May 24, 2000
Youth group prepares for holy pilgrimage
St. Joseph members traveling to World Youth Day in Rome
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Part pilgrimage, part rite of passage, 11 members of the St. Joseph Catholic Church youth group will be traveling to Rome in August to participate in World Youth Day.
The World Youth Day is part of the Roman Catholic Church's Jubilee 2000 celebrations in honor of the new Millennium. The 11-day trip will include tours of the Holy City and the surrounding area, religious ceremonies, a parade of participants and a mass led by the Pope.
The local pilgrims will join more than three million other Catholic youths from around the world who will be participating in the event. Two other area churches in the Diocese of Gaylord are sending members of their youth groups to Jubilee 2000: Sacred Heart Church in Elk Rapids and St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Traverse City.
Looking ahead to the trip, the young adults from St. Joseph are eager to experience the city that is the foundation of their religion.
"This trip is definitely going to be an extraordinary experience, I can't wait," said Bethany Richardson, a senior at Traverse City Central High School. "We are going to see the Holy Roman City where our religion got its base from. Gathering together with other kids, it is nice to know that so many people share the same religion as you."
The St. Joseph's youth group has been planning the trip for more than a year, raising money to defray the $2,500 cost per person. With just two months left before departure, fundraising efforts are increasing with pop can drives, car washes and volunteering at the National Cherry Festival on the horizon.
Besides raising the money, the complicated logistics of the trip include filling out reams of forms and learning to pack the absolute minimum necessary to survive. Some of the travelers also plan to prepare for their journey by learning some Italian so they can navigate the area more easily. In addition, all members of the youth group will begin series of Bible study lessons in June that will help them prepare spiritually for the trip.
With the guidance and support of Father Pat Barrett, their parents and the congregation, the students say they are ready for this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
"I am looking forward to just being with a lot of people with the same religion as me," said Laura Wasek, a junior at Central High School. "The whole thing is that you see how universal God is and that's really wonderful."
The World Youth Day is a periodic celebration of the Roman Catholic Church, held in different cities around the world. Three years ago, Matt Myers, youth director for the St. Joseph Catholic Church, took members of the youth group to the previous World Youth Day in Paris. He saw those young adults return after the pilgrimage with a new sense of themselves and their faith and looks forward to sharing these experiences with this group during their upcoming Rome trip.
"A trip like this opens all of the kids up to how universal religion is, especially their particular religion," said Myers, who has been youth director for ten years. "They feel a worldwide connectivity, not just their little town and their church; they learn about their faith and their religion worldwide."