The Bishop of Brooklyn, Nicholas DiMarzio, led pilgrims in prayer at Saint James Cathedral Basilica.
Most of them were visiting from Europe, were on pilgrimage to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Magnificat.
“It’s really a missal. It’s a meditation book. It has many things together, morning prayer, evening prayer,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “It gives people kind of a ‘vade mecum.’ To keep it with them. It’s small. Put it in your pocket.”
For the pilgrims, the pocketsize scripture has allowed them to strengthen their faith everyday.
Alix Montagne, a pilgrim from France, said, “As a lay woman, the Magnificat is very important because it allows me to pray with all of the Church in the world, with the same text and prayers.”
The pilgrims received history lessons on some of Brooklyn’s earliest Catholic churches, and they visited the city’s iconic landmarks.
They’ll also have the opportunity to attend Mass with Archbishop Christophe Pierre. He is the pope’s ambassador to the United States.
Ted Musco, the Secretary for Evangelization and Catechesis in the Brooklyn diocese, said the pilgrimage leads up to the main event on Saturday, October 5th, where thousands of other Catholics will join the group for a day of prayer.
“We see people from all over the world gather at Kings Theater to really celebrate the best that we have to offer the Church. A true encounter of Jesus Christ in our lives,” said Musco.
Aymeric Christensen said, “The strongest thing as Catholics, as Christians, is to be a community.”
And as a community, they evangelized.