March 29, 2017

Young people meet to further plans for World Youth Day 2017

REGIONAL
Story and photos by John Thornton

Local youths and youth ministry leaders pose with diocesan director of youth ministry Gina Czerwinski (third from left) and Father Piotr Calik (right) after a March 24 Stations of the Cross at St. Mary Church in Westfield.

WESTFIELD – On Friday evening, March 24, a cold wind blew through the city of Westfield, but the hall of St. Mary Parish on Bartlett Street was warm and inviting. A group of young people from across the Diocese of Springfield had come to pray the Stations of the Cross.

All of the young people present were part of last year’s pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland for World Youth Day 2016. Father Piotr Calik, the parochial vicar at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in West Springfield led the Stations and mediations first presented at World Youth Day 2016 and written by Bishop Grzegorz Rys.  Father Calik was also a member of last year’s pilgrimage.

After the Stations, Father Calik and the young people in attendance headed across the street to meet in the cafeteria of St. Mary High School. There they planned for the Diocese of Springfield’s annual World Youth Day celebration. World Youth Day was started in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. This year will be the 32^nd World Youth Day celebration.

Together the group brainstormed ideas for activities for the day such as charity work and small group conversations about their faith.

“Today we talked about this year’s World Youth Day with our team members,” said Father Calik. “We are trying to plan some activities. Basically, we are going to focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary because the pope has decided that she will be the theme for the next two years of World Youth Day.”

After the planning session, the group watched a documentary on World Youth Day 2016 and reflected on their journey. Jaquelyn Luna (pictured at lectern in right photo), a student who went on the pilgrimage last year, told iObserve about her experiences in Poland.

“The experience overall was enjoyable,” said Luna, “very life changing and a great way to deepen our faith. There were a lot of new things and encounters to experience.”

Luna went on to describe what originally made her interested in World Youth Day and why she is volunteering to be a part of it this year.

“Well for me it’s the universal church,” explained Luna. “So, seeing youth from all parts of the world come together and share this commonality is what motivates me to attend, to participate, to share my experiences and to learn from other people.”

The next international gathering for World Youth Day will be held in Panama in 2019. This year’s and next year’s World Youth Days will consist of gatherings in local parishes. The Diocese of Springfield is planning on celebrating World Youth Day on July 8 of this year at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Ludlow.

There will be two more planning sessions leading up to World Youth Day 2017. The first will be held at Divine Mercy Parish in Three Rivers on April 21 and the second will be at St. Joseph Parish in Pittsfield on May 12.