Nearly 750 faithful men set out on a 22-kilometre trek through the night in an expression of Catholic masculinity and solidarity on April 26. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
From just 45 men in 2021, the annual Camino Walk for St Joseph has grown into the biggest Catholic men’s event in Australia.
Men from all over Sydney gathered at St Anthony’s of Padua in Austral for the overnight pilgrimage, before trekking from Austral to Moorebank.
Organised by the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, the men visited seven churches in southwest Sydney.
Fittingly, for the event in honour of the patron saint of fathers, many fathers made the journey with their sons.
Organised by the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, the men began their journey at St Anthony’s for Eucharistic adoration, confession and Mass celebrated by Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers.
“You are going out, proclaiming the Gospel. You are giving witness. You are evangelising by your very presence,” Bishop Umbers told the men before they set off.
“We need to see pilgrimages and adoration and processions across Sydney because it does so much good. I need you as the bishop to give of yourselves,” he said.
For 22km, despite their bodies telling them to rest, to eat and to sleep, the men did just that.
Marching as one, they walked through parklands, streets, industrial areas and along T-ways and highways.
Their journey began after Mass at 9.30pm on Friday and finished at St Joseph’s in Moorebank at 6.30am on Saturday.
With the assistance of the NSW Police, St John’s Ambulance and about 50 volunteers, the throng of men, which also included Sydney clergy and seminarians, moved through the suburbs, seamlessly quenching their spiritual hunger with fraternity, song and praying of the rosary.
Spiritual nourishment was offered at the churches they visited, which included Holy Spirit at Carnes Hill, Good Shepherd at Hoxton Park, St Therese at Sadleir, St Francis Xavier at Lurnea, All Saints at Liverpool and St Joseph’s at Moorebank.
Each church welcomed the men with prayer, blessings and a short talk about St Joseph from the respective parish priests.
Details: www.sydneycatholic.org/maximus
FULL STORY
Camino walk unites 700 men in brotherhood and faith (By Darren Ally, The Catholic Weekly)
