World Youth Day provides a platform for unity

   With hundreds of thousands of young people gathered in Madrid for World Youth Day, can you reflect on the World Youth Days you have attended?
    I went to Denver in 1993 and to Toronto in 2002 with Blessed Pope John Paul II and then to Cologne in 2005 with Pope Benedict. Pope John Paul took the initiative to start these gatherings in Rome in 1986 because he had a great love for teens and young adults. He also wanted to make sure they knew the church loved them and needed them. That’s why he called for youth from around the world to gather every few years to pray and support one another in faith. The gatherings also allowed him to spend time with them. One of the things I will always remember was the chorus of one million young people yelling, “John Paul 2, we love you!” And even in his later years, when he was not that healthy, he would respond, “John Paul 2, he loves you, too!” He wanted to make sure young people did not feel they were outside the mainstream of church life.
    It took some courage and foresight to launch these gatherings because no one could be sure they would be a “success.”
    That’s right. As World Youth Day has developed, it truly is not a vacation. In the best sense of the word, it is a pilgrimage. The students normally sleep on gymnasium floors or in the homes of host families. There is time for catechesis, where they hear bishops and other catechetical leaders give talks on the faith. The two biggest events with the Holy Father are the vigil on Saturday night, where the pope presides and prays with them. Then everybody stays on the field all night and keeps vigil, waiting for Mass with the pope the next morning.
    Did you consider going this year?
    I was actually going to go, but as it turned out our traveling party from around the state was down in numbers. I think that’s because the trip was quite expensive and also conflicted with the opening of school. We have Deacon Kurt Young attending along with several of our seminarians. I want to offer a special affirmation to Jesuit High School, which put together a group of 50 students to attend. The Jesuit students used the opportunity in Spain to visit sites special to St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuits in 1534.
     Some have suggested that World Youth Day has helped plant the seed for vocations.
    That’s been my experience. This is really an opportunity for young people to realize that they share faith not only with people in their own school or archdiocese but also with people around the world. Many people who have gone to World Youth Day have had a very powerful experience of God. Through prayer and through seeing the Holy Father, the gathering has sparked an interest in them to think about the priesthood or religious life. Those are exciting, positive ramifications. I was with several of our seminarians last week, and many of them told me they had attended World Youth Day in the past.
    How do Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict differ stylistically in relating to young people?
    They have very different personalities. John Paul II was very much an extrovert and very demonstrative. In his own way, he loved joking around with young people. Benedict is quieter and more reserved and probably not as spontaneous as John Paul, but he is equally loved.
    What do you make of the observation that World Youth Day might have created a “rock star” aura around Pope John Paul and also about the expense involved?
    In some ways, John Paul was a star. I don’t see any problem with young people considering him a star in his role as pope and because of his personality. Whenever a religious figure is popular and relevant to young people, that should be an occasion for affirmation rather than condemnation. Do World Youth Days cost a lot? Yes, they do. The pope’s visits to other countries cost a lot, too, but in this case, can we really put a price on a million young people gathering to pray and support one another in faith?
    How are efforts going in the archdiocese to reach and welcome young people?
    I’m very pleased with the work of our CYO-Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office, and that includes youth ministry, campus ministry and young adult ministry. John Smestad and his staff do an excellent job providing opportunities for our young people to grow in faith and gather for fellowship. They also do a very good job training adults to do youth ministry. Real youth ministry has to be done on the parish level. If young people do not find a youth group in their parish, they feel less welcomed into the church. So it’s very important that there is a youth group in every parish. Not every parish has one, but that should be a priority.
    Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].