The head of the Catholic Church, gives young people a mission, purpose, clarity and affirmation to be who they are in Christ, to use their youthfulness, zest for life and vitality to serve Christ and to make him known to the people in their lives and beyond. Each World Youth Day the Pope reminds the Universal Church that young people have a crucial place and purpose in the life of the church.
"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, April 22, 1984).

The Province of Meribah pilgrimage is a reminder to allow Christ to be in our daily lives, in our homes, our streets and communities and our duty to proclaim the Good News.

As we begin our countdown to World Youth Day, my heartfelt plea and I am sure God’s too, is that we prepare ourselves to journey with Christ. Open your heart to what Christ is about to share with us this pilgrimage. Open your eyes and let Christ give you a glimpse into what a privilege, honor and favor we have to be given the opportunity to experience Christ in this way.

To our friends who remain home, please pray for us, pray that God will refresh and restore us this pilgrimage, pray for protection against discouragement, apathy and rejection and that we may see more and more of the people of Long Island and the United States come to and back to Christ.

I can only convey a certain amount of excitement about this pilgrimage through this blog, I encourage you to build up your own expectations and make the most of this opportunity to encounter Christ and His mother Mary in this unique and special way.

May we experience a huge outpouring of God's grace, Spirit and Love on the Island the next few weeks.