BRIDGEPORT – On Easter Sunday, 1984, Pope John Paul II presented a simple wooden cross to the youth of the world. On the cross is this inscription: “My dear young people; At the conclusion of the Holy Year, I entrust to you the very sign of this jubilee year: 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.”
Since that day, thousands of young people around the world have heeded the challenge of the late pontiff and have carried the cross around the globe. What started in Rome (1984) has spread to World Youth Day celebrations in Argentina (1987), Spain (1989), Poland (1991), the United States (1993), the Philippines (1995), France (1997), returning to Rome for the jubilee year (2000), then on to Canada (2002), Germany (2005), Australia (2008), Spain (2011), Brazil (2013), and Poland (2016).
The Diocese of Bridgeport has built our own Pilgrimage Cross, a replica of the original World Youth Day Cross, in Summer 2017. This cross as blessed by Bishop Caggiano in September 2017. It has been traveling through out the diocese since.
On March 24, 2018, all young people are invited to join Bishop Caggiano to enter the journey of Holy Week at St. Charles Borromeo. The day will consist of opening prayer, music, adoration and reconciliation.
To register please complete the online registration form here. You must also bring a copy of the Pilgrimage Registration form with you on the day of the event. For more information: The Church Needs You.
