Beechworth, Myrtleford and Bright come out to witness to Cross of Christ

Today’s events began with the people of Beechworth gathering in the Historic Precinct for a liturgy before processing through the town and concluding with a ceremony outside the church. It was great to hear a past pilgrim speak to the community gathered about her experiences of WYD, and to see her excitement and enthusiasm about WYD being hosted here in Australia.

Fr Chris Ryan shared an insight from the JCI with the people of Beechworth, commenting that often processions with the Cross & Icon take less time than the organisers have allowed. He suggested this is just one more way that we are being told that carrying the Cross of Christ doesn’t hold us back or slow us down in our lives.

Next it was the community of Myrtleford’s turn to host the Cross & Icon, coming together with a barbeque followed by a prayerful liturgy.

The congregation were privileged to hear from Bishops from the Catholic and Anglican Churches, who encouraged the people present to continue to be a church that lives for the good of the whole world.

A beautiful time of prayerful veneration ensued in the Church, before the Cross & Icon were taken out into the streets of Myrtleford and taken right into the midst of the bustling Myrtleford Festival. It was great to see the youth of Myrtleford witness to their faith in such a bold way by walking through their main street on one of the busiest days of the year.

The day’s events concluded in Bright, where the community processed with the Cross & Icon to locations around town including the cemetery and rotunda before taking the Cross & Icon for mass followed by dinner.

What a fantastic day and an awesome privilege to pray beside, walk beside and celebrate our faith beside the people that we did.

Bernadette :)