The group also has many family, friends and parish supporters praying for them. This was on display June 25 at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino when a Send-Off Mass was held for WYD pilgrims. Father Rafael Partida gave a blessing and wished them well.
In preparation for the trip the pilgrims found time in their busy schedules to shop for everything they needed for the trip.
“It’s not your normal fancy trip to Europe,” Hermelinda Valdez says. “We are going as pilgrims not so much as tourists. I have to buy an inflatable raft for the night we will sleep under the stars.”
A week before the trip the pilgrims were in full travel mode. The excitement began, especially with the news that their host families in Poland were expecting them with a lot of enthusiasm.
“I am so excited about meeting our host family,” said Jesus Puentes, Administrative Secretary for the Office of Young Catholics at the Diocese of San Bernardino and coordinator for the trip “There are so many people signing up to host us, they are even taking English classes to communicate with us. A lot of love is coming from them.”
On July 16, the pilgrims left Los Angeles and headed to Rome for a three day panoramic tour. The tour included stops at Vatican City, the Roman Forum, the Arch of Titus, the Coliseum – site of early Christian martyrdom – and Mamertine Prison, believed to be the final place of confinement of the Apostle Paul before his execution. As the pilgrims continued their days in Rome they enjoyed a full day excursion to Assisi, where St. Francis began his ministry, and where Jesus asked him to rebuild His Church.
On July 20, the pilgrims headed to Poland for “Days in the Diocese,” where they spent four days in the Archdiocese of Warsaw. On July 25 they traveled to Krakow, Poland, where they enjoyed a panoramic tour of the classical and modern squares of the city. In Krakow the pilgrims were to have the sobering experience of visiting Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration camp. They also visited the cell there where St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life to save a fellow prisoner. After Auschwitz the pilgrims drove to Wadowice, home town of St. John Paul II and visited his boyhood home, now a museum, and his home parish church. They returned to Krakow for the opening ceremonies for the World Youth Day.
World Youth Day planned a full menu of catechetical and fellowship activities with Pope Francis set to arrive July 27. A report on the experiences of WYD pilgrims from the Diocese of San Bernardino will be featured in the September issue of the BYTE.
Ashley Elizabeth Limon is a parishioner of Holy Innocents in Victorville.