Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The pilgrimage, which began in St. Augustine, Florida, on May 24, will continue to wind its way up the Eastern states to New England, and then back to the south, before concluding in Philadelphia on July 5.

Father Drbola was martyred in 1952, and Father Bula in 1951, under the Czechoslovakian Communist regime.

“Blessed Jan and Václav call us not to sell truth for comfort or to avoid conflict, not to exchange faith for the approval of others, not to choose silence where witness should be given, not to sacrifice conscience for comfort, career, or conformism,” said Cardinal Czerny, whose family fled Czechoslovakia for Canada when he was an infant.

The Oregonian published 68 photographs of the procession, which followed a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Alexander Sample.

“During the conversation, which lasted almost an hour, each of those present, drawing on their own painful personal experiences, offered the Pope a number of suggestions on how to make the Church’s response to such tragic cases more effective,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.

The statement continued:

The Pope listened with affection and attention, assuring them of his closeness, and that of the entire Church community, and of his commitment to ensuring that the proposals received form the basis for further efforts, so that the Church may truly be a safe and spiritually healthy place, where wounds find comfort and healing.

“This support to CRS also demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to partnering with faith-based organizations that demonstrate faith in action and have proven their ability to deliver humanitarian assistance in the world’s most difficult environments,” according to the announcement. “CRS has a demonstrated track record of excellent humanitarian service and is a natural partner of choice for this type of global assistance.”

The runner, who attends Mass every Sunday and some weekdays, was born in a mud hut in a village without electricity or running water. Sawe said his grandmother “raised me with love ... That is how I learned to entrust my life and my hopes to God, striving to do His will.”

His school principal, who is parish council president, recalled that “as a boy, Sabastian was withdrawn; sometimes he would even hide in the school kitchen. Using the language of the Gospel, I convinced him that running could be his mission, because talents must never be hidden.”

Father Pius Tawei, his parish priest, said that “sometimes Sabastian volunteers to do work around the parish, saying that God has already blessed him enough. He even bought us a flock of sheep and is funding the project for a new, larger church.”

“They are the bishops of the dioceses of Pekhon, Loikaw, Banmaw, Mindat, and Lashio,” said Bishop Felice Ba Htoo of Pekhon. “I had to leave the pastoral center in Pekhon and move to a parish in a village, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We have had to close about seven of the 16 existing parishes.”

“Many of our parishes have been closed because they have been damaged, attacked, or because they have lost their faithful,” he explained. “We don’t know what the future holds. We live in the present, trusting in God.”

The costs of the clerical abuse scandal in the United States soared 82% in the July 2024—June 2025 reporting year, to $483,534,316, according to the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection.