2000 Marietta (S.E. 25th) Avenue ~ Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

(954) 524-9344 ~ Fax : (954) 524-9347

logo

August 28, 2016

Guest "Twitcher” - Simon Rave
Dear Parish Family,
I would like to start off by thanking everyone who made this once in a lifetime experience possible. Now back from my pilgrimage, I would like to share some of the most memorable experiences I had in Poland. The greatest of them all was the opportunity to meet people from all around the globe, even the countries that seemed to only exist in my geography textbook.

Our pilgrimage started with a nine-hour flight to Vienna, Austria. Then, we were met with a scorching six-hour bus ride through Austria and the Czech Republic, until we arrived at the town of Cieszyn, Poland. From there we celebrated our first “Polish” Mass in Saint George’s Church, which was built around the 14th Century and has some of the original paintings still on its walls. After our short adventure in the town of Cieszyn, we went to the town of Czestochowa where the monastery with the icon of the Black Madonna is located. However, the monastery had more than the shrine to Our Lady, it had museums and small basilica. One of the more powerful experiences that happened during my pilgrimage was when we stumbled upon a room in the monastery that was decorated with the Stations of the Cross not only depicting Jesus’ struggle, but the struggle the people of Poland went through whilst under Nazi occupation. Additionally, my partner-in-crime, Marcus, was blessed to have the opportunity to lector at the English Mass celebrated by Archbishop Wenski. That same day we finally arrived at our main destination, Krakow. After decompressing, we explored the Market Sand met a fire-breathing dragon.

sraveThe following morning, we traveled for about two hours to Auschwitz and Birkenau. This was the most psychologically challenging part of our pilgrimage. A place where many inhumane and unspeakable acts happened, where countless souls were lost. Even after 70 years, the reality of what happened there hits you harder than a baseball bat. Despite all the tragedies, rays of hope and perseverance shone through. An eye watering experience such as listening to hoard of pilgrims sing the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy in Birkenau, made me realize the power of our faith.

A day later we visited the Be Not Afraid center, Shrine of Saint John Paul II, and the Divine Mercy Sanctuary. The shrine had two relics of Saint John Paul II, one of them was the bloodied robe he was wearing while he was shot. On the same day, we welcomed the Pope with the opening Mass in Blonia Park. The following day after catechesis we had the opportunity to see the Pope pass by in his motorcade. The most memorable part of our pilgrimage was yet to come.

After walking 14 miles we reached the Field of Mercy, where we celebrated the Vigil and had the closing Mass led by Pope Francis. One of the Vigil’s activities was lighting can¬dles. The candlelit field was one of the most incredible sights of the entire pilgrimage.

Furthermore, spending a night on a field with 2.5 million pilgrims was an eye-opening experience.

Our next to last day was spent in Vienna, where we saw the oldest church in central Europe visiting Saint Stephen’s Cathedral. Overall, I would once again like to thank all those who helped make this life-changing pilgrimage a reality, most especially Monsignor Jim, Anne Gardner, and the Saint Thomas Aquinas School family for welcoming us into their group.

Blessings,
Simon Rave

Saturday 5 pm
(Sunday Vigil)
Sunday 8:30 & 11 am
Weekdays 8:30 am
(Mon. through Fri.)
Holy Days
(Schedule varies)

twitches

twitches

 


SAINT SEBASTIAN CHURCH

photo church

2000 Marietta (S.E. 25th) Avenue ~ Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Parish Office : (954) 524-9344 ~Fax : (954) 524-9347
E-Mail : info@stsebastianfl.org 


DIRECTIONS TO OUR PARISH