Youth become unified at World Youth Day in Sydney

Photos courtesy of Matthew Boerke

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The Utah and Denver pilgrims, who formed a group of 130, socialize in a large field at Randwick Racecourse where they spent the night for the closing vigil. They anxiously wait for the festivities, ceremonies, and Mass to begin.

SALT LAKE CITY — "Dear young people, let me now ask you a question... How are you using the gifts you have been given, the power which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?" asked Pope Benedict as he addressed the youth at World Youth Day (WYD) July 17 in Barangaroo, Australia.

Nine pilgrims from Utah joined 122 youth from Denver to attend WYD from July 4 to July 23. They said the people of Australia were nice and generous.

"WYD was amazing," said Michelle Kofford. "It was a great experience seeing the Pope Benedict XVI and learning about the Australian culture."

"Whatever direction you looked during the vigil and the Mass, all you could see was a sea of people," said Brandon Barnett. "One thing that really stuck out in my mind were all the flags each country flew among their groups. It showed the Catholic Church is universal, it is not just our little parishes here in Utah.

"I attended the small parish of St. Henry in Brigham City from the time I was 8 years old until I left for college. It was great to see the Catholic Church is worldwide.

"The final Mass with Pope Benedict had 400,000 people in attendance," said Barnett. "We spent the night before at an all-night vigil.

"We were able to see Pope Benedict much closer this time than in 2005 in Cologne, Germany, which made it real and more personal," said Barnett. "Pope Benedict gave his homily in many different languages. I think he asked some valid questions because we are the current young people and we need to keep the church vibrant for generations to come. I see him asking us to keep the desire to do what we can to keep our church going and keep the youth involved. It is a lifetime of work and we are in the beginning phase."

Barnett said this experience helped him learn about himself. The group attended catechetical sessions at the local college given by bishops and others, whose talks helped reinforce his faith. He said it was also good to listen to them and other pilgrims and learn from their experiences and their struggles.

Kofford said it is hard to see the Catholic Church as universal living in Utah. But going to Australia and attending Mass with so many made such a difference in her life. It was great to see people from different countries and hear all the different languages.

"I sometimes feel isolated living in Utah," said Kofford. "I grew up in Tooele attending Saint Marguerite Parish and public schools. There were not many Catholics in my schools. Now I am attending school in Cedar City, and the situation is much the same. Seeing so many Catholics in Australia gave me such a warm feeling. It made me feel like I belong and that what I am doing is right because so many people believe the same thing.

"We had many opportunities to meet people from different countries during the papal Mass, on our different tours, and during our Days in the Diocese, in which we were hosted by a family in Sydney, Australia."

Kofford said seeing the pope was awesome. She and Alyssa Trujillo, from Utah, were able to ride in a boat into the harbor behind the pope. Kofford was one of a small group chosen off a website drawing out of 10,000 to have the opportunity, and was able to bring a friend.

"We took photos of the pope up close," said Kofford. "He seemed really happy to see everybody and seemed to enjoy the youth. I think both Pope Benedict and the late Servant of God Pope John Paul II really appreciate the youth."

Matthew Boerke, director of Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministries had never taken a group to WYD before, and said it was a fabulous first-time experience. He was also working with the groups from Denver and made good friends with them. They communicated with cell phones given to them by their travel guide.

Matthew said at the catechetical session he attended, a bishop talked about how the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the youth and it is up to the youth leaders to follow through on that notion.

"One of my most touching and humbling moments happened one day at lunch as I came up to my wife, Susan, as she was speaking with the Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa. That in and of itself stood out. She introduced me as her husband, and he joined our hands and gave us a marriage blessing. It occurred to me that only at WYD could such a thing happen. We are still fairly newly married, only five years. It was beautiful."

Matthew also enjoyed visiting the Connecting Lives exhibit in which you listen to tapes and experience the lives of three different individuals. Matthew listened to the life of an African child, and said it was a moving experience. Susan was able to participate in one of the other individual’s presentation.

"It was interesting to see the culture of Australia," said Trujillo. "It was founded by the English, so they drive on the opposite side of the road. Sydney is a nice city.

"It really helped my spirituality in realizing that people all around the world are Catholic," said Trujillo. "In our Days in the Diocese experience, we were hosted by an older couple staying in an old convent. Every night the whole parish put together a potluck dinner for us and other pilgrims staying there. I met a wide variety of people and pilgrims from everywhere."

Trujillo said they snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns before going to Sydney, where the temperatures were warmer. In Sydney she visited a natural wildlife park with her host family.

"The overnight vigil and Mass were such great experiences especially because I saw the pope in Australia rather than Rome," said Trujillo.

Susan Boerke said her WYD experience solidified her spirituality by being an example and being a witness. The theme based around WYD was, "I will send my spirit and you will be my witnesses."

"We are not out to convert, we are to be living examples of Christ’s love," said Susan. "It was a reawakening for me.

"Seeing the pope was exciting," said Susan. "He seemed so untouchable before, and we got to see him up close and in his papal seat.

"I did not go to WYD with any expectations, and I did not know what Australia was about. I was very surprised to see how many different cultures from around the world have come together to make up the population of Australia. There are people from all around the world represented in Sydney influencing its culture.

"The overnight vigil was the most unique thing I have ever experienced. It was like camping with 400,000 other people," said Susan. "It was amazing to see all the different flags and people there for WYD. The people there from warm countries came with only the clothes on their backs and were huddled in their sleeping bags with the 40-degree temperature. So the pilgrims took up a collection of coats and warm clothes from the Australian people for the people from warmer climates."

Kevin Breitbach was impressed with the size of the events. He could not believe seeing so many people together at one time. He enjoyed the camaraderie he had with those with whom he traveled.