CamPUS NewS
Photo at right (l–R): John Guinan ’11, alicyn Gilberto ’11, President cesareo, amy logue ’01 and chris Kelly ’11
Assumption at World Youth Day in Madrid Sixteen members of the Assumption College family traveled to Europe in August to participate in World Youth Day (WYD), a biennial celebration of the Catholic religion. Organized by the Vatican, this worldwide event for youth attracted approximately two million to Madrid, Spain, from August 11–15. The group traveled to Lourdes, France, joining a larger gathering of the Augustinians of the Assumption, before making its way to Madrid. The event included Mass for the sick, Mass for reconciliation, a rosary procession, Mass on the Feast of the Assumption, and a eucharistic procession. The Sunday Mass was conducted by Pope Benedict XVI. Among the trip participants were three alumni, trip organizer Chris Kelly ’11, Alicyn Gilberto ’11 and Amy Logue ’01. Each had their own insights on the experience. Gilberto said, “There are very few chances one receives to live out his/her faith in such a profound way. Uniting with Catholics from all over the world and feeling the energy and compassion of others for the faith was truly a gift. As continually reinforced to us as Catholics, we are not meant to live out the faith alone, and these types of experiences give us the strength and determination to use our faith as our rock and shield to trek through life’s difficulties. “I felt that the pilgrimage was very symbolic of our trip through life,” Gilberto added. “It was a roller coaster of emotions. There were times of joy, stress, friendship, humility, feeling lost, questioning and revelation. Yet through each new moment of the day, I had that continual hope that God’s glory would be revealed in one way or another, always existing as my anchor to unite my heart with him.” Kelly said, “I attended WYD in Cologne, Germany, in 2005, Pope Benedict’s first WYD as pope. This first experience of WYD was life changing for me. It enabled me to go deeper into my prayers and increased my receptiveness to the plans that God has for me. Four weeks after WYD Cologne, I moved to Rome and enrolled in a program for young lay Catholic missionaries. This was a year of formation
and mission work that I might not have been open to had it not been for WYD. “One of the my highlights of this year’s WYD trip was visiting the worldwide Assumptionist family in Lourdes, France,” Kelly continued. “The prayer and reflection prepared us for Madrid, and we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on August 15 in a place dedicated to her role and presence in the Church. “When you are at WYD you get a true sense of the ‘universal Church.’ More than two million young Catholics from across the globe celebrate the living reality of the Body of Christ. WYD is a visible sign of the hope and joy that is the universal Church,” he added. Logue said, “It had always been a dream of mine to attend World Youth Day, and I was honored and blessed to share this experience with a diverse group of Assumption community members. Throughout our two weeks, we traveled with more than 300 youths from different Assumptionist orders all over the world. It truly was a wonderful experience to meet them and share in our faith together. We had frustrations during the week with language barriers, but it was amazing that we were still able to communicate with each other through our strong faith by the simple acts of prayer and music. “Spending the night in the field with two million people during our last night in Madrid was an unbelievable experience,” Logue noted. “After surviving torrential downpours during adoration with the Pope, our spirit and excitement never left us. After the Pope said Mass the next day, he drove right by us. We were only about 10 feet away! It was an incredible moment I will remember always.” “WYD was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” she added. “It helped me strengthen my faith, and it was truly inspiring to see so many youth from all over the world in one place that all shared in the same beliefs, who were so passionate about Christ in their lives and sharing that passion with others.” World Youth Day 2013 will be held in Brazil.
Assumption College Magazine • Winter 2012
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