Dakar, June 2 (APS) – The Deputy Director of Diocesan Works, Father Paul Mandinka, called on the Christians expected for the Marian pilgrimage to Popenguine, to respect the “pilgrim’s journey” consisting of five stages.
”The Pilgrimage is a spiritual process consisting of a journey called the Pilgrim’s Journey. The latter is to be respected by all pilgrims arriving in Popenguine. They must first go to confession, participate in a Eucharistic celebration, worship, pray to the Virgin Mary and have fraternal encounters,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference organized by the National Organizing Committee for the Marian Pilgrimage of Popenguine, the religious maintained that a pilgrim cannot go to Popenguine and return without taking part in a Eucharistic celebration, which is the center and the pinnacle of the Christian life.
It is for this reason, according to him, that these celebrations have been multiplied to allow all generations from the oldest to the youngest to have the time of prayer with God, specifying that ”these are the five stages which punctuate the pilgrimage”.
He recalled that this event is also made up of masses and moments of teaching.
”Every pilgrim is called to live these moments with intense spiritual fervor to return and hope in return that these prayers will be welcomed by the Lord and will be rewarded with grace. We therefore invite all pilgrims to respect these five stages called the Pilgrim’s Journey”, insisted Father Mandinka.
For this 134th year, the theme is: ”Family love, vocation and path to holiness”, according to Father Augustin Sébastien Mamadou Diouf, the director of Diocesan works.
”We expect our families to be places of fulfillment, ardent homes of love and places of education to form responsible men and women. That’s why this theme was chosen for us to come back to the importance of the Christian family,” Diouf said.
He pointed out that the walkers will number 22,338, an estimated increase of between 30 and 40%.
They will be divided into three walking centers. These are Dakar, Petite-Côte-Sine-Tamba-Kaolack-Kolda and Saint-Louis-Thiès.
These walkers will celebrate their mass respectively at Cap des Biches where the start will be given for the walkers from Dakar, Saturday, at 5 am, Mbour and Thiès.
The Popenguine Marian pilgrimage will be held from June 4 to 6, according to the National Organizing Committee.
Note that this religious event has not been held for the past two years due to the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.