Paris, France, Aug 14, 2018 / 20:00 pm
To get to World Youth Day 2019 in Panama this January, most Catholics will board flights a day or two before events begin. Some will drive, and spend a few weeks along the route on pilgrimage. A few might even spend weeks walking to Panama. But a crew of almost two dozen Catholics will take more than five months to get to World Youth Day, and that's so long as they have calm seas and fair winds.
A French crew of 17 men and women, four skippers, and a chaplain will sail from France to the Central American country, arriving at World Youth Day under sail, and from the sea.
Though a majority of the group has never sailed before, the crew will take three boats and gain hands-on-experience along the way. Stopping at many European pilgrim sites, the crew will spend time as pilgrims, in prayer and reflection as they travel. The boats will carry a statue of Santa Maria La Antigua, the patron saint of Panama.
The voyage is expected to depart from the Gulf of Brest, located in the north of France, on August 31. On behalf of all the country's bishops, the crew will receive a blessing from Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne.
According the Vatican News, the team has labeled the journey a "spiritual, human, and missionary adventure." The crewmates cited a variety of reasons for their lengthy journey. Some members are using the trip as a time to discern a vocation, better understand life's purpose, or to focus on prayer.