A pilgrimage, I said, was quite different from a guided tour of a foreign country. On a vacation tour one does what one wants to do. On a pilgrimage one goes in search of the living God. Thus, a pilgrimage involves as much “interior” effort as the external, physical effort.
I was nowhere near the World Trade Center in New York when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. But I remember vividly the day and the aftermath of the tragedy
Justin Stroh first responded to the Holy Father’s call for an international gathering of youth by attending World Youth Day in Denver in 1993.
“Every time I’ve gone to World Youth Day, I’ve left with a deeper sense of love for my Catholic faith — it’s my identity, who I am as a son of the eternal Father in heaven who loves me,” he said.
