Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Glen Burnie will host a sendoff Mass on July 31 at 10 a.m. for a group of parishioners traveling to Cologne, Germany for the 2005 World Youth Day, which takes place August 12-23. The Mass will be celebrated by Father Bruce Jarboe, who will bless and commission the pilgrims. The seven parishioners from Holy Trinity will join Cardinal Keeler and 127 other young people and youth ministers to form the delegation from the Archdiocese of Baltimore at World Youth Day.
The Holy Trinity delegation will bring with them booklets containing photographs and information about the Archdiocese of Baltimore to share with other English-speaking pilgrims. The group will also take with them a stuffed crab mascot, which they have already taken to various spots throughout the Baltimore area. To read about the group’s experiences and to see photographs from Germany, visit the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s World Youth Day ’05 section on its web site, www.archbalt.org/wyd2005/.
While in Germany they will experience 12 days of prayer and self-reflection (led by Pope Benedict XVI), historical sightseeing, and the native Bavarian culture.
First started in 1985, World Youth Day is “a festival of encounter and solidarity”. Youth between the ages of 16 and 30 gather together from all over the world to strengthen faith and establish identity amongst the Church through prayer, worship, and discussion. The event has been recognized as instrumental to the future of the faith as the next generation of church leaders gathers to share ideas and wrestle with church issues. World Youth Day 05’ will be the first youth celebration for the newly elected Holy Father and will be an important opportunity for youth to identify with the Church’s new figurehead.