Youths thrilled to be off to Rome

By MAUREEN McGUINNESS

When more than a million young Catholics descend on Rome next week for World Youth Day, people from several parishes will represent the Albany Diocese.

Members of St. Ambrose in Latham, St. Bridget's in Copake Falls and St. Catherine of Siena in Albany are attending the five-day Jubilee Year event.

The theme for the 15th World Youth Day is "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Past "days" (which actually last several days) have been in Paris, the Philippines and Denver. Held every two or three years, these events have attracted millions of Catholic youth and young adults between 16 and 35 from around the world (see related articles on page 5).

Years in planning

Mr. Snow expects that the young pilgrims will have a unique experience. "My daughter went to World Youth Day in Denver and came back a different person," he said. "There was a light in her face, and she had a renewed understanding of her faith."

In addition to touring the Eternal City, the young people will visit Milan, Assisi, Florence and Siena, home of the parish's namesake.

Honoring Pope

Forty young people and 10 chaperons from St. Ambrose will participate in the event. Among them is Renee Brisson, 15, who is looking forward to attending.

"I really wanted to see the Pope," she said. "When my parents were on their honeymoon, they saw the same Pope. I think it's going to be an amazing experience."

While she is a bit nervous about traveling and the crowds, she has been able to keep her fears in check. "I go to church every morning," she said. "I pray the Rosary every day. I pray a lot, and I read the Bible. I've also been talking to my friends who are going, and they're going through the same thing."

Shout-out

"The center of our Catholic faith is the Pope," he said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shout out for our faith."

He's looking forward to meeting other young people who share his beliefs. "There are going to be two million teens converging on Rome excited about their faith," he said. "I hope the excitement we come back with spreads."

Universal Church

"My biggest hope is that they feel small and large," he said. "Being a member of St. Ambrose in the Diocese of Albany, in the state of New York in America, we are small. They will also see that the Church is not white, suburban people. But I hope they feel large in seeing that they are part of something so large and joyful.

"We've met every month, and I made it abundantly clear that if they wanted to go just to see Europe they should go with their school. This is not a vacation; it's a spiritual commitment. It will be very hard and very difficult. There will be cool times, but it won't be fun in the traditional sense."

In order to be part of the St. Ambrose delegation, the youths had to be regular participants in parish activities and go on two retreats. "I'm really touched by the group we have going," Mr. Rice said.

Parish support

One of the main efforts was an "indentured servants raffle." Parishioners bought tickets that entitled the winners to have four teens come to their house for four hours and perform chores. Shawn spent one Saturday cleaning bathrooms. Renee washed walls and put mulch around trees.

The reward for this labor is the opportunity to walk through the Holy Doors, march in an evening Way of the Cross procession, and have the opportunity to go to confession at the Circus Maximus.

Shawn is looking forward to the chance to deepen his faith. "I've been praying," he said, "that I can be open to what God wants of me."

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