PILGRIMS SOUGHT FOR LAST LEG OF THE ARK'S JOURNEY TO THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS
OTTAWA (CCN)—Jerry Grzadka, National Coordinator for the pilgrimage of the Ark of the New Covenant, is looking for pilgrims who are searching for a life-changing experience.
Grzadka is organizing the final leg of the cross-Canada journey of the Ark of the New Covenant, the symbolic object that has been traveling to build faith and to raise awareness of the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress June 15-22 in Quebec City.
Twelve pilgrims—to correspond to the 12 Apostles--will carry the Ark for 1,000 kilometers on the final 1600 km. leg of its cross-Canada journey.
The pilgrimage has an even greater importance now that the pope has decided not to participate in the Congress’s closing mass.
“Our task has doubled,” Grzadka said in an interview from Quebec City. “The Congress is still happening. It will still be a very successful event. And from the feeling that I have at the office, everybody takes their job more seriously.”
People who might have come to see the pope will now have to be drawn to the event itself, he said. But he has confidence the event will give Quebeckers the same sense of the Universal Church that he experienced during World Youth Day in 2002.
Grzadka recalls the impact of a similar symbolic object--the World Youth Day Cross--on the faithful as pilgrims carried it from Montreal to Toronto. “When we walked our pilgrimage, we did not have the Holy Father present, but it was a very successful pilgrimage that brought people to tears when we were leaving.”
He had joined the pilgrimage at the last minute, almost as an afterthought. It changed his life.
“That pilgrimage inspired me to get involved in the Catholic Church and I’ve been doing that ever since,” he said. Born in Poland, Grzadka’s grew up in Toronto as part of the Polish community. His faith experience was more cultural than spiritual until the pilgrimage. “All of a sudden everything changed.” He found new depth when he worshipped at mass.
After working for a year in the closing down phase of WYD, he went on to work for Salt and Light TV before heading up to Quebec City last Sept. to help organize the Ark pilgrimage.
Starting on Easter Sunday, Mar. 23, the Ark will depart from the National Canadian Martyrs Shrine in Midland, Ontario, and pass through 10 dioceses and visit four other national shrines before reaching Quebec City on Corpus Christi May 2
Grzadka is looking for 12 “portageurs” who will commit to the whole 64 days, and, be “prepared to live a unique spiritual experience and give witness to their faith in Christ.” They must be capable of walking an average of 15-20 miles per day.
He is also looking for pilgrims willing to commit for two weeks, to be part of teams of five that will rotate in and out. He also invites people to join them for one day, or to take part in events in parishes and shrines. The pilgrims will travel by vehicle for some of the 1600 km. tour. A vehicle will carry luggage and supplies during the walking portions of the trip. He expects people of all ages, male and female, to take part. In all, he will lead a team of 20, including the driver of the luggage truck.
He has also been alerting parishes and communities like nursing homes along the way of the Ark pilgrimage.
Information about the tour is posted on the Congress’s website at www.cei2008.ca. Grzadka can be reached by email at arche@cei2008.ca or by telephone at 418 688-1211 x 259.
The Ark’s journey began in Rome in 2006 when the pope blessed it in the presence of the Quebec bishops. Since then it has visited over 65 dioceses across Canada, traveling more than 40,000 kilometers. The Knights of Columbus have handled its travel arrangements, whether it flies or travels by truck or in a special trailer. Before Easter, the Ark will visit Northern Ontario dioceses and possibly those in Northern Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.
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PILGRIMS SOUGHT FOR LAST LEG OF THE ARK'S JOURNEY TO THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS
OTTAWA (CCN)—Jerry Grzadka, National Coordinator for the pilgrimage of the Ark of the New Covenant, is looking for pilgrims who are searching for a life-changing experience. full story
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