WYD 2016 Krakow launches website

It's never too early to start planning. And with the speed of information these days, it's never too early to start a webpage for an upcoming event, especially when you invite the youth, oh, of the whole world to attend.  That's just what the Catholic Church in Krakow has done.  Here is a link to the 2016 World Youth Day event page. Click here.

Short video: WYD '13 by the numbers

A short, day-by-day video showing footage of the crowds and the daily estimated total people present, including 7,800 priests.  Worth the watch.

Cleared for takeoff

Off he goes to his first World Youth Day.

1 pilgrim dead, 3 more critically injured in crash heading to WYD '13

(FFHL.blogspot.com)(News.va) With over 2 million pilgrims expected to participate in World Youth Day, it's one of those days when you wish the statistical likelihood of it happening would have been wrong, but it wasn't.  This morning, Pope Francis and the world learned of a tragic accident of pilgrims making their way through France to start the next leg of their trip to Brazil for WYD '13 in Rio.

The Vatican reports that Pope Francis was notified of the accident that happened today, Thursday, July 18th and that the Pope "assured all those involved in the accident of his prayers, and expressed his deepest sympathy for the victims, as well as for the rescue workers and all those around them." The Vatican also said that "Pope Francis sent a special Apostolic Blessing to all those affected by the tragedy."

This was sad news amidst the joyful cries of so many young pilgrims arriving in Rio amidst great celebration.  Apparently the "bus carrying young people to World Youth Day was hit head-on by a truck, leaving one young Parisian girl dead, and three other young people in critical condition."  The cause of the accident is still unknown. According to one French source (Expatica.com), out of the 23 pilgrims on the bus, there were initially five listed in critical condition.  (Click to read more...)

According to Expatica, the bishop of French Guiana announced that a special Mass would be held in the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral in the capital Cayenne next Wednesday evening.

Tekton Ministries expresses its deepest sympathies to the families of injured and killed and assures them of our prayers and sacrifices.

WYD '13 by the numbers -so far

Here are some official numbers for World Youth Day '13 in Rio reported by CNS.

• 2.5 million people expected
• 320,000 people have officially registered
• Countries with the greatest numbers of pilgrims registered are Brazil, Argentina and the United States
• 8,400 priests from all over the globe requested credentials
• 5,500 journalists have been given credentials
• 55 percent of registered pilgrims are women
• 60 percent of those coming are ages 19-34. 
• 300,000 beds were made available

Cross landing: 63 days remaining until WYD '13

Cross landing: 63 days remaining until WYD '13.

In this photo from CNS/Reuters found on catholicnews.com, sailors from the Brazilian Navy deliver the World Youth Day cross to a representative group of young Catholics who will continue the global procession that has carried this crossIt has taken part in WYD in Paris (1997), Rome (2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005) and Sydney (2008). It also travelled around Africa(2006), Oceania(2007), Australia (2009) and Spain (2011) according to centrosanlorenzo.com which houses the cross.

Now in 2013, as young pilgrims make final preparations for Rio 2013, the cross has landed upon the shores of the new Pope's home continent.  I'm sure this duty was not one that these sailors had in mind when they signed up to defend their country on the seas.  Yet what a significant and symbolic role they played as they brought the cross from sea to land, government cooperating with religion, a way of truly defending their country againt evil.

Young Tekton Pilgrims Headed to World Youth Day

Recently, The Catholic Moment, the diocesan newspaper for the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana carried a story by Catholic News Service talking about Pope Francis' trip to Brazil in July.  Some may say, "Brazil?!? Why is he going to Brazil?"  Well, if you didn't know, you do now.  Three little words with a huge meaning- World.  Youth.  Day.

For those who may not have heard or seen anything about it in the news, and likely in the United States you didn't, these events, started by Blessed John Paul II, draw hundreds of thousands of youth.  No joke.  The largest-to-date was in the Philippines with over 5,000,000 young people.  5 mil!  In 2011, the event was hosted in Madrid and saw between 1.5-2 million pilgrims.  

What brave souls are taking young pilgrims from Indiana,Wisconsin and Missouri to this year's World Youth Day in Brazil?  Funny you ask.  Tekton Ministries is.  And we're honored to do so.  The faith of many young people these days inspire us just as it did the founder of World Youth Day.  

As a pilgrimage provider who's been around for a while, we tailor our pilgrimages to our priests and their pilgrims.  Whether it be Brazil with 2,000,00 youth or Ireland with 30 adult children of immigrant parents, Tekton works hard (and I mean really hard) to journey with you on your pilgrimage of faith.