World Youth Day 2013 changes pilgrim's life

Friday, Aug. 12, 2016

TRURO, Nova Scotia — World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for Charissa Isaacs Gillis, a former St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center parishioner. 

“The Holy Spirit led me to this experience. I was hoping to be able to see what I could do in my life beyond the possibilities of what I was doing at the time. I was already serving on a daily basis,” said Charissa, who at the time was single and an elementary teacher. 

Her prayers were answered when she found love at WYD 2013. She met her future husband, Keith Gillis, who was serving as a chaperone for the group from Truro, Nova Scotia that was paired with the Newman Center group. 

As the Newman Center group was preparing for WYD, Dominican Father Carl Schlichte, then pastor, mentioned that it wasn’t unheard of for people to meet their future spouses at WYD; he knew of one couple personally, and had heard of other couples. 

“Charissa vocally poo-pooed the idea,” said Fr. Schlichte, who now is assigned to a parish in Berkeley, Calif. “Charissa came back from WYD having met Keith and was almost certain that they would marry, and visited me in my office. When she first arrived, she had her head down. I was immediately concerned, but then I asked, ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ She nodded and said, ‘Yes, and I think I’m going to marry him.’ In time, the relationship flourished despite the difficulties posed by living on opposite sides of different countries. It was a pleasure to be a part of their wedding in Nova Scotia with the clergy at Keith’s parish.”

Fr. Schlichte celebrated the wedding ceremony for the couple on June 26, 2015.

Before attending WYD 2013, Charissa viewed the event as an opportunity to be open about everything around her, she said. “I wasn’t anticipating anything.” 

The first week of WYD was mission week; the pilgrims stayed with families in Petropolis, a small city outside of Rio de Janeiro. Gillis thought she would be repairing buildings or homes, and had no idea she would be repairing her inner being, she said.

“My Brazilian family welcomed me without knowing me and took care of my needs,” Gillis said. “They taught me that I am worthy to be loved as I am. Love doesn’t have to be earned; it’s a gift with no strings attached. That resonated with me on the deepest level; it was something I had struggled with for many years.”

When Gillis arrived at the WYD ceremonies, she was reeling from this revelation, she said. “When I saw Pope Francis, I was in a state of grace and that’s when God changed my life.” 

At the end of the first day of WYD, as their groups were walking the 90-minute trek from the beach to the stop where they would catch the bus back to Petropolis, Charissa started chatting with Keith. They talked about family, work, hobbies and “the next thing we knew the rain began to fall,” Charissa said. “Keith pulled out his umbrella and asked if I wanted to join him, but I refused and pulled up my hood.”

However, she eventually joined him, she said.

As the groups approached the buses, the teens Keith was chaperoning began to quiz Charissa. They wanted to know who she was and if she would be willing to move to Nova Scotia; they were very protective of him, she said. “Finally another Truro chaperone said, ‘It’s like you guys are already married,’” Charissa said. “Keith answered, ‘Well, if we’ve been married we haven’t had our first dance,’” and, using his cell phone, he played the song “Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Bublé.

“As we danced in the rain, I didn’t want it to end,” Charissa said. 

Now, three years later, Keith is chaperoning another group to WYD 2016 in Poland, while Charissa remains home in Nova Scotia waiting for citizenship. “My only request for him is that he not bring home a potential bride as he did last time,” she said.