8th National Pilgrimage of the International Movement of Catholic Students Ukraine

The 8^th National Pilgrimage of IMCS was held on the 28^th to the 30^th of April, 2017. The arrival of participants from the various cities began at 18.00 on the 28^th of April, 2017. The cities present were Ivano-Frankivsk, Sumy, Kiev, Ternopil, Lviv, Vinnitsa, Kharkov, Zaparozhie, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernivtsi.

The pilgrimage was theme – St. Vincent de Paul. The 400^th anniversary of the Vincentian charism motivated the theme of the 8^th pilgrimage. The guest speaker at the pilgrimage was the national coordinator, Fr Jan Martinček, CM. he took the students on a tour of the historical and the spiritual life of St. Vincent de Paul. The students were thrilled and enrich by the rich religious heritage of the Vincentian Family.

The Pilgrimage mass was celebrated in the evening of the 30^th of April at 16.00. The church was packed full with about 200 students from the above mentioned cities. During the Mass, certificates and awards were offered to the deserving students for their efforts and sacrifice in the association. Also new leaders were appointed for the 2017/2018 academic year. The new president is Jennifer Swanzy-krah, a medical student from Ghana.

The social gathering was held in the evening after the mass. Several dancing and singing presentations were made by the cities. On Sunday the 30^th of April 2017, the thanksgiving mass was held at 14.00 and thus the 8^th pilgrimage came to an end. The students departed afterwards to their different cities.