World Youth Day 2016

More than 100 Jesuit High School pilgrims departed Tuesday (July 19) for an amazing 17-day journey in Europe, highlighted by their participation in World Youth Day (WYD) 2016 in Poland with Pope Francis.

The 90 Jesuit students plus all of the chaperones, including Jesuit school president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J., and Director of Campus Ministry Fr. J. Patrick Hough, S.J. met Tuesday afternoon at Jesuit in the Tiger Palace to go over all of the final planning for the trip, as well as celebrate Mass. You can follow along with the Jesuit contingent on their pilgrimage via Fr. Hough’s Twitter account, @jphoughsj.

In 2013, at the last World Youth Day in Brazil, some 3 million celebrated Mass with Pope Francis on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, a group of more than 50 Jesuit pilgrims among them. A massive WYD gathering is expected once again in Krakow, Poland, at the end of the month, with more than twice the Jesuit High School representation.

(Homepage photo: The Jesuit WYD student pilgrims just before departure on July 19.)

The Jesuit pilgrims will travel through the night Tuesday and morning Wednesday and arrive in Rome on Wednesday afternoon (July 20). Their time in Rome will include a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums, a visit to the Colosseum, a trip to Assisi where the group will attend Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and much more. The last day in Rome, July 24, includes Angelus with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.

The pilgrims then will travel to Vienna and the Czech Republic, and visit Auschwitz and the Holocaust site, on their way to Krakow. The WYD events conclude July 31 with a closing Mass with Pope Francis. The last three days of the trip will be in Austria, and the Jesuit pilgrims will return to Tampa on Aug. 5.