On the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus is thought to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount, more than 8,000 young Catholics from the United States prayed together on Tuesday.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, led the American Catholics in prayer on July 19 at a professional gathering held by the Neocatechumenal Way, a movement in the Church that offers a path for Catholic formation.
The young people are going on a multi-day journey to see the Holy Land’s ancient landmarks as part of the vocational meeting.
Father Rino Rossi, rector of the Domus Galilaeae on the Mount of the Beatitudes said, “This pilgrimage marks a moment of hope and closeness to the people of the Holy Land”.
“The presence of these young people, who have sacrificed comfort, summer vacation plans, and so many other things to come to this place is a sign that the Church is truly alive.”
On the Mount of the Beatitudes, there is a Christian formation and retreat centre called Domus Galilaeae that is run by the Neocatechumenal Way. During his Jubilee tour to the Holy Land in 2000, Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the centre.
The youth meeting on July 19 commemorated Carmen Hernández’s passing six years ago. Carmen and Kiko Argüello co-founded the Neocatechumenal Way in Spain in 1964. Last year, a request was made to start the Hernández beatification cause.
The Neocatechumenal Way offers post-baptismal Christian formation in about 40,000 small, parish-based communities, drawing its inspiration from early Church practises. The movement claims to have more than 1 million members and is present across the world.