More than 50 young men and women from the Neocatechumenal Way in Perth undertook a pilgrimage to Adelaide earlier this year in search of their vocation.
The Gospel passage from St Matthew, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God’ (Mt 6:3), provided a source of inspiration for the youth as they made their journey across the Nullarbor, after it was chosen by Pope Francis as a theme for the 2014 World Youth Day.
A team of Catechists from the Neocatechumenal Way prepared and led the pilgrims on their journey.
The youths were encouraged to pray together, share their life experience reflecting on the Gospel and also engage in missionary activity by speaking with people on the streets about the love of God.
Passers-by were drawn by the singing and testimonies of these young people and some curiously asked the pilgrims: Who are you? Why have you come here? What is this message you have for us?
This gave a chance for the pilgrims to openly speak about how God has worked in their lives, leading them towards a life of dignity and happiness.
The very idea of a pilgrimage is predicated on making an effort and personal sacrifice to journey to a holy location.
The pilgrims paid for their own trip, spent endless hours on a crowded bus (sometimes with very few stopovers), and slept on the ground of school gymnasiums.
In this light, there could not have been a better place to welcome the pilgrims on their arrival to Adelaide than the Mary MacKillop Centre, located on the historical site of St Joseph’s Convent, established by Mary MacKillop in 1872.
Here, the group joined fellow pilgrims from Neocatechumenal communities of Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne and met with the Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson DD JCL, who welcomed them warmly.
On Saturday, 12 July, the Archbishop heard the experiences of the pilgrims, witnessing first-hand the faith of these young Christians and the love for Christ they displayed, before celebrating a Vigil Mass with them on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, 13 July, the pilgrims headed to one of the highest hills overlooking Adelaide city, named Windy Point, to pray for the city and its people.
The Archbishop returned on Sunday to lead one of the most significant moments of the pilgrimage, the calling for vocations.
Twelve young men and eleven young women answered the call for holy orders and entered into a time of spiritual discernment of their vocations.
Since then, five of the young men who stood up for the priesthood have joined the seminary.
Two holy figures were chosen to accompany the pilgrims travelling to Adelaide from all over Australia: Saint Maria Goretti and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Both individuals died young, yet lived lives of richness and devotion.
They became examples of the power behind the poverty spoken of in the Beatitudes.
Their life stories were inspirational throughout the pilgrimage, urging the pilgrims to not be afraid of searching for holiness, which in turn holds the key to true happiness.