News

Participants 'Catholicated' by Youth Day

By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor

Overcrowded streets and overburdened public transportation did not stop hundreds of thousands of young people from uniting in faith at World Youth Day, Aug. 16-21, in Cologne, Germany.

"I knew it might be a little difficult with so many people, but I wouldn't change it a bit," said Bill Andrus of St. Bernadette Parish, Appleton. "A bishop from Long Island, reminded us that we go for pilgrimage, not for vacation. It is pilgrimage."

Andrus and John Peplinski and Stephen Steinmetz of St. Jude Parish in Green Bay attended World Youth Day with a group from the Diocese of Madison. It marked the second World Youth Day for Andrus, who participated in Toronto in 2002.

"Everyone from our group was able to stay with host families," said Andrus. "It was a tremendous experience. The families were most gracious. We were able to experience another country, another culture. You can't replace that. It really opens your eyes."

Spiritually, World Youth Day is both a learning and affirming experience, he added.

"I pick up tidbits," he said. "I tend to be a mostly textbook learner in my faith, but I do like to listen to people who draw upon their experiences and share their faith. The catechesis helps build upon and mostly reinforces what I know."

The event also provides opportunity for personal growth, said Andrus.

"I graduated from Xavier High School and MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering), a small private college," he said. "I'm accustomed to small places. I've learned to stretch myself at events like these. I've learned to open myself up as we celebrate the universal church, which is so exciting, so exhilarating."

Cologne marked the first World Youth Day for Fr. Al McBride, O.Praem., who teamed with Drew Mariani and John Morales of Relevant Radio to provide live coverage on the "Drew Mariani Show."

The show airs in Green Bay from 3 to 6 p.m. on WJOK 1050 AM, requiring Fr. McBride and the Relevant team to broadcast from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in Germany.

"I was pretty sleepy," said Fr. McBride. "I downed lots of coffee. I admired the hard work of the team. There were 15 to 16-hour days. It was an amazing experience. I learned a great deal. I've been a teacher all of my life and the preparation was similar to preparing a lecture. The coverage generated good responses, especially the program on Reformation, Martin Luther and the state of ecumenism."

There were two primary questions leading into World Youth Day, said Fr. McBride.

"How would young people respond to Pope Benedict XVI and what would the size of the crowd be?" he said. "Those questions were answered quickly."

An estimated 300,000 young people lined the banks of the Rhine River on Aug. 18 to welcome the 78-year-old pontiff who was aboard a triple-decker cruiser.

"The pope would stand up time-to-time to wave," said Fr. McBride. "He then sat down in a chair looking much like a grandfather figure. There were select young adults sitting around him on the deck floor. They would come up and talk to him or ask for blessings in a very down home way. When the boat docked by the Cologne Cathedral, Pope Benedict grabbed the hand of a very tall African man, and, with his other hand, a young woman from Latin America. It reminded me of our Abbot (Bernard) Pennings, who when walking from the church to the school, would take the hands of two eighth graders to keep his balance."

World Youth Day was in many ways the celebration of two popes. Fuji produced billboard size portraits of both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II for display outside the Cologne Cathedral. The images were created from small photos submitted by individuals.

"They were there together," said Fr. McBride. "Pope Benedict was always careful to remind the crowds of John Paul II. He reacted very nicely and very affectionately to the people. None of his talks were long. He speaks in a professor's voice, always the teacher and always the catechist."

Anne Berkovitz, a freshman at St. Norbert College and member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in De Pere, journeyed to World Youth Day on her own. She first traveled to Switzerland to visit Aline Amrein, an exchange student her family had hosted last year. Berkovitz and Amrein both attended Notre Dame Academy.

"The death of Pope John Paul II really got me interested," said Berkovitz. "It was a neat way to see other young people of my faith."

Berkovitz arrived in Duisburg, Germany, a week before World Youth Day to participate in Days of Encounter. She gathered with other young people from the United States, Ghana and Scotland for an introduction to the German church and culture. Berkovitz joined a group of college students from Boston for World Youth Day events.

"I didn't know what to expect and I got a lot more out of it than I thought I would," said Berkovitz. "It was amazing. If you open yourself up to the experience, it will change you greatly. It really changed me. I'm now a 'Catholic' Catholic. A lot of Americans are 'cafeteria' Catholics. They pick and choose what to believe. I agree with everything the church teaches. It clarified a lot of things for me. The Catholic Church makes a lot of sense."

Berkovitz said catechesis with Card. Francis George of Chicago and Card. Francis Arinze of Nigeria were valuable.

"They discussed the way to act in church and provided more clarification on having more respect for the Eucharist," she said. "Card. George also had a strong impact when he spoke about growing in faith."

"Not only was the experience faith enriching, but you got to meet so many other people," she added. "I met people from Ghana, South Africa, China and Sudan. We would often just sit around and talk at night."

Berkovitz was also inspired by the response for the pope.

"When people saw him they chanted 'Ben-e-detto, Ben-e-detto,' followed by claps," she said. "It was neat. It reminded me of a cheer at football or basketball game."

Not only is World Youth Day beneficial in unifying people, but also promotes vocations. Pope Benedict XVI met with a group of seminarians.

"The Holy See is finding out that, of new seminarians and the newly ordained, one out of every four is a veteran of World Youth Day," said Fr. McBride. I can see how it happens. It is an extraordinary week of faith and intenseness. The young people come as pilgrims, not as tourists."

Cologne served as the center for World Youth Day, but celebrations extended to neighboring communities. Pilgrims walked 15 miles form Cologne to Marienfeld for the World Youth Day evening vigil and closing Mass with Pope Benedict. Approximately 800,000 pilgrims stayed overnight in Marienfeld, a former open-cast mining area. An estimated one million people attended the closing Mass on Aug. 21. Sydney Australia will host the next World Youth Day in 2008.