NewsRecord Weekly Publication

By The Campus Journalists of The Thomasian Chronicle-Colegio de Sto. Tomas-Recoletos

San Carlos teen’s

WYD 2011 journey  

                There is always something in our lives that changes the way we live it. We can feel it in our hearts. Perhaps you have already found it, or you haven't. There is this unexplainable feeling of excitement and joy rolled as one like a spark that makes you exclaim, "This is it!" It may change or may not change your life. Well, I just found my 'something.' My life changed when I joined the World Youth Day 2011.

                The World Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. The event itself celebrates the Catholic faith; it is an invitation to all youths, regardless of religious convictions. World Youth Day (WYD) was initiated by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1985. It is celebrated during an international week-long gathering every two to three years in different locations. The international events attract hundreds of thousands of youths from different countries.

                The first WYD was in the Vatican City on April 14, 1985.  I personally didn’t have an idea what is WYD until my aunt told me, so I did some research. Being the religious type of person, I was very interested to join. I mean who doesn't want it? And it's in Spain! Who doesn't want to go to Spain? So I immediately told my parents, and they said yes.

But I went through a long process before my dream came true. I started all my papers January 2011, that's more than a year ago, and all of that legwork was finished by July 2011 and the Embassy of Spain accepted our Visa application. When it was official, I shouted from the top of my lungs, "I am going to Spain!"                                   I belonged to the Order of Agustinian Recollect (OAR) group. We were 24 including the priests from the different parts of the Philippines.  I was the only one from San Carlos City.

                We left Manila on August 10, 2011, via Bangkok, and arrived on the morning of August 11, 2011 in Madrid.  I was glad that I didn't get jet lagged; there was a six-hour difference from the Philippine time.

                But before we started the WYD, we participated in the International Jovenes Augustino Recoleto  (JAR) or Recollect Agustinian Youth (RAY). It took five days. It was held in Guadalajara, just one hour by bus from Madrid. I made friends with young people from different countries. It was hard communicating with them because most of them speak Spanish but the Filipino youth no longer speak Spanish. And in every mass was in Spanish. So, we had our very own Spanish-English translator. After the JAR gathering, we left for Madrid for the start of the WYD. We slept in a big gym. There were around 600 delegates some slept outside because of the lack of space inside the gym.

                The day came. "Bienvenidos!" boomed out. It's ‘welcome’ in English. The first day was the opening mass with the Archbishop of Madrid. I did not anticipate that we would be that many. I mean, there were so many participants coming and all the flags from around the world. We were lucky to see some Filipinos. The Plaza Cibeles where the mass took place is a magnificent arena. On the second day, we went outside Madrid and visited a 500-year old monastery. We saw there the tomb of King Philip II.

                The third day was the best day. It was the Papal welcome. We went to Plaza Cibeles again. We got a place near the route where the Pope would pass. We waited there for two hours and then the Pope arrived. When we saw the Pope arrive everyone cheered and shouted! I saw the Pope from a very close distance. He radiated the power of the Holy Spiri. It was like Jesus Himself in the Pope. All of my problems were gone when I saw the Pope. I was teary-eyed. It was once in a lifetime experience to see the Pope. It was a great experience if I may say so myself.

                The fourth day, we had the Via Crucis, but I only saw it on the big screen, not up close.  The fifth day was the Pilgrimage to Cuatro Vientos where we would have the overnight vigil. Cuatro Vientos is an old airbase. We walked for more than two hours until we reached our zone F2 where we slept. And with all the heat, you could imagine my frustration that day.

                We slept around two in the morning and woke up around seven! It was very cold during early morning, and it was summer in Spain.                                             And  mass was officiated by The Pope Himself. His message remains in my heart:  The Word of God is the message of service; on the contemporary word it is a challenge of holiness.

By: Angelo Ismael Villarante