World Youth Day USA Guides International Pilgrimage Leaders Guide | Page 31

revolutionaries, and trailblazers who crossed

4. United States pilgrims can be proud

literal and figurative mountains to seek out

of their heritage of mercy.

what was on the other side. For example,
When participating in World Youth Day,

consider the early settlers, who forged a path

pilgrims will not only be representing their

through the unknown wilderness; the Founding

parish, campus, diocese, or ecclesial movement;

Fathers, who pioneered a new way of

they will also be representing their country.

government, including emerging renewed

Yet national identification must be carefully

striving for religious liberty; the peaceful

balanced at an international event like this.

advocates of rights of the poor, the vulnerable,
and disenfranchised; and the creative minds

On one extreme, some U.S. participants can

who scaled the mountains of science,

exhibit an excessive pride in their home country

engineering, and technology to bring new ideas

at the risk of alienating those from other

to life. In the Church, we celebrate the pioneers

nations by their isolation, haughtiness, or

of faith like St. Kateri Tekakwitha, an

indifference. On another extreme, some

Algonquin-Mohawk young adult who boldly

travelers may overtly avoid associating with the

converted to Roman Catholicism despite tribal

United States altogether, for fear that they will

objections and persecution; St. John Neumann,

be seen in a negative light by others. It is

C.Ss.R., founder of the Catholic school system

important to stress to American pilgrims that

in the United States; Fr. Michael McGivney,

both of these extremes should be avoided in

founder of the Knights of Columbus; and Fr.

their preparation for and experiences at the

Augustus Tolton, a former slave who became

international World Youth Day.

the first black Catholic priest in the United
States, among many others.

The key thing for pilgrims from the United
States to understand is that theirs is a

Another ideal of the American experience is

heritage of pioneering, unity, and mercy:

unity amidst diversity. As a nation of

ideals that are worth identifying with,

immigrants from the very beginning, the United

celebrating, and humbly sharing in the

States has had to wrestle with the plurality of

international setting of World Youth Day.

backgrounds and cultures that comprise the
American people. While the history of

The most recognized American experience was

intercultural and interracial relationships has

the one that was begun by the pioneers,

not always been cooperative or benign, it is a
29