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Catholic youths gather for World Youth Day
Young people gather for faith and fun at WYD in Sidney, Ohio
by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published July 25, 2008
Detroit – Some young Catholics from the Archdiocese of Detroit got a taste of the World Youth Day spirit a lot closer to home – more than 9,300 miles closer.
A total of 132 young people and youth ministers from the archdiocese took par in the See You in Sidney WYD event in Sidney, Ohio, only about 170 miles south of Detroit. The event involved 10 Michigan and Ohio dioceses.
From plenty of live Christian music to the quiet solace of eucharistic adoration, altogether about 600 teens and their adult chaperons experienced World Youth Day without traveling halfway around the globe.
They gathered at Lehman High School July 19-20, days that corresponded with the vigil and closing Mass in Sydney, Australia.
And to hear participants tell it, the Ohio event was both great fun and a great faith-booster. "It was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of prayer. We had a good time, but also our serious moments, too," said Montana Cohn, 16, a member of St. Joseph Parish in South Lyon.
Camping out under the stars, praying the Liturgy of the Hours together, engaging in eucharistic adoration, singing together, and meeting and talking to other young Catholics from Michigan and Ohio all combined to make the event special and memorable, he said.
Participants watched televised feeds of what was going on with Pope Benedict XVI: at the WYD event in Australia, but had their own speakers and music performers to listen to, as well.
Like most other participants interviewed, Cohn ranked the presentation of Mike Patin, a lay Catholic from Louisiana among the highlights of the event. "He had us all sing together, and did an excellent job of helping us to get involved," he said.
Allison McDonald, 15, a member of St. Mary Parish in Port Huron, also had praise for Patin, who had the teens laughing and singing during his 90-minute presentation, as he shared such life lessons as dealing with peer pressure, lying and staying true to one's values. He told teens God isn't just in a tabernacle, and encouraged them to include God in their lives.
"The Holy Spirit is the part of God that unites us. He's going to give us influence," Patin said. "He wants to be a part of real, young lives. He wants to be included in the real. We've got to be a people who pray."
McDonald's overall assessment of the Sidney experience was that it was "pretty cool."
"It's nice to be able to see so many others who are in the same place as you are, spiritually," she added. Maria Medal, 21, a member of St. Stephen/Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Detroit, added her praise of Patin: "He was one of the most interesting speakers, because he had a creative way of explaining things and motivating people."
But Medal also enjoyed other aspects of the event. "I had a blast. It was very exciting, because there were so many young people and a lot of information. I feel that I am closer to God now," she said.
And Medal added, "It is an experience I think every young person should have, so they will know they are not alone in having their religious beliefs."
Nessel Kurzava, 16, like Cohn a member of St. Joseph in South Lyon, said, "I liked how you could meet other people who had the same interests as you, spiritually."
Praying Evening Prayer and Morning Prayer was a new experience, and one he found especially meaningful, he continued: "Praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the presence of God the whole time, it absolutely made me feel closer to God," he said.
Kurzava said he would definitely go again three years from now if a similar event is held to coincide with the next World Youth Day.
Mary Jo Hartman, youth ministry coordinator at the South Lyon parish, said she was intrigued by the young people's enthusiasm for praying the liturgy of the hours. "I wouldn't have thought they would go for that."
Besides the similarity between the names Sidney and Sydney, the Ohio event also echoed many of the elements of World Youth Day 2008. Starting with a welcome and opening prayer by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati July 19, the weekend featured prayer, catechetical breakout sessions, reconciliation and plenty of time for socializing.
Toledo Bishop Leonard P. Blair, a former Detroit auxiliary bishop, presided at Benediction, and an evening Mass was celebrated by Steubenville Bishop R. Daniel Conlon.
Archbishop Pilarczyk reminded the teens that traveling to World Youth Day was a pilgrimage, regardless of whether they came a long distance or a short one. He spoke of continually moving toward Jesus.
In the afternoon, teens attended catechetical sessions, socialized and spent time meeting new friends. The fields were filled with teens tossing Frisbees and listening to live music.
"It's so encouraging to see them having a good time," Bishop Blair said. "That means for them faith and membership in the Church is a positive experience."
Inside the school, other teens were in the chapel at eucharistic adoration, kneeling in prayer or quietly writing in journals, while still more lined up for reconciliation.
At the Mass, Bishop Conlon spoke about how difficult it is for people to comprehend God's world and said the Holy Spirit allows the faithful to communicate with God.
"We received that Holy Spirit" through baptism and confirmation, he said. "It's not something you have to go out and find. You will be amazed at how much of God's world you will know and understand."
— David Eck of Catholic News Service contributed to this story.
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