16.08.2018
Dublin’s WMOF2018 Pilgrim Walk to be Launched on Saturday
Dublin’s two Archbishops, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Archbishop Michael Jackson will officially launch the World Meeting of Families Pilgrim Walk this Saturday (August 18) at 12 noon at St Michan’s Church of Ireland Church on Church Street, Dublin 7. They will then walk together to St Michan’s Catholic Church on Halston Street and all are welcome to join them.
The WMOF Pilgrim Walk runs until Saturday August 25 and takes in seven Dublin city churches and the thousands of pilgrims who attend the World Meeting of Families will be invited to take part along with anyone who happens to be in Dublin. It can be undertaken in a single day or over the full week and participants will have a passport which can be stamped at each church in the ancient tradition of the Camino of St James. A certificate will be awarded when they arrive at the last of the seven churches.
Archbishop Jackson said he was delighted that a Church of Ireland church had been included in the walk and urged people to come along to the launch as well as support the World Meeting of Families.
“It is a great honour for me personally to be invited by Archbishop Martin to participate with him in The Pilgrim Walk. The idea of seven churches is as old as the Book of Revelation itself. The symbolism of fresh hope and new friendships on the way is vibrant and life–giving. The World Meeting of Families will soon be upon us. From the outset I have been encouraging members of the Church of Ireland to attend parts of this international Christian event in any way that they can. I trust that all know that they are invited to participate in Saturday’s Pilgrim Walk at noon,” he said.
The Archbishop added: “The first stage is between the two churches dedicated to St Michan, one in the Church of Ireland tradition and one in the Roman Catholic tradition. This inclusion is a mark of the ecumenical solidarity of which we in the Church of Ireland rejoice to be part in the spiritual and social life of today’s Ireland. I wish the World Meeting of Families all that is best in the Lord”.
The churches can be visited in any order and participants are encouraged to spend time in prayer for families in each finishing with the World Meeting of Families prayer.
The churches involved are:
• St Teresa’s Carmelite Church, Clarendon Street –
the theme is “the gift of parents to the family.”
• St Francis Xavier’s, Gardiner Street – the theme is the role of teachers in enriching the children of our families.
• St Saviour’s, Dominick Street – the theme is God walks with families when times are tough
• St Michan’s, Halston Street –the gift of children to the family
• St Michan’s, Church Street –fostering the gift of forgiveness among families
• St Audoen’s Church, High Street –the gift of grandparents to the family
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Whitefriars), Aungier Street –love at the heart of the family
All churches will remain open each day between 9.30am and 7pm. You can download the Pilgrim Walk map in PDF form at www.dublindiocese.ie/7-church-pilgrim-walk-for-wmof2018