimage groups from Scotland have already made the journey to Poland, travelling by bus through France, and they will be joined by hundreds of other Scottish pilgrims who have flown out this week.

Clare Carr, youth officer for the Society of St Vincent de Paul Scotland, will be travelling out with a group of nine society members from across Scotland. She attended World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, and said the event would be a huge occasion for the Scottish pilgrims travelling out. She highlighted the all night vigil as the likely high point of the trip. Pilgrims will make a walking pilgrimage to what has been named the ‘field of mercy’ on Saturday July 30, where they will take part in a vigil with the Pope, with the Holy Father celebrating Mass in the morning.

Up to two million people are expected to take part in the various World Youth Day events. It is the second time Poland has hosted the gathering, with Częstochowa the venue in 1991. Krakow was the city where Pope St John Paul II spent most of his life before becoming Pope, serving as a priest, auxiliary bishop and Archbishop of the diocese.

Emmet Dooley is one of 34 people travelling out with one of two groups from Motherwell Diocese. Mr Dooley is helping lead a pilgrimage associated with the young adult group the Gonzaga Project, while Fr Michael Kane of St Augustine’s in Coatbridge is leading a second group.

Mr Dooley said he was blown away by the generosity and goodwill of parishioners and sponsors who helped the pilgrims raise the money to make the journey.

Scottish pilgrims have spent a large chunk of 2016 raising money to fund their trip, with fashion shows, garden parties, and quiz nights held across Scotland. Roisin King, a teacher at St Francis Xavier’s Primary in Falkirk, is one of those who took part in fundraising and has travelled out with an Edinburgh Archdiocesan group. There are 24 in the group, including Archbishop Leo Cushley. Ms King has been to both the 2013 Rio World Youth Day and the 2011 event in Madrid. “It was absolutely amazing,” she said. “It was unbelievable. There’s five or six of us who were in Rio going this year, and seven who were in Madrid going so there is quite a few who are going again.” She said it is hard to describe what it’s like to be in the same place as millions of people. “You feel really wee and insignificant but at the same time part of something massive as well.”

Denise Roberts from the Argyll and Isles youth office, is leading a group who left last Sunday, joining up with the St Andrew’s Community from Aberdeen Diocese, and a small group from Ireland. The group is made up of 14 to 17 year-olds, including those from Barra, Fort William and Oban. “We are delighted,” she said. “It’s great to get a cross section from different parishes, and we will have Bishop Brian [McGee] with us too.” The group travelled through France and the Czech Republic by bus and will arrive in Poland before the celebrations begin in earnest on Monday.

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—This story ran in full in the July 22 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.