CV NEWS FEED // Over 500 young people gathered together to celebrate their Catholic faith at a local Catholic World Youth Day held in Texas.
The Diocese of Lubbock on December 2 invited young people from across the diocese to gather together to grow in their Catholic faith through a day focused on the Eucharist and community.
Every year, the Diocese of Lubbock sponsors a “Local World Youth Day” inspired by the international World Youth Day that occurs every three to four years. Young people partake in a variety of events and attend talks at several parishes to help them learn more about the Catholic Church and to grow in their relationship with Christ.
The event took place in Plainview, Texas. Throughout the day, participants traversed on foot to the three local parishes: Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Alice Catholic Church, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
This year, diocesean officials chose to focus on Blessed Carlos Acutis, the fifteen-year old Italian who devoted his life to raising awareness about Eucharistic miracles. One parish set up tables displaying information about the life of Blessed Acutis to show that young people can be saints.
The day began with Mass, and the participants processed to another parish to listen to various talks. During one of the talks, participants were able to venerate a relic of Blessed Carlos Acutis that the diocese had obtained specifically for the day.
Peggy Klein, the young adult and campus ministerial director for the diocese, said that this annual event is a beautiful opportunity for youth to join together in prayer and fellowship.
“This is an opportunity for youth from the Diocese of Lubbock to come to the community and walk with the faith,” said Klein to local news outlet the Plainview Herald.
In addition to listening to talks and learning about Blessed Acutis, the youth participated in an outdoor Eucharistic procession.
Pilgrims are processed in the main road between two of the local parishes. A group of servers led the procession, while a priest held the monstrance in the back of a white F-150 pickup truck.
