Five young people from St Helens are flying to the other side of the world to meet the Pope.
They are taking part in World Youth Day in Australia - an event which is believed to be the largest ever gathering of youngsters.
More than half a million Roman Catholics from every corner of the earth will meet to celebrate Mass with Pope Benedic
t XVI on July 20.
Travelling from St Mary's Lowe House will be Tom Wellens, Rick Brewin, Helen Currie, Richard Netherwood, and Maria Pleydell. They will be joined by Fr Stephen Pritchard and Fr Brendan Rice.
Tom said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us and around 40 in total from the Liverpool Archdiocese to meet with people from every corner of the world, and demonstrate their faith in the same way.
"By meeting in this way we will be able to share our own culture with that of many other people, in what is genuinely a once in a life time experience."
While in Australia they will take part in voluntary community projects in the area of Maitland and Newcastle, 100 miles north of Sydney.
Staying in the local community they will be working on parish projects, attending a social justice event and a diocesan gathering with 5,000 other young pilgrims.
They will then head to Sydney where they will be joined by thousands of other young people.
World Youth Day was established by Pope John Paul II in 1986 and has been an annual event ever since. This year it will draw the largest number of international visitors to Australia for a single event and is expected to create the biggest gathering of people in the country's history.
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