Hundreds of young people from the tri-county Archdiocese of Los Angeles are embarking on a pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland, to join millions of Catholics and Pope Francis in celebrating World Youth Day (WYD) 2016, from July 26-31.

On July 17, Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Santa Barbara Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, delivered the homily at a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles for pilgrims traveling to WYD from the Archdiocese. The pilgrims received a blessing from Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Mass and were given specially designed WYD bracelets from My Saint My Hero Jewelry, for pilgrims to share prayers with someone at home or in Poland during WYD.

“Let us pray that the Lord will give them a prosperous journey, that they may experience God’s goodness in the hospitality that they receive and that they bring the good news of salvation to all those that they meet,” said Archbishop Gomez during the blessing of the WYD pilgrims. Watch blessing here: http://www.la-archdiocese.org/events/wyd2016/Pages/default.aspx.

Since Pope John Paul II launched WYD thirty years ago, it’s become not just the Catholic Church’s biggest event, but also the world’s largest gathering of young people. WYD is a transformative pilgrimage experience, targeting those ages 16 to 35, offering youth and young adults the opportunity to deepen their faith as they celebrate their Catholic identity with peers from around the world.

This year the pilgrims from the United States will comprise the third-largest delegation to attend WYD in Poland. The 40,000 Americans registered represent the largest delegation of U.S. pilgrims participating in a WYD outside of North America, just behind WYD 1993 in Denver and WYD 2002 in Toronto; most of the participants are young adults, ages 18-30.

Pope Francis will lead events on July 27-31, including a closing overnight vigil and Mass that is expected to draw as many as two million attendees from around the world.

“My entire visit will be inspired by Mercy during this Jubilee Year, and by the grateful and blessed memory of Saint John Paul II, who instituted the World Youth Days and was the guide of the Polish people in its recent historic journey towards freedom,” said Pope Francis.

Bishop Barron will serve as the presider for one of the major events geared toward English-speaking pilgrims at Tauron Arena Krakow: Night of Mercy, scheduled for Wednesday, July 27, at 7 p.m. CEST. Bishop Barron will also join 12 other U.S. bishops as a World Youth Day catechist.

For more WYD information visit:

http://www.la-archdiocese.org/events/wyd2016  or  http://www.krakow2016.com/en/.