The Czechs in Rio

Some 150 young people from the Czech Republic together with Bishop Pavel Posád, auxiliary of České Budějovice, travelled on Monday, 22nd July 2013, from their hosting Brazilian diocese of Barra do Piraí to Rio de Janeiro. Together with Cardinal Dominik Duka, archbishop of Prague, who has arrived to Brazil today, 23rd July, they will take part in the celebrations of the World Youth Day. The meeting will be opened today with the mass at the Copacabana Beach.

Rio de Janeiro: A part of the Czech group will participate in the today evening mass with Archbishop Orani João Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro that will take place at the famous Copacabana Beach to open officially the 28th World Youth Day.

From Wednesday to Friday, the program is divided in two parts. In the morning, catecheses in Czech, prepared by one of the Czech bishops accompanying the group, will take place at the Imaculada Conceição parish in the southern part of the city – a place that hosts pilgrims from the Czech Republic. Mass in Czech will follow each day. In the afternoon, young people will leave to participate in several programs of the Youth Festival that offers various cultural, musical, sport as well as spiritual activities.

On Wednesday, 24th July, Czech participants will be visited by the honorary consul of the Czech Republic in São Paulo, Pavel Procházka. He will be accompanied by a delegation of Czech immigrants from Batayporã, a town for which Cardinal Duka will bless a statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague. This will take place during the mass at 12.00 p.m. of the local time.

On Thursday, Czech pilgrims will take part in the initial meeting with Pope Francis at the Copacabana Beach at 6.00 p.m.

On Friday evening, they will choose one of the two ways of the cross – together with Pope Francis at the Copacabana Beach, or at their hosting parish.

On Saturday, a traditional pilgrimage on foot will take place. It will lead them to the “Campus Fidei”, a place in the Guaratiba neighborhood some 13 kilometers far-away. A meeting with the Holy Father will start here at 7.00 p.m., after which the participants will spend a night at the location and meet the pope in the morning again. The Holy Father will celebrate the Sunday mass with them at 10.00 a.m. to close the World Youth Day.

On Monday, 29th July, sixty members of the Czech group together with their hosts from the parish in Rio and Cardinal Duka will travel to the place of pilgrimage Aparecida to celebrate the mass at 1.00 p.m.

Before his departure on Tuesday, 30th July, Cardinal Duka will celebrate the mass together with the young people at the chapel in the statue of Christ at Corcovado.

Last Czech pilgrims will arrive to their homeland on 1st August.

(Source: Youth Department of the Czech Bishops’ Conference)