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Friday, September 23, 2005
World Youth Day 2005: A dream, a reality
By Jay Hector J. Lituañas
(1st of two parts)
JOINING the World Youth Day (WYD) is one of the fondest dreams of many a Catholic youth. Seeing the Pope in person is like heaven to any Catholic. WYD is one of the great legacies of the late Pope John Paul II. He envisioned it to be a gathering of young, Catholic individuals from all over the world for them to share their faith experiences with one another with the goal of discovering commonalities in a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
The Dream
Last year, when a friend approached me about joining the WYD in Germany (Deutschland) on August 16-21, 2005, my childhood fantasy of going to Europe haunted me. Scenes of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, medieval castles in Germany, the Swiss alps, the gondolas in Venice and churches in Austria teased my mind. My friend's invitation also awakened my desire to be a part of this life-changing event known as the WYD.
When I embarked on the process of applying to be a WYD delegate/volunteer, I met acquaintances, friends and students of long ago. They also shared with me the same dream, the same fantasy, the same desire. We could not allow this opportunity to simply pass us by. We formed a group, Youth of Golden Friendship (YGF), to pool our resources to ensure our attendance in the WYD. YGF is a motley group of 27 young professionals, out-of-school youth, business people and a deacon. "In unity, there is strength", we believe.
Difficulties Along The Way
Realizing that dream was not an easy task. I had a problem with my birth certificate which was not registered at the NSO-Central Office. My permit to travel took a long time to be approved by our Central Office. Getting the endorsement of the local bishop proved to be impossible. My former dean at Xavier University, Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma of Ipil (Zamboanga) Prelature, saved the day for me.
Joining the WYD in Cologne (Koln), Germany entailed a big amount of money. "If my savings could hardly afford to pay for the roundtrip ticket to Metro Manila for an interview at the German Embassy, how much more for the roundtrip ticket to Germany?", I asked in bewilderment. But I was undaunted. I prayed hard and worked hard for it. Generous relatives and friends helped me. Money even came three hours before I left for Cebu City on August 6, 2005 where I took a Singaporean Airlines to Frankfurt, Germany.
Companions in the Journey
Not all 27 of us joined the WYD 2005, however. Most of us failed to get an endorsement from a bishop. Some did not have the money. Some failed to get a Schengen visa (visa for member-countries of the European Union). Those who made it were: Rino Balinado and his wife Merci Balat of CEBA Marketing; Jose Mark Vaquilar of Baywatch Restaurant and his girlfriend Gwennifyn Pauline Amarga of Amarga Law Office; Ron Jigger Bacas, AB-English student of Southern Bukidnon Foundation Academy; Carel Monette Damondamon of Bukidnon Sugar Milling Company; and this writer.
Rino's sisters Stella (married to Thomas Welsch) and Nini (married to Toni Veeck) played hosts to us in their palatial houses at Fischbach in Idar-Oberstein. Rino's brother Jojo and other sister Becbec (married to a Hahn) occasionally visited us. Her nephews Junjun and Floyd and nieces Vivien, Chantal and Nika also kept us warm company.
Our hosts brought us to cities like Neunkirchen, Trier and Idar-Oberstein in Germany's Rheinlend-Palz region near the border with Luxemburg and France. After visiting Trier, we proceeded to Luxemburg which is some 30 minutes drive from Trier. The Southwest German countryside is mostly flatland dotted by apple and nektarina (an apple-like fruit) orchard, vineyards, forests consisting mostly of pine and birch trees and the famous Rhein River. Occasionally, we saw swans and wild ducks on the Rhein River, a fox and a deer by the roadside. (To be continued)
(September 23, 2005 issue)
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