BEING FIVE feet away from the Pope Benedict XVI is an experience that may come only once in a lifetime.
Kristina Lyssia Cureg (II AB Lit Eng) was lucky enough to experience it, however, when she attended the World Youth Day (WYD) 2008 at Sydney, Australia.
Cureg is one of the Ateneans who participated in one of the largest youth events in the world, which aims to bring together youth of different nationalities and make them closer to God.
Held July 15 to 20, the WYD celebrations consisted of pilgrimage walks around Australia, catechism sessions, masses, youth festivals, a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross, and an evening vigil with the Pope.
On July 20, delegates from all over the world celebrated the actual World Youth Day through a final mass with the Pope.
Do you want to go?
Campus Ministry Office Director Fr. Roberto Ma. Buenconsejo, SJ, accompanied the Ateneo’s five delegates to the WYD. Other Ateneans, such as Cureg, joined the WYD through other delegations.
“You don’t have to be pious; you don’t have to be religious,” Buenconsejo said, on his requirements for the delegates. “The basic requirement was ‘I want to go. I want to be there.’”
WYD was an opportunity for students to go beyond the Ateneo and see the universal Church outside, said Buenconsejo.
Ateneo delegate Gabriel Gonzalo Puyat (II AB Comm) said, “It wasn’t just the pilgrimage that got me in; it was [also] the adventure of going out.”
Cureg said she joined WYD for the experience. “Not only did I want to see one of the greatest displays and proclamations of faith, [but] I wanted to be part of it.”
WYD reminds Filipinos that Catholicism is a global and universal reality, and not just confined to the Catholic practice in the Philippines, said Buenconsejo.
“Hindi lang ito ang mundo (The world is not just this). Out there, there’s a world bigger than ours, a Church bigger than the Philippine Church,” he said.
A spiritual high
For most of the participants, their most memorable WYD experience was making friends with the youth from different countries.
“What truly defined my World Youth Day experience was the absence of fear, shyness or reserved airs,” said Gabriel Martin Doller (III AB Eu), another Ateneo delegate. “Everyone was just ready to go, ready to share themselves with people they’ve just met, without fear of being left out.”
“I don’t know how they did it, but then they were able to make all of us get along despite the differences,” Andi Rausa Noor Tabusalla (I BS Mgt) added. Tabusalla is a non-Catholic.
Participants also felt that the WYD was a big celebration. “It’s like a party. We’re always going out,” said Christine Juliana Braganza (II AB Comm), an Ateneo delegate.
“When we have parties, they get these bands to play [Christian] music, and people are just dancing and having fun,” Puyat said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen people so happy without alcohol,” he added.
Buenconsejo said that if Ateneans join the delegation, it will not be just a religious event. “The enthusiasm is very intense. You just feel it. Ang sarap-sarap (It’s really good).”
Braganza agreed. “When you combine a lot of young people and you are all cheering for God, it’s different.”
Youth as future of the Church
“[WYD] was a great sign that yes, Jesus can still move hearts in an age where heart seemed to be minimized, while everything else is maximized,” Cureg said.
Puyat said that through the WYD, he saw that there is still hope for the world, despite the turmoil it experiences.
For Doller, WYD was an opportunity to reflect on different issues in his faith. “I was able to think of three important questions in the midst of everything: What have you done for Christ? What are you doing for Christ? And what should you do for Christ?”
Buenconsejo saw the WYD as a sign that the Philippine Church should do something to address the issues of the youth.
“The Church needs to take care of the youth in a very special way, for you [the youth] are the future of the Church,” he said.
The next WYD will be held in Madrid, Spain, on 2011.
