Twelve Saint Patrick students, accompanied by Campus Minister Mr. Richard Raho and Campus Minister for Liturgies Mr. Jaime Sepulcre, flew to Europe to take part in the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne Germany from August 15 to August 21. The group spent four days on a tour of Paris before moving on to Cologne for the weeklong event. World Youth Day is a pilgrimage of young people and a festival of encounter and solidarity. The purpose of World Youth Day is to take up the main concern of Pope John Paul II – a renewal of evangelization that is also to reach young people. World Youth Day gives young people the opportunity to discover the “young and modern mystery of the church” (John Paul II) through the common experience of pilgrimage, prayer and worship.

Students were able to hear Pope Benedict XVI speak to the multitudes in the plaza outside the Cathedral. Some of the highlights of the pilgrimage included catechetical sessions each day given by a bishop, daily Mass, but, above all, the opportunity to meet and pray with youth from all over the world. On the night before the closing of the event, an estimated 1.5 million pilgrims kept vigil at the site where the Pope was to celebrate Mass the following morning. Pope Benedict celebrated Mass at the conclusion of World Youth Day and announced that World Youth Day 2008 would take place in Sydney, Australia. This event was a momentous one in the life of the Shamrocks who attended. Throughout the year, these students will share their experiences with the hope of spreading the gospel message, which came to life in Cologne.

Click here for the Official World Youth Day 2005 Website.