On 1 June 2024 in Poland, during the "Lednica 2000" youth meeting, 62 missionary volunteers received a cross consecrated by Pope Francis. The volunteers will soon be leaving for Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East.
The handing over of the crosses and the missionary sending took place during the youth meeting. Lednica 2000 is the largest Catholic event for young people in Poland and is held annually. This year, representatives of nine volunteering organisations were sent to preach the Gospel. Throughout the rest of the meeting, participants shared their testimonies with this year's attendees.
The Angelus prayer and the sending out ceremony were led by Fr Maciej Będziński and his co-workers. They were also accompanied by missionaries from the Missionary Formation Centre in Warsaw. The crosses were received by 62 volunteers from 9 different volunteering centres.
The volunteers will soon leave for Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Venezuela, Zambia and Madagascar.
The crosses that the volunteers received were blessed by Pope Francis on 25 May. They were brought to the Vatican by Fr Maciej Bedzinski, national director of the PSM in Poland, during a meeting with Pope Francis held as part of the General Assembly, which brings together PMS directors from around the world in Rome every year.
