Pilgrim Reflection: Meghan Kingsley

World Youth Day 2011 was one of the most inspiring, amazing, and most exciting moments of my life.  The journey, along with all the people who were a part of the pilgrimage, remain unforgettable.  I will never forget the enormous amount of excitement, faith, love and feeling of unity under the Catholic Church shared by everyone in Madrid. It was life changing!  Like many other pilgrims, I would do anything to go back!

Pilgrim Reflection: AJ Beckner

World Youth Day was the religious experience of a lifetime. Despite the heat, humidity and crowds, Madrid offered an amazing atmosphere of joy, peace, and God's love. Young faces from all around the world filled the streets with chanting, singing, and laughter. The way these people from all different cultures so easily came together over the Lord was truly awe inspiring. Much more plentiful than sightings of the Holy Father, were the faces of the future of the Church. World Youth Day is much more than a pilgrimage to see the pope for all of us. It is a pilgrimage to see each other. It is a get together with tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
At the events spread throughout the week, we stood together in the name of God, as we attended Catechesis with talks by many different Bishops and speakers, Christian rock concerts featuring groups from all over America and Europe, and prayer services attended by all. In the streets we met, conversed somewhat successfully, cheered, and traded trinkets with each other. Not a moment of quiet was left in the city during the whole week. From Saturday night into Sunday, the whole group camped out to await the Pope for Sunday mass. Together at the airfield we, almost two million strong, endured a mini hurricane which left everyone cooler and more disorganized than before. The next day we all celebrated final mass and returned to the streets of Madrid via the now jam packed metro trains. The conclusion of this crazy, holy, week left our group tired. We spent the next two days before our flight home quietly taking in the city as it is when there aren't so many foreigners on the streets. Then we said our goodbyes to the rest of the pilgrims still in the city until WYD Rio de Janeiro 2013.

Pilgrim Reflection: Eric Werneburg

Arguably the most memorable day of the World Youth Day pilgrimage was the Sunday on which we walked seven miles to meet the pope at the aerodrome and slept under the stars. Riding in extremely cramped train cars and walking until there were blisters on our feet finally paid off when we were able to put our tarp on the ground, relax with our fellow pilgrims, and meet two million other teens from all over the world. The torrential rain merely added to the experience when Pope Benedict XVI told us he would be praying for the rain to stop and, five minutes later, it did. To add icing on the cake, Nolan concluded the night by telling his famous "Man Without Hair" ghost story brought to us from New Paltz.

Pilgrim Blog - Tom Dougherty

Friday we went to the catechesis for the third time this week, and we heard a talk from Archbishop Dolan, the archbishop of New York. Later in the day we went to stations of the cross, where we sat in the street and watched the stations on a big screen. Although the catechesis and stations were great, the high point of the day had to be teaching a couple of Spanish girls the spoon game, and neither of them spoke English which made it difficult. Hopefully the game spreads throughout Spain now. Another long day followed with the vigil and overnight sleep outside at the airfield, but I'll let someone else blog about that.

A Few Pics from Thursday, August 19

Meeting some new friends from Argentina while we wait for Pope Benedict to pass by.

We got as close as we could to Il Papa when he drove by, blessing us in the "Popemobile"

With some new Iraqi friends.

After Life Teen's XLT event, gathering with other Life Teen parishes from all around the world for Eucharistic Adoration, we get a picture with Catholic recording artist Jackie Francois

Pilgrim Blog - Jamie Kimelstein

Yesterday we went to the great city of Avila and visited their beautiful churches such as St. Vincent's. The quiet peacefulness of the church reminded us why we were really here, for God. We then had an elegantly celebrated mass said by a priest of the Diocese, Father Rob. When we got home we went to a concert sung in Spanish, but we got a giant game of Pony started with about two or three other countries. It was truly a fun packed day!

Pilgrim Blog - Paul Clores

Yesterday we walked into the city to exchange our American money for Euros. After that, we had the plan to go to the Prada Museum. After we finally found it we decided the line was too long and that we would just go look for food! We walked around for about an hour.....a very long hour. We did, however, run into many new faces from different countries. We traded with them and we talked with them. We made it to McDonald's and we were in there for hours waiting for our food. Then we went to the Mass which was led by Cardinal Archbishop Antonio. Although it was all in Spanish, it was a beautiful Mass because it brought every country together in one ceremony. To finish off a fun day we went to Telepizza....nectar from the gods.

And We're Off!

Well, it's been a long 24 hours. And, yet, here we are in Madrid! On Sunday afternoon we celebrated Mass at OLM and then headed to the airport for our flight. We're all still adjusting to the 6 hour time difference and trying to compensate for a lack of sleep on an anxious plane ride, but we are so excited to be in this great city to celebrate our faith.
Aside from settling in, we celebrated Mass at the hotel today for the Feast of Our Lady's Assumption with the 175 or so Diocese of Rockville Centre pilgrims. We also tried out some local food. Nothing very cultural, yet. The pancakes were good. Not IHOP good, but good. What isn't good is our Spanish speaking ability. That needs work!

Over 78,00 Pennies!

The World Youth Day Pilgrims wish to thank all who participated in our Pennies from Heaven Campaign! We recently brought our rather extensive collection of coins to the bank to cash in and discovered that the parish had collected over 78, 000 pennies to help see us to Madrid! Thank you for your support!

World Youth Day Commissioning Mass

On June 5, many of the OLM teens, young adults, and leaders who will be making pilgrimage to Madrid for World Youth Day this summer joined with their fellow pilgrims from around the Diocese of Rockville Centre for a special Commissioning Mass with Bishop William Murphy. The Bishop expressed his personal excitement for the event and offered a blessing to all the youth who will be participating.

Pictured are members of the Our Lady of Mercy contingent who will be a part of the Diocesan pilgrimage to World Youth Day

First Annual Dodge Ball Classic

On June 4, the WYD pilgrims hosted a 6 on 6 Dodge Ball Tournament to Raise money for our pilgrimage. It was a fun and exciting day for a great cause!



The winners: Super 6!






The rush is on!










About 60 Teens participated in the event. And it will only be bigger next year!





THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED OUR PILGRIMAGE!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

The teens and young adults of OLM would like to thank Dr. Philip M. Tornatore, DDS and Dr. Charles Valicenti, DDS for their generous contributions to our pilgrimage to World Youth Day!

Please visit them on the web:

Dr. Philip M. Tornatore

Dr. Charles Valicenti

Pilgrim Profile: Christopher Chin

Christopher Chin - WYD ‘11, Madrid
Hi, my name is Chris Chin. I am really excited to be going to World Youth Day because I will be going to Spain and I get to deepen my faith while having fun, making new friends and hanging with some old ones. I hope to get a deep spiritual experience out of this trip. I get the chance to visit historical places in Spain. I look forward to hanging with friends and making new ones from around the world

Pilgrim Profile: Alexandra Black

Alexandra Black - WYD '11, Madrid
Alexandra is very excited and honored to be a part of World Youth Day 2011. Her brother, Christopher, participated in World Youth Day 2008, but this is Alexandra's first time. She is excited to spend her time next summer to be with practicing teen Catholics like herself and to be able to see the Pope and to participate in this special worldwide experience. Alexandra can not wait to take part in this blessed pilgrimage to Spain and to be with her fellow Long Island Catholic teenagers. There is truly no better way to spend her time over the summer than to thrive in her religion, especially abroad. She would like to thank her parents and Nolan for this amazing experience and blessing they've allowed her to be a part of.

Pilgrim Profile: Karen Roveto

Karen Roveto - WYD '11, Madrid
I am very excited for the opportunity to be a part of World Youth Day in Spain in August of 2011. This will be my first time having this kind of an experience and I am very much looking forward to sharing it with my family members and friends, as well as other members of the parish. This will be a great opportunity to meet other people from all over the world as well and I believe that it is going to be a very rewarding experience, for which I am extremely grateful.

Pilgrim Profile: Steve Roveto

Steve Roveto - WYD’ 11, Madrid
Hi, I am Steve Roveto and I never realized how important a Catholic education was to me until college. I had attended Catholic school from kindergarten until 12th grade and now attend a private interfaith college.
It is not the easiest to find people that share the same beliefs as you, which was quite simple up until high school. I didn't think I'd ever say it, but I actually miss it. The uniform, the people, everything about it, its all completely different at college. They offer services, but it is held in a classroom and it is just weird. When I heard about WYD in Spain I knew this would be a way for me to experience this again. That is why I want to make this pilgrimage to Spain, so that I can get in touch with other people around my age that have the same faith and beliefs that I hold.

Pilgrim Profiles: Thomas Dougherty

Tom Dougherty - WYD '11, Madrid
My name is Thomas Dougherty, and I am a senior who will be graduating from Chaminade High School. In August I will be traveling with my parish to Madrid, Spain for World Youth Day. I am looking forward to attending and have been since last World Youth Day in Australia. Since I did not attend that World Youth Day, I feel that now is my opportunity to see what I missed last time. I am excited to see how many people from all over the world are gathered in the same place for the same reason: to get to God and grow in our faith.

Pilgrim Profile: Theresa Roedig

Theresa Roedig - WYD '11, Madrid
My name is Theresa Roedig and I am a sophomore at Molloy College and from Saint Kilian Parish in Farmingdale. I am thrilled to be going to World Youth Day in Madrid with the parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy. I am excited that I will have the chance to meet and be surrounded by young people from all over the world who share one common interest: their love of and faith in God. The theme of this year’s WYD is “Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith”. I believe that this pilgrimage will help strengthen my faith in Christ, along with the thousands of other Christians there. I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

Pilgrim Profile: Connor Dougherty

Connor Dougherty - WYD '11 (Madrid)
My name is Connor Dougherty and I am currently a sophomore at Chaminade High School. I have heard about the great experiences that many others have felt in Sydney, Australia in 2008 and I would like to participate in these similar experiences along with hundreds of thousands of teens from all over the world in Madrid, Spain. I feel like my faith has really come to me especially this year when I joined the Catholic League at my school. Going to Madrid will hopefully draw me even closer to God, hearing Pope Benedict XVI speak to all of these youth from all over the world. I would like to see people of almost every ethnicity, race, and nationality come together for the same cause of celebrating our faith. There are not many opportunities to go listen to the Pope and I can hardly wait.

Pilgrim Profile: Matthew Smith

Matthew Smith (World Youth Day '11, Madrid)
Hello I am Matthew Smith. I want to go to World Youth Day. It is a privilege to go to this gathering of Catholics around the world. It will not just help me build on my relationship with God, but it is also an amazing opportunity to meet people from other countries. I am excited to go!

Pilgrim Profile: Chrissy Smith

Chrissy Smith - WYD 2011, Madrid
Hi! I'm Chrissy Smith. I want to go to Spain to grow in my faith with Catholics from all over the world. World Youth Day is not just a trip, it's a life changing experience. It is a chance to meet people from different cities and different countries, all with one common belief. An opportunity like this only comes once every three years, and I can't wait to go!

26 Years of World Youth Days

Here's a beautiful video by Grassroots Films highlighting the history of World Youth Day. As if I wasn't already excited!

Pilgrim Profile: Paul Clores

Paul Clores - WYD'11 (Madrid, Spain)
My name is Paul Clores. I am currently a senior at Kellenberg Memorial High School and I will be graduating in June of 2011. In August I, with many others from around the world, will be traveling to Madrid, Spain to attend World Youth Day. This is a great opportunity for me and I am very excited. Being in the same place as the Pope, in my opinion, is a big deal. I am currently discerning a vocation to religious life. This pilgrimage will help me strengthen my discernment and my faith. This will also strengthen the faith of every teen going. I am part of a new generation of young teens passionate about their faith. I know each and every one of us will gain something from this. I look forward to this pilgrimage greatly.

Pilgrim Profile: Jamie Kimelstein

Jamie Kimelstein - WYD '11 - Madrid, Spain
My name is Jamie Kimelstein. In August of 2011 I and others will be lucky enough to attend World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. Attending World Youth Day it is the greatest opportunity presented to me in my lifetime. At World Youth Day we will be accompanied by thousands, if not, millions of young Catholics from all around the world sharing in a once in a lifetime chance to take part in this beautiful pilgrimage. I believe this will change my life greatly. My faith will be strengthened along with all the other Catholic teens attending. I truly look forward to this.

Pilgrim Profile: Anthony Beckner

Anthony Beckner - WYD'11 (Madrid)
Hi, I'm A.J. Beckner and I am a sophomore at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, and a part of the youth group that is going to World Youth Day in August. I first found out about WYD three years ago when some members of our parish made the pilgrimage to Australia in 2008.
It always seemed like a cool idea but I never imagined that I would be experiencing it in Spain in 2011. When we go we will do many things including participate in a mass said by Pope Benedict XVI, go to Avila, and meet with thousands of other Christians from around the world. From what I've heard from people who went to the last WYD, it is a very spiritual uplifting experience, and I can't wait to go.
 

Pope John Paul II named Patron Saint of World Youth Day 2011!

After it was announced that Pope John Paul II is going to be beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, we received some more great news - John Paul will also be a patron saint for World Youth Day 2011!

Here's an article: http://www.zenit.org/article-31483?l=english

Pope John Paul II... PRAY FOR US!

Pilgrim Profile: Brendan Graney

Brendan Graney - WYD'11 (Madrid)
My name is Brendan Graney and I will be going to World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, in August of 2011.  World Youth Day is the single largest gathering of catholic youth for Jesus Christ.  I have always wanted to go since my brother went to World Youth Day in 2008, in Sydney, Australia.  I also want to go because I know this pilgrimage will deepen my faith and will make my relationship with God more intimate.  The theme of WYD 2011 is, "Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in faith."  The pilgrims of Our Lady of Mercy Parish hope that this pilgrimage will allow us to experience the faith of Jesus Christ with young people from around the world.  Please wish us well and keep is in your prayers as we prepare for this pilgrimage and even on the pilgrimage, as we grow in our faith.

Pilgrim Profile: Kevin Weiss

Kevin Weiss - WYD'08 (Sydney), WYD'11 (Madrid)
Responding to the call for youth from Pope Benedict, I had the opportunity to go to World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008 and my life has never been the same.  Every time I go to Mass, I’m reminded of the closing Mass at Randwick Racecourse.  Witnessing an enormous congregation of over 500,000 Catholics, celebrating the Eucharist together, changes everyone's relationship with the Church.  I learned so much about our Faith, my friends, and myself.  Following my first world youth day experience, I look forward to this entirely new experience of Madrid.  In 2008, we “received the power when the Holy Spirit came upon us” (Act 1:8), I look forward to this summer and being "Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (Col 2:7).

Pilgrim Profile: Ryan McCaffery

Ryan McCaffery - WYD '11 (Madrid)
Hi my name is Ryan McCaffery and I’m part of the youth group that is going to Spain for world youth day. At world youth day I hope to grow in my faith experience. And since the pope will be speaking I hope to get the chance to meet him. I want to go to Spain because it seems like a lot of fun and I think it will be a good experience for me and my friends. While in Spain I will get to meet other Catholics from all over the world, even people from the U.S.A. Since I’ve never been out of the country before this will be a whole new experience for me and I know it will be lots of fun.