Cohoes churches to send youth to Paris

Parishioners of St. Marie's and St. Agnes/St. Patrick Church in Cohoes recently counted, rolled and wrapped 14,540 pennies. The result was another $145.40 deposited in the 1997 World Youth Day travel fund.

Dubbed "Pennies For Paris," the project was part of a combined effort by the parishes to raise funds to send six young delegates to the international pilgrimage in Paris next August. Participants will have an opportunity to meet with the Holy Father during the week-long event set aside for catechesis, fellowship, worship and renewal.

Past WYD meetings have taken place in Rome, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver and Manila.

Pennies for Paris

"We've got penny collection jars at the entrances to both churches," explains Patricia Raup, pastoral associate of faith formation. "That way, parishioners of all ages and incomes have a way of contributing to the cause. And, believe me, every clink of coins in those jars is appreciated!"

She and members of the WYD Committee have also devised a number of other innovative, and more lucrative, methods of raising the $10,000 needed to offset the cost of sending the delegates to the pilgrimage. Indeed, a combination of creative ideas and generous donations have already boosted the balance in the WYD account to $3,100.

From a service auction to a flea market to sales of flowers and home-made candy, organizers have slowly, but surely, been raising not only WYD funds but also awareness of the importance of the Paris pilgrimage.

Generosity

Mrs. Raup has been touched by the gestures of a number of parishioners, including Earl Liberty, a carpenter who offered to donate a portion of his profits to anyone who mentioned WYD when they came to him for work. Before long, Mr. Liberty, a father of four grown children who recently retired from the Air Force, had donated $1,000 to the pot.

"My own kids travelled a lot during the 20 years I was in the Air Force; and although we never made it to Europe, the experiences of seeing how people lived in other countries was good for them," Mr. Liberty told The Evangelist.

Other generous donations to the WYD fund have been received from The Parish 55'ers from St. Agnes/St. Patrick and from the estate of a student's grandmother. Meanwhile, an anonymous couple from St. Marie's has offered an undisclosed dollar amount for every "A" that appears on the year-end report cards of students participating in the WYD project.

It is hoped that money, combined with proceeds from a parish-wide talent show and other fund-raising events slated to take place in the spring and summer of 1997, will bring the Paris travel pot up to the $10,000 mark.

Who's going?

Initially, more than 30 teenagers and young adults from St. Marie's and St. Agnes/St. Patrick's expressed an interest in attending the WYD celebrations in Paris. Those numbers fell after it was learned each participant would need to pay about $1,000 -- or half -- of the estimated costs for travel and expenses.

"At that point, our numbers dropped to just half a dozen youths," reports Mrs. Raup. Although WYD activities are open to all young people between the ages of 14 and 30, the average age of the Cohoes youths who are still hoping to attend is 15. One college student is also planning to participate as will Rev. Arthur Becker, pastor.

The 1997 World Youth Day conference is slated to take place from August 19-24, but the Cohoes group is looking at a slightly longer stay of approximately 10 days.

"That is because roughly a quarter of a million people are expected to participate," Mrs. Raup explained, "and we've been told no airport, including the one in Paris, can handle that many passengers coming and going the same day."

(Mrs. Raup welcomes calls from other parishes that might be interested in joining the Cohoes entourage to Paris so that expenses can be shared. Anyone interested should contact her at 237-2373 or 237-1754.)

(11-07-96) [[In-content Ad]]