Cohoes youth wowed by Pope at Paris event

The six young people from the Albany Diocese who attended the recent World Youth Day in Paris are bubbling with enthusiasm over the experience of seeing Pope John Paul II and being part of a million young Catholics united in one place.

"The highlight definitely was seeing the Pope," said 16-year-old Jacqueline Smith. "I was screaming, I was so happy."

She and the other travelers from St. Marie's and St. Agnes/St. Patrick's parishes in Cohoes weren't the only ones screaming during the August 21-24 event. A crowd of one million young Catholics greeted Pope John Paul II with the sorts of screams and shouts normally given only to rock stars.

Close to Pope

Said 14-year-old Nicole Halabuda of the cheering crowd: "It must be so great to be the Pope. The Pope will always be famous." She added that no entertainer could maintain that kind of fame.

Lindsay Simmons, 15, agreed, noting: "Kids nowadays aren't religious, but here they were screaming at the Pope like he was a rock star."

The delegation from Cohoes got a close look at the pontiff when he came within 10 feet of them.

Jacqueline was impressed by the Pope's charisma. "A friend and I were saying that God has to know what He's doing," she said. "Here was the Pope so old and all of us young people, and he could relate to us."

Changed for life

Many in the group report that the trip was a life-changing experience.

"I can't even explain it," Jacqueline said. "I can't begin to tell everything. The atmosphere was incredible."

To other young people who may contemplate going to future World Youth Day events like the one scheduled for the year 2000 in Rome, she said, "Go. Don't even think twice. Work hard to get the money."

Katrina Benamati, 15, said, "It was unexplainable. It was so wonderful. It was an experience of a lifetime. The compassion the Pope had for young people spoke to me that I better pay attention to my faith. I think I'm more spiritual now."

Lindsay also thinks there will be lasting effects from this trip. "It made me stronger in my faith," she told The Evangelist. "I saw all of the different cultures, and we all have the same faith. It was incredible. It made me closer to God. I want to do more things to be closer to Him."

World of faith

Nicole was also moved by the crowds of Catholics from around the world. "It made me feel stronger about my faith," she said. "I saw how many people believe what I believe. There are people like me. I belong to something."

The group had the opportunity to meet others from the U.S. as well as from Kenya, Italy and France. The center for the Cohoes pilgrims worship was St. Helene's Church in Paris, explained Rev. Arthur Becker, pastor of St. Marie's and chaperon of the trip. Meals, morning Mass, and evening prayer took place there, where they met six other U.S. delegations as well as the Kenyans and Italians.

Challenge for priest

The Cohoes youths were among the youngest participants at the event, Father Becker said. Most of the other participants were college-aged.

As chaperon, he had to take responsibility for the health and safety of his young parishioners. That was a challenge as the temperatures soared to a ten-year high.

"Hot is not the word for it," he said of the 90-degree-plus temperatures and humidity, made worse by the pollution alerts in Paris. "We had to force the kids to drink when they didn't want to" in order to prevent dehydration.

His biggest challenge was "dealing with the heat and crowds. It was wall-to-wall people."

Highlights

But the trip was definitely worthwhile, Father Becker said, noting: "The highlight for me was seeing the kids enjoy it. It was good to see it through their eyes, to see it new through them."

Father Becker is not sure what the future holds for the six young people who journeyed to Paris, but he thinks it will be involvement in the life of the Church.

"I look back to the kids we took to Denver [World Youth Day 1993]," he said, "and they're still involved in the parish or in campus ministry. I hope this happens with [the Paris group.]"

Once things have calmed down for them, he believes the lasting effect will take root. "When it starts to sink in," he mused, "I think they will have a renewed sense of Church, a renewed sense of faith, and they'll explore what it means to be a Catholic."

(09-04-97) [[In-content Ad]]