World Youth Day USA Guides International Pilgrimage Leaders Guide | Page 72

called to be active in fulfilling the primary

their trip overseas. Yet the call to become

mission of the Church: to make disciples of all

missionary disciples with a heart of mercy is

nations by sharing the Good News of the

exactly what the Holy Father and the Church is

Gospel – to continuously be formed in Christ,

hoping for all participants to engage in after the

while at the same time, putting that formation

last note is sung on the last song at the Closing

into action. As missionary disciples, World

Mass for World Youth Day 2016.

Youth Day “alumni” are now sent into their
own backyards, bringing love, mercy, and the

How can leaders encourage their pilgrims to

compassion of Christ to their neighbors,

become missionaries? How can they bring

families, friends, and strangers encountered in

excitement to their leave-taking when nostalgia

their daily activities, including the poor and

and memory making may be their first priorities

disenfranchised in their own midst. Pope

in the days after Kraków?

Francis says, “Every Christian is a missionary to
the extent that he or she has encountered the

The first step is to introduce them to this

love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say

concept of ongoing missionary mercy and

that we are ‘disciples’ and ‘missionaries,’ but

action during the preparation process, so that

rather that we are always ‘missionary disciples.’

this call is not a surprise at the conclusion of

(EG 120). Acceptance of the call to missionary

their travels. Remind them of the roundtrip

discipleship is the path to holiness as conveyed

nature of a pilgrimage like this (that their

by Saint John Paul II in his encyclical

starting point is also their eventual destination)/

Redemptoris Missio, which is devoted to the

and that the true test of how effective World

subject of missionary activity and his wish for

Youth Day is will be not in how exciting it was

the Church to renew her missionary

to see the Holy Father or have an illuminating

commitment. “The universal call to holiness is

experience of praise and prayer in Poland, but

closely united with the call to mission” (no. 90),

in what happens in the weeks and months after

and the way to holiness is through a merciful

they return home from World Youth Day.

heart, open to God and the world.
Another step is to actively and intentionally
Assisting Pilgrims Through This Call

talk about their mission in the last days of the

Pilgrims come to World Youth Day for a

pilgrims’ time in Kraków. Some may be

variety of reasons, but very few come looking

frustrated that this wonderful moment of their

for more work to do on the opposite side of

lives has ended, and it is important for the
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