“We have this joy and happiness now. We have to give it to everyone else,” said Jesus Silva, a parishioner from St. Christopher, Moreno Valley.
Guest speakers included Chris Estrella, local speaker and musician; Nicole Dumaguindin, a parishioner from Sacred Heart, Rancho Cucamonga who shared her experience serving on a missionary trip to the Philippines; Ian Hollick, a diocesan seminarian and ValLimar Jansen, vocal artist and speaker.
“The way she [Val] gets you so happy and excited about our faith and the love of God, it touched everyone,” said Vanessa Martin, following Jansen’s talk.
In the evening before heading to bed the youth gathered for Eucharistic Adoration with Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego. In his remarks to the youth, Bishop del Riego urged the youth to reflect on the lives of the patron saints for World Youth Day and be inspired to live out their lives with Christ at the center.
“You have the capacity, the potential for extraordinary love, extraordinary responses,” Bishop del Riego said. “The history of the church shows what God can do and does with any young heart that is open to him. We want to be his faithful disciples and his courageous missionaries. Not so much with our words, but with our lives.”
Bishop del Riego returned the following day along with Bishop Gerald Barnes to close Virtual World Youth Day with Mass and the commissioning of the Diocesan Pilgrim’s Cross and Icon. During the Mass the participants heard Pope Francis’s homily from Rio de Janeiro. Bishop Barnes reinforced the Pope’s message in his remarks, calling on the youth to go, be courageous and serve.
“Go out and prove that God still cares about the world and you are the one that He is sending,” Bishop Barnes said. “You are sent to go and carry God’s name and God’s message into the world. Don’t run away from it. Make the world a better place.”
Participants received a cross blessed by Bishop Barnes as they departed, serving as a reminder to serve as missionaries.
“We need to spread what we experience with others, share our happiness and invite others to come to events like these,” said Lucy Lomeli, a parishioner at St. Christopher, Moreno Valley.