An enthusiastic group of parishioners from St Mark’s Parish, Inala, celebrated the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the 60th anniversary of the Parish recently, with a pilgrimage to Marian Valley, at Canungra in the Gold Coast hinterland.

The Marian Shrine, a ministry of the Pauline Fathers, is one of the Brisbane Archdiocese’s designated pilgrimage destinations.

Two buses containing 99 passengers, plus a dozen or so cars, set off on the pilgrimage early on Saturday, June 11.

Parish Priest, Fr Stephen Pilly SVD, says the pilgrims were able to walk through the Door of Mercy, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist in the chapel, as well as pray the Rosary while walking around the outdoor Marian grottos and Stations of the Cross.

Fr Stephen spoke to the pilgrims about the mercy of God and the need for forgiveness for one another in the secular world.

“The picnic lunch was a truly sacramental meal, as the parishioners from all the different ethnic groups willingly shared their lunches with each other,” Fr Stephen says.

“Then parishioners spent time in personal prayer before the Adoration of the Lord.

“Many parishioners commented on the good spirit of the day. It was a peaceful and joyous day for us all as we experienced the mercy of God. God is good all the time. All the time God is good.”