Archbishop's Holy Land pilgrimage opened to all

Enticing young people to join the Archbishop on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land has proved to be harder than expected and the trip has now been opened to people of all ages in the hope of filling 15 places that remain vacant.

The plan is to take 160 people on a journey to Biblical places venerated by Catholics, from Nazareth to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The idea had been brewing for a year, according to organiser Fr Twanny Chircop. It was hatched by Archbishop Paul Cremona when he was leading his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land as Archbishop in Easter 2008. He had just visited the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem when a group of foreign youths approached him and started talking to him. Mgr Cremona seemed very pleased with this encounter and on his way to the hotel expressed the wish to organise a pilgrimage for Maltese young people the following year.

Fr Chircop, Commissioner for the Holy Land, immediately started working on the project. He has been organising such tours for the last 12 years and practically divides his time between Malta and Israel. However, attracting young people was not proving to be an easy task. Bookings opened in March but reservations only trickled in.

"Youths are a difficult age bracket. The Holy Land is not that appealing, especially to those between 18 and 21 as they are more interested in entertainment destinations," Fr Chircop said.

"Many of those aged 22 to 29 may still be studying and perhaps are preparing to get married and money is often a problem. Besides, some youths will only travel with friends," he added.

The majority of those who booked were in their late 20s and there were no big group bookings. The majority were coming on a personal initiative.

The pilgrimage, between July 5 - 13, was initially open to those up to 30 but later it was extended to 35 years and now is open to everyone.

Fr Chircop believes this is a unique opportunity. He mentioned a group of Żejtun youths who, a couple of years ago, were planning to visit the Holy Land but then almost changed their mind because the idea of praying did not thrill them much. However, Fr Chircop encouraged them to go and they remained grateful ever since. Asked what made this pilgrimage so special, Fr Chircop said: "You have to come and see for yourself... It's a beautiful spiritual experience for both adults and youths, one to cherish for life."

For more information call Fr Chircop on 2124 2254 or e-mail at comalt@ofm.org.mt.