Bishop struck by faith of youth

Among the hundreds of thousands of people who attended World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, was a military bishop who hails from the Albany Diocese.

Bishop Joseph Estabrook, a native of Albany, is an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Military Services (see separate story in archives).

In his role as vicar of evangelization and vocations for the archdiocese, he brought 450 teenagers to WYD -- mainly the children of military families who live on the U.S. bases he serves.

'Exciting' event

This was the first time he had the opportunity to attend WYD, and he found it to be "really exciting! One thing that struck me was the faith dimension of the kids. I was really impressed with not just their good behavior [but also their] really profound faith -- more than I remember [my generation] having as kids."

Bishop Estabrook and the teens he escorted found a place to stay near the Cathedral in Cologne. The group held a gathering to discuss the topic of vocations to religious life and a special dinner with different stations serving everything from pizza to burgers.

They concluded with another kind of stations: the Stations of the Cross.

Human rights

At a discussion for WYD attendees on human rights, he was "absolutely inspired" by the depth and passion with which the young people spoke.

A 16-year-old boy from Peru, he remembered, talked about wanting to be a priest but having had to work since the age of five. The teen didn't resent that, however, saying: "For me, it was part of my obligation to my family. If I didn't work, my family didn't have food on the table. On the other hand, I have the right to an education. I think the answer is the government has to help us out."

Said Bishop Estabrook: "We're talking about teenagers here, having this profound discussion of human rights."

Papal comments

He noted that Pope Benedict's WYD remarks about teens getting caught up in materialism seemed inaccurate.

The youth "had a spiritual sense that, if you were involved in materialism, you wouldn't have," he noted.

Bishop Estabrook found it interesting that, when the teens in his group were interviewed by a media outlet about their feelings about Pope Benedict, they refused to compare him to his predecessor.

"He's not Pope John Paul," they said simply, adding: "He's the one who leads us."

Impressions

Having observed Pope Benedict XVI at World Youth Day, Bishop Estabrook found him to be "a real intellectual, a theologian who listens" to people's concerns. "And, when he responds to you, it's a very comprehensive response."

Bishop Estabrook appreciated the Pope's advice to youth about not working on Sundays since they need free time "develop" themselves, and to attend Mass to "give content and meaning to the rest of your free time."

Bishop Estabrook met a teenager from Germany on the trip and, even in the vast crowds at WYD, seemed to keep bumping into him. "I said to him, 'Maybe that means you're supposed to become a priest,' and he said, 'You know, I've been thinking about that.'"

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