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American pilgrimage inspires Altötting: celebration of faith with music!
On August 11, 2025, American pilgrims celebrated a joyful festival of faith in Altötting, accompanied by impressive discipline.
American pilgrimage inspires Altötting: celebration of faith with music!
On August 11, 2025, an impressive faith festival took place in Altötting, which was mainly characterized by participants of the Neocatechumenal Way. The groups moved to the central square singing and playing music, accompanied by an impressive background noise, which was nevertheless broken by disciplined silence between the songs. Loud Diocese of Passau Most participants came from the US mainland, but also from remote regions such as Guam, Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Stewards ensured that participants were directed to assigned sections of the site, which were divided by anti-flutter tape.
The event was the culmination of a pilgrimage for many young Catholics from America, who had often saved for a long time in order to be able to undertake this journey. The Place of grace Altötting also reported on an open-air service under bright sunshine, which was seen as the highlight of the pilgrimage. The citizens of Altötting were surprised and delighted by the merry goings-on and many of them could not resist talking to the participants in the service while the windows on Kapellplatz were wide open.
A celebration of faith and community
Numerous goblets of wine and bowls of wafers crowded the altar stage while many priests concelebrated the service. Pilgrimage rector Klaus Metzl welcomed those present with the words: “Welcome to Altötting!”, and emphasized the importance of this place while wishing the participants blessings and joy. This solemn moment represented the spiritual core of the occasion and was a clear sign of the solidarity among the believers.
The Neocatechumenal Way, which came to Germany in 1974, plays a central role in the Catholic community. On the initiative of Joseph Ratzinger, who emphasized the need for a new catechumenate after baptism, numerous communities emerged in Germany in the following years. Like the website Neocatechumenal Way reports, the first basic catechesis was introduced in Germany in 1974, and the first communities have since emerged in various parishes and cities. This path has spread not only in Germany but globally and is now an integral part of church life.
The event in Altötting once again showed how lively and varied the faith journey of young Catholics from America and other parts of the world is. A celebration that will be remembered, not only for the participants, but also for the hosts in Altötting, who were delighted by the happy atmosphere and the deep conversations.