Uniontown nuns to host 85th annual pilgrimage Labor Day weekend
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The 85th annual pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be held at Mount St. Macrina, Uniontown, Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
This year’s theme is “Mary, Cause of Our Joy.” The Labor Day weekend event is the oldest and largest Byzantine Catholic pilgrimage in the country.
A focal point of the pilgrimage is the Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon, which is housed in a special shrine and is carried in procession throughout the weekend.
The pilgrimage attracts hundreds of people to Uniontown every year. Overnight visitors can choose from a variety of accommodations, including camping on the racetrack, Pilgrim houses (first-come, first-served), hotels and motels, and bed-and-breakfasts.
Pilgrimage hosts are the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, who have called Mount St. Macrina home since 1933.
In addition to the scheduled services, programs and events, liturgical prayers will be held at the Shrine Altar on Friday evening, and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Monday morning. Also scheduled are matins, vespers, the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) and activities for teens and children.
The Sisters of St. Basil, who will celebrate their centennial in 2020-21, have commissioned a study to determine how their property can be used in light of declining vocations.