The 11 pilgrims who will represent the Diocese of San Angelo at World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow, Poland, next month may be small in number, but the rewards they will receive — according to those who have experienced WYD before — will be huge.
The group will leave the United States in late July for the global festival that runs from July 25-31. An astounding 30,000 Americans will make their way to Eastern Europe — part of an overall attendance that is anticipated at 2 million.
Those representing the diocese include Jacob DeHoyos and Matt DeHoyos (from St. Mary-San Angelo); Ismael Lujan and his sister Monica Lujan (San Miguel Arcángel, Midland); Bethany Brunell, a former Angelo State University student who now lives in Temple, and her mother, Rebekkah Brunell; Janie Davila, St. AnnColorado City) and her nieces, Briana and Bianca Godina, of Colorado City and New Braunfels, and Nik Ruiz (Holy Redeemer-Odessa). The pilgrims will be accompanied by Sister Adelina Garcia, director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis in the diocese.
Both Sister Adelina and Ruiz have attended past WYDs.
Jacob DeHoyos, 18, said he anticipates the event will help him go deeper into his faith and in his relationship with God. “I hope to see some transformation in myself,” DeHoyos said.
Ruiz, who attended World Youth Day-Madrid in 2011, all but guaranteed that what DeHoyos said he would like to experience will happen.
“For those who go ... their faith is going to expand dramatically,” Ruiz said. “To use a metaphor, it is like when the military breaks you down and builds you back up into the kind of soldier they want you to be. This pilgrimage is like that — it will break you down and build you back up to be the kind of Catholic God wants you to be.” Ruiz said. “When you return to your parish, you will be able to show others a life that has been molded through your faith. It will be a bright, bright light that people will be able to see.”
The 11 soon-to-be world travelers met May 29 at the Pastoral Center in San Angelo — their one and only get-together in preparation for the trip. The young adults did not know one another prior to the meeting, but according to Ruiz, they will all become “one great family” in Krakow.
Bishop Michael J. Sis, who attended the meeting and briefed the group on Krakow’s people and history, said he is excited for the opportunity the young adults will have by attending the large gathering.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the pilgrims from our diocese to experience the worldwide communion of the Catholic Church with fellow Catholics from every corner of the globe,” said Bishop Sis. “They will experience the depth and strength of our faith that gives meaning to more than a billion people on this planet. I hope this pilgrimage will help them to open their hearts to God's will in their life, so that they may use their one life in a way that truly contributes to the building up of the Kingdom of God.”
WYD Krakow will open with a Mass offered by the Archbishop of Krakow Stanisław Dziwisz. Opportunities for catechesis and confessions will abound, and will be conducted according to the language of the participant. Held outdoors because of the sheer magnitude of the event, the pilgrims will welcome Pope Francis on Thursday, July 28. There will also be a prayer service for U.S. pilgrims, a Way of the Cross devotional time, concerts, dramas, exhibits and talks at different locations.
If technology permits, the 11 pilgrims in Krakow will link up via Skype or Facebook — whichever works more effectively in a crowd so huge — with a group attending World Youth Day San Angelo at the McNease Convention Center.
Ruiz, who is overseeing the effort to connect the two groups that will come together in San Angelo July 30, says his biggest concern is being able to make a connection while literally millions of others are using WiFi in Krakow.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to connect,” Ruiz said.
With a population of just over 760,000, Krakow’s visitors will almost triple the city’s population during the last week of July.
San Angelo is one of only two dioceses in the U.S. that has a WYD Pilgrim Cross traveling across the diocese. This cross was blessed by Bishop Sis on Palm Sunday at the cathedral. So far it has traveled over 700 miles. On July 30 it will reach McNease Convention Center to begin WYDUSA in our diocese. The event is open to all young adults in our diocese.