'Pilgrimage of New York' to Cover Manhattan

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By MARY ANN POUST



A daylong "Pilgrimage of New York," from the northern to the southern tips of Manhattan, will be held on Saturday, March 20, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, 701 Fort Washington Ave. in Washington Heights, and ending at 6 p.m. with a pilgrim's Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 7 State St., near Battery Park.

The event is sponsored by the Cathedral of St. Patrick's Young Adults (CSPYA), in association with St. Agnes Young Adults, the Defenders of the Holy Trinity, www.Events4JC.org, Holy Name of Jesus Young Adults, Pilgrimage for Our Children's Future and Young Catholic New York.

The pilgrimage, covering 13.5 miles in total, will make stops at St. Patrick's Cathedral—with time to pray in the crypt of the archbishops of New York, St. Patrick's Old Cathedral and St. Peter's Church—the oldest Catholic parish in Manhattan.

Patrick Howley, co-director of CSPYA, in an interview explained that the pilgrimage was planned to "bring attention to the season" of Lent. Many young adults have the desire to take part in a pilgrimage, he said, but with the costs of travel to popular sites such as Spain and France, as well as the current economic state, that option is not available.

"It's a very unique event idea and we are excited to have the opportunity to try to establish it," he said, noting that the hope is to make this an annual event. Howley told CNY that 50 young adults from the archdiocese, as well as from Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and even out of state, have already registered.

Details on the pilgrimage and the suggested itinerary—each participant is free to walk at their own pace—can be found on the website http://pofnyc.org. Howley also explained that one of the major purposes of the pilgrimage is the walk itself. The pilgrimage was narrowed down to the five sites in order to give each pilgrim enough time to "focus on their relationship with God," he said.

A free-will offering will be accepted. Registration required at http://pofnyc.org or call Patrick Howley, co-director of CSPYA, at (718) 483-1819.