AN
HONOUR FOR KNOCKLYON
The Current Pilgrimage
The WYD Cross in Knocklyon
 Just
as many had underestimated the significance of
the visit of St. Thérèse’s
relics in 2001, so too we might be in danger of
underestimating the significance of the World
Youth Day Cross which we have the huge honour
of hosting in our parish on November 23rd/24th.
It is known also as the “Pilgrim
Cross” or “Youth
Cross” as it was given to young people
by Pope John Paul II to take around the world to
any place at any time. During the Holy Year of
1983-84, Pope John Paul felt that there should
be a cross – the symbol of our faith – near
the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica where
it could be seen by everyone. Hence a large wooden
cross, 3.8 metres high, was placed there, in accordance
with Holy Father’s desire. At the end of
the Holy Year, the Pope gave this Cross as a gift
to the youth of the world. His words on that occasion
were: “My dear young
people … I entrust to you the Cross of Christ!
Carry it throughout the world as a symbol of Christ’s
love for humanity, and announce to everyone that
only in the death and resurrection of Christ can
we find salvation and redemption.” (Rome,
22nd April 1984)
 One
of the great legacies that John Paul II has given
to the world has been his extraordinary ability
to engage with young people. In 1985 he established
the World Youth Days as an occasion for young people
to gather from different parts of the world to
celebrate their faith. They have been celebrated
every year since then, with major international
gatherings taking place every two or three years
in places as diverse as Rome, Buenos Aires, Santiago
de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris
and Toronto. The Holy Father has been present at
every one of these gatherings which attract tens
of thousands of young people from every corner
of the earth. In his own words: “Too
many lives begin and end without joy, without hope.
That is one of the reasons for World Youth Day.
Young people are coming together to commit themselves,
in the strength of their faith in Jesus Christ,
to the great cause of peace and human solidarity.” (visit www.cyc.ie to
find out more about World Youth Days)
On the occasion of the 10th World Youth Day in
Manila in 1995, he said: “The
Pilgrim Cross passes from one continent to another,
and young people everywhere come together to witness
together that Jesus Christ is the same for each
one, and that his message is always the same. In
him there are no divisions, no ethnic rivalry,
no social discrimination. All are brothers and
sisters in the family of God.”
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The following year on Palm Sunday in Rome, the Pope said to a group
of young people from the Philippines who were passing on the
Cross to a delegation of young people from France: “To
embrace the Cross on this day, to pass it from hand to hand,
is a very eloquent gesture. It is as if you are saying: Lord,
we do not wish to stay with you only for the moment of the ‘Hosanna’,
but, with your help, we wish to accompany you on the way of the
cross like Mary, your mother and ours, and the apostle John.
Yes, Lord, ‘You have the words of eternal life’ and
we believe that your Cross is a word of life, of eternal life!”
 In
1998 he said: “Young
Christians, your choice is clear: discover in the
Cross of Christ the meaning of your existence and
the source of your missionary enthusiasm.” In
the Jubilee Year 2000, some 200 young people walked
with the Cross on their shoulders from Mantua to
the International Youth Forum in Rome. “We
fell very much in love with this Cross,” they
said, “but we are really happy to give it
to you because this Cross is not ours alone: it
belongs to everyone and is for everyone.”
The Cross has travelled by virtually every method
imaginable - by commercial airline, light aircraft,
dog sled, pick-up truck, tractor, sail boat and
fishing boat. It has visited parish churches, youth
detention centres, prisons, schools, universities,
national historic sites, shopping centres, downtown
streets, nightclub districts and parks.
In February 2002, it was taken
for three days to Ground Zero in New York as a
sign of hope for the people of the United States
in the wake of the September 11th tragedy.
In July 2002 a group of seven young people (in
their late teens/early twenties) represented Knocklyon
at the last World Youth Day in Toronto. It was
an experience which will remain forever etched
on their memories. To quote one of the group: “To
be honest, I went to Toronto with a spirituality
more than a strong faith. But having heard the
Pope’s words and having witnessed so many
acts of human love and kindness, I have become
convinced of my faith and of the fact that Jesus
is relying on us the be the salt of the earth and
the light of the world.”
Before passing from the youth of Canada to the
youth of Germany on Palm Sunday of this year, the
Cross made a brief unofficial visit to Ireland.
Then on Palm Sunday, the Pope introduced a new
element which now accompanies the Cross: an Icon
of Our Lady ‘Salus Populi Romani’: “Today
I also entrust to the delegation from Germany the
Icon of Mary. From now on it will accompany the
World Youth Days, together with the Cross. Behold,
your Mother! It will be a sign of Mary’s
motherly presence close to young people who are
called, like the Apostle John, to welcome her into
their lives.”
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The
Current Pilgrimage
 The
Youth Cross and Icon of Our Lady are on pilgrimage
to several European countries before they visit
the dioceses of Germany leading up to WYD 2005
in Cologne.
The presence of this Icon along with the Cross
will be particularly significant for us in Knocklyon
because our parish is served by the brothers of
Our Lady – Carmelite Friars - whose mission
is essentially Mary’s mission: to bring Christ
to a waiting world. As well as mother, Carmelites
see Mary as their sister, as the great disciple
and above all the woman of faith.
A youth event such as this is also appropriate
for our parish because Carmelite spirituality appeals
especially to young people, as St. Thérèse
of Lisieux, who died at the tender age of 24, exemplified
through her “Little Way” (visit www.sttherese.com).
Indeed the word “Carmel” literally
means “the Garden of the Lord”, a place
where new life is forever emerging (find out more
about the Carmelite Family through www.carmelites.ie).
May this historic visit of the Youth Cross and
Icon of Our Lady to Knocklyon help us all to find
that Garden, that sacred space in our lives where
our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Universal King, may truly blossom and grow.
The Cross and Icon will be handed over by Cardinal
Connell to a representative group of young people
from Knocklyon at the end of the Annual Diocesan
Youth Mass in the Pro-Cathedral on Sunday November
23rd – the Solemnity of Christ the King,
the last Sunday of the current liturgical year.
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The
Cross in Knocklyon - Nov 23/24
They will arrive at St. Colmcille’s church at approx. 6.50
pm. After a special 7.00 pm Mass, a Taizé-style Prayer around
the Cross will take place incorporating chants and reflections
which will reach the depths of our hearts. Then, to the gentle
strains of the music of the harp we will be led into a quiet, contemplative
atmosphere for the remainder of the night. Please feel free to
come and go as you wish, and draw as close to the Cross as you
like. We would be delighted if you could join with our Carmelite
community for Night Prayer in the church at 10.30 pm.
Just as in special places of Pilgrimage like Lourdes,
where young people often like to go down to the
Grotto and pray late into the late hours, we invite
you to come along at whatever time suits you. The
Church will remain open until 11.30 pm. Touch or
kiss the Cross, and unite with the hundreds of
thousands of others across the world who have venerated
it before you and entrusted their lives to the
Lord.
On Monday morning (November 24th) we will be joined for the 10.00
am Mass by pupils from our local schools who will lead us in
a joyful celebration of the youthful face of the Church. The
Cross and Icon will remain in place until approx. 12 noon, when
they will be handed over to representatives from the next venue
it will visit.
The cross is set to visit hospices, prisons and
schools for the disabled as well as other parishes
in Dublin, Mullingar, Cavan, Armagh, Belfast, Knock,
Galway, Limerick and Carlow.
For further details, visit www.cyc.ie or contact
Fr. Philip: Tel: (01) 494 1204; Email: pbrennan@carmelites.ie
Further information about the Cross is available
at www.cyc.ie
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