Let me just put this plainly: World Youth Day was freekin amazing!
Not only do you get to meet people from literally all over the world, but you get to be so close to the Pope! My group got extremely close for the opening ceremony with him and it was breath taking.
But it wasn't just getting to see the Pope that made this trip awesome. We got to go to the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado and that was just amazing, you don't realize just how big it is until you're standing next to it trying to take a picture (fyi you have to lay on the ground to get you and the statue in the same frame, which isn't easy when there's at least a hundred people trying to do the same...) Anyway! We also got to be tourists and see Parachi which is this awesome little town that doesn't allow cars down the street to preserve the originality of the city, definitely go and see if you get the chance but wear flip flops because the streets flood at high tide (no joke we had to role up our pants to wade through the water to get inside the church where we were going to have mass!).
But the thing that surpasses all the sigh seeing and making new friends is the "Night Under The Stars". Were 3.7 MILLION youth gathered at Copacabana to listen to the Pope preach at night and go completely silent for an hour of adoration. Then to stay the night both on the beach and on the street, because there were so many people we could not all fit, just to wake up early in the morning to be greeted by the Pope and celebrate mass. That is the most powerful thing to have SO many people reverently quite for adoration, and the same people groggy from that night passionately involved in the mass. There really are no words to explain how amazing it is to live that.
If you were not at this past World Youth Day (JMJ) I would recommend with all my heart that you start fundraising and go to Krakow, Poland. I will be praying for you and I ask that you pray for me as I begin college.
See you in Poland!
(P.S. i'll try and get some pics up :) )
Not only do you get to meet people from literally all over the world, but you get to be so close to the Pope! My group got extremely close for the opening ceremony with him and it was breath taking.
But it wasn't just getting to see the Pope that made this trip awesome. We got to go to the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado and that was just amazing, you don't realize just how big it is until you're standing next to it trying to take a picture (fyi you have to lay on the ground to get you and the statue in the same frame, which isn't easy when there's at least a hundred people trying to do the same...) Anyway! We also got to be tourists and see Parachi which is this awesome little town that doesn't allow cars down the street to preserve the originality of the city, definitely go and see if you get the chance but wear flip flops because the streets flood at high tide (no joke we had to role up our pants to wade through the water to get inside the church where we were going to have mass!).
But the thing that surpasses all the sigh seeing and making new friends is the "Night Under The Stars". Were 3.7 MILLION youth gathered at Copacabana to listen to the Pope preach at night and go completely silent for an hour of adoration. Then to stay the night both on the beach and on the street, because there were so many people we could not all fit, just to wake up early in the morning to be greeted by the Pope and celebrate mass. That is the most powerful thing to have SO many people reverently quite for adoration, and the same people groggy from that night passionately involved in the mass. There really are no words to explain how amazing it is to live that.
If you were not at this past World Youth Day (JMJ) I would recommend with all my heart that you start fundraising and go to Krakow, Poland. I will be praying for you and I ask that you pray for me as I begin college.
See you in Poland!
(P.S. i'll try and get some pics up :) )
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