The Symbols of the World Youth Day (WYD) will have a final moment of celebration in the Algarve, this Friday, November 26th, with a walk and a prayer vigil at the Mother Sovereign Sanctuary, in Loulé.
The arrival of the symbols and the participants is scheduled for 20:30, next to the Convent of Santo António, in Loulé, after which the young people from the Algarve will leave for a walk, at 21:00, along the slope of Mãe Soberana towards the Sanctuary, where, at 21:30, they will have the prayer vigil begins.
The Diocesan Organizing Committee of the Algarve (COD) for the WYD calls for the «presence of each one, so that this is an unforgettable moment for the youth and for our diocesan church».
Interested parties must register through this link, until the 25th of November, or when the maximum capacity of the space is reached.
The WYD Symbols, that is, the Pilgrim Cross and the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, have been in the Algarve since the 29th of October, passing through all the Vigararias (Tavira, Faro, Loulé and Portimão) and that they will pilgrimage through all the Portuguese Dioceses, until July 2023, since the WYD will take place from the 1st to the 6th of August of that year.
The two symbols are always signs of announcing this great activity of young Catholics and were given to the Portuguese by Pope Francis, on November 22, 2020, in Rome.
The Pilgrim Cross is 3,8 meters high and was built for the Holy Year in 1983, having been entrusted by St. John Paul II to young people on Palm Sunday the following year, to be taken around the world. Since then, the Pilgrim Cross has been on five continents and in nearly 90 countries, asserting itself as a sign of hope.
Since 2000, the Pilgrim Cross has been accompanied by the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, which portrays the Virgin Mary with the Child in her arms. This icon was also introduced by Pope John Paul II as a symbol of Mary's presence among young people. At 1,20 meters tall and 80 centimeters wide, the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani is associated with one of the most popular Marian devotions in Italy. The tradition of taking him in procession through the streets of Rome, to ward off dangers and misfortunes or put an end to pests, is ancient.
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