August 17, 2011 - Cardinal Leads Boston Youth on Pilgrimage From Madrid to Toledo

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Boston Boasts 500-Strong World Youth Day Contingent; Parents and Others Can Follow Trip on WYDMadridBoston.com

Braintree, MA (August 16, 2011)… A group of young Boston Catholics participating in World Youth Day festivities in Madrid kicked off their week by traveling to Toledo on Monday to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption with Cardinal Seán O’Malley. The local group is among the more than one million young Catholics meeting for World Youth Day’s week of spiritual and cultural activities, which culminate in a Sunday mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.  This year, friends and family can follow both Cardinal Sean and the more than 500 pilgrims by using social media or by logging on to WYDMadridBoston.com for photos, videos, and blog entrees. Events are ongoing and run until Sunday, August 21, 2011. 

Rev. Matt Williams, Director of the Office of New Evangelization for Youth and Young Adults (ONE) said, “Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, friends and family and well-wishers will be able to join in the pilgrimage by clicking onto WYDMadridBoston.com.  Members of the Boston WYD Team are providing constant updates throughout the days, as they happen, by posting photos, videos, stories and profiles of Boston pilgrims.”

Boston has one of the largest groups in the United States attending WYD.  This includes more than 300 traveling with the Cardinal and ONE.  In addition 130 pilgrims will be traveling with the Neocatechumenal Way communities from throughout the Archdiocese.

Cardinal Seán is one of eight American Bishops chosen to teach English-speaking youth at World Youth Day.  He is offering three morning catecheses on different topics. 

In collaboration with the Secretariat for Catholic Media, ONE created a new website for this pilgrimage: www.WYDMadridBoston.com. 

Scot Landry, Secretary for Catholic Media said, “Our goal has been to enable family, friends and well-wishers the opportunity to take part in this virtual pilgrimage.  On this website you see photos, videos, Boston pilgrim profiles and amazing stories, as they are happening.  World Youth Days can often have a profound effect on the pilgrims.  One of the best experiences of my Catholic life was attending WYD in Denver in 2003.  I’m glad for those that can’t make it personally that there is this way to allow many to connect with the experience.” 

CatholicTV is also televising all the significant events from Madrid live and issuing web exclusive videos all week.  Follow along at www.catholictv.com.  

Mr. Landry also noted that The Good Catholic Life is airing interviews from Madrid during the week, from 4-5pm on 1060AM.  For details visit www.TheGoodCatholicLife.com.

Other sites you can follow the coverage in Madrid include: 
Flickr.com/BostonCatholic
BostonCatholic.org
www.PilotCatholicNews.com  
CardinalSeansBlog.org/
Facebook.com/BostonCatholic
Twitter.com/BostonCatholic

For more information about WYD and other exciting youth and young adult events, please visit the Office for New Evangelization’s website: www.ONE4Boston.org or like us on Facebook: ONE4Boston.