74th Pilgrimage begins at Mount St. Macrina”The Lord gave us this beautiful evening to begin this journey,” said Archbishop Basil M. Schott, OFM at the opening Divine Liturgy at the 74th annual Pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that began Friday afternoon at Mount St. Macrina.
Pilgrims from all over gathered at this year’s pilgrimage, titled “Mary, Shelter of the World,” to reflect and come closer to God. “You get to think about a lot of things,” said Carl Litman, a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Uniontown. “Are the loved ones you lost, OK? I also just like the quiet.”
Litman and his wife, Marie, have been coming to the Pilgrimage for many years. “I have been coming a long time, 68 years,” said Litman. “When I was little, we would come.”
One special event that marks the beginning of the pilgrimage is the opening processional that took place at 5:15 p.m.
Processional members meet inside the House of Prayer to organize and then proceeded to The Mother of God Shrine. “The opening processional at the Pilgrimage is actually two processions that meet in the middle and join together as one,” said Sister Susan Sisko of The Order of Saint Basil the Great. “The bishops, priests, seminarians and faithful process from the House of Prayer, which is the location of the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, while the Sisters of St. Basil the Great, led by the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, process from the Monastery and join with the first group until one procession moves down the main walkway where the Opening Divine Liturgy is celebrated.”
During the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Schott turned to the evening’s gospel about St. John the Baptist to offer advice to the faithful. “Look at the anger in our lives, the untruths and try to deal with these inside, so they do not hinder us from being the messenger of the message.”
In the closing remarks of his homily, Archbishop Schott wanted everyone to understand that not only delivering the message is important but also being able to hear it is key. “I hope that each one of us become listeners during this pilgrimage.”
Some events that will take place on Saturday include, Mystery of Reconciliation (Confessions) from 7:30a.m. to 12 p.m., Divine Liturgy at 8 a.m., The Children’s Pilgrimage at 2 p.m., Teen Pilgrimage at 3 p.m. and the Candlelight Procession Akathist to the Mother of God at 7:30 p.m.
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