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We have been overwhelmed by all the support, prayers and donations our pilgrims received over the last months. We managed to raise a significant amount of the funds needed and were able to give £1200 to a youth project in Eritrea. Many thanks for supporting our pilgrimage, this really made a difference to the programme!!

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When we were first thinking about going all that way to Australia, and about how much money it was going to cost, we asked ourselves the question 'is it worth it?'
Over the course of the year, each one of us participating in the PYD course had to raise £1,850, which equals.... a lot of money!

Asking this question allowed us to flesh out the concept of the 'PYD' course, and to think about the significant things that are involved in a 16-month opportunity like this.

Here are our 6 reasons why we believe it definitely is worth it!
Representing: Bishop Peter has asked for a group to represent the Diocese of Northampton at World Youth Day in Sydney. The participants are therefore going to act as ambassadors of the Diocese and their local parishes, while at the same time perceiving what it means to be part of the global church.

Learning: through taking part in a structured course the participants will expand their understanding of different aspects of living out their faith. In journeying together they are gaining a deeper knowledge of the Catholic faith.

Forming: this is a unique opportunity to build relationships among young adults from across the Diocese and enabling them to share their identity and all the gifts of youth with the wider Diocese.

Responding: PYD is a chance for intercultural learning and will be based on principles of social justice. The results of our fundraising efforts will be shared with a youth project in the diocese of Keren, Eritrea.

Sharing: in Australia we will be actively seeking opportunities to meet with groups of other denominations, celebrating what we share in common with each other and engaging in dialogue and reconciliation.

Giving: the course is an ongoing process, empowering the participants and developing their leadership skills, so that they participants will be better equipped to serve the church into the future.

'The World in Union Walk'

On the 1st and 2nd March 2008, 13 young adults from across the Diocese walked along the Grand Union Canal from Aylesbury to Northampton to raise money for the diocesan pilgrimage to World Youth Day this July, as well as for young people in the Diocese of Keren, Eritrea. Setting off at just past 8am from the Canal Basin in Aylesbury, their route took them east towards Tring then north-west up to Leighton Buzzard for a lunch stop. By mid-afternoon in southern Milton Keynes, blisters and aches were beginning to slow the party down, so the organisers took the decision to finish the day at Woughton Marina rather than going on to Stantonbury, which would have meant walking in the dark. An overnight stop at Our Lady of Lourdes in Coffee Hall - thanks Fr Andy ! - restored the pilgrims, and they pressed on through the rolling pastures of Northants to the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum, where an ample lunch energised them for the final push into Northampton. The finish-line was crossed about 4pm and they were ferried on to the Cathedral for a brief rest before concluding the day with the parish Mass at 5:15. The NYMO team is very proud of the PYD pilgrims who supported each other magnificently through a pretty gruelling experience, and if anyone has sponsored them, we can assure you they earned it ! We were very blessed with dry weather, and even sunshine now and then - thank you Lord! - , and many thanks are also due to all the parents and others who ferried back and forth, supporters who turned out at various stages, and everyone who bore us up in prayer.

If you would like to support the PYD programme please email matt@nymo.org