Veronika Boley from Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington works at the used book sale to help fund her trip to World Youth Day in Poland next year.Metro Detroit — July 2016 might seem far away to some, but for area groups preparing for World Youth Day in Poland, the date seems just around the corner.
World Youth Day, a festival that brings together Catholic youth ages 18-35 from around the world, was started by Pope St. John Paul II in 1985. The event is held every two to three years and culminates with a papal Mass.
At Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington, preparations began a year ago — two years before the pilgrims will set out for Krakow, Poland. Marilyn Trumper-Samra, who coordinates youth and young adult ministries, is leading the effort for the parish’s first pilgrimage to World Youth Day.
“One thing that makes me most proud of our young people is that they’ve actually made the commitment to go,” Trumper-Samra said. “Two years out, they’ve said, ‘I’m going to put you first, God. I’m going to make you a priority.’”
Trumper-Samra and the Our Lady of Sorrows delegation of four teens and six young adults are spending countless hours fundraising; they collect bottles and cans once a month, and in May the group held a used book sale in which Our Lady of Sorrows parishioners and friends donated thousands of books.
Prospective pilgrim Steven Zabel, 26, didn’t mind giving up his weekend to work a book sale.
“The trip is a pilgrimage but it’s also a sacrifice in some ways, and the fundraising is part of that,” he said.
Attending World Youth Day will be a dream realized for Zabel.
“It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” he said. “It’ll give me a chance to be in communion with my fellow brothers and sisters in faith, and also to be a witness to the world.”
Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Orchard Lake is sending 10 teenagers and three adults to Poland in 2016 and is working to raise half the money for the trip, which will cost $3,500. The group will hold a road rally this fall, as well as other fundraisers.
“It’s an opportunity for youth to see the fullness of faith with so many other countries,” youth minister Suzanne Barcewicz said. “In their smaller communities, they don’t see that. When we go to the (CYO) Rainbow Conference in Detroit, they see 1,500 other Catholic kids, and then they go to World Youth Day and see a million kids and know they’re part of the greater Church.”
At Livonia’s St. Aidan Parish, the World Youth Day group raises money through euchre nights, a swing dance evening, a golf outing, and a garage sale at the parish July 15-17. On May 20, more than 100 people attended an Infant of Prague dinner hosted by the St. Aidan pilgrims; the group will be traveling to Prague in the Czech Republic as part of their World Youth Day pre-trip.
Youth minister Paul Pyrkosz knows the fundraising will be well worth the effort for those who will travel to Poland.
“This pilgrimage leaves a mark on them that’s almost as indelible as baptism itself,” said Pyrkosz in his remarks to those attending the dinner. “We’ll see them in the parish afterward, and we see how the Holy Spirit is working in their lives.”
Sean Nemes, 19, has attended two previous World Youth Day festivals and is looking forward to next year’s pilgrimage. His mother, Katie Nemes of St. Genevieve-St. Maurice Parish in Livonia, is proud of the time and effort her son has invested in order to attend World Youth Day.
“Faith has always been important to our family, and this has been a great way to solidify that faith,” she said. “Letting our 16-year-old go off for two weeks wasn’t easy, but he’s grown so much each time he’s gone.”
Back at Our Lady of Sorrows, 16-year-old Lorraine Furtado can’t wait to see what awaits her in Poland.
“To me it’s a whole immersion experience, like you’d do to learn a language — go to France and immerse yourself in it,” she said. “But this is even better because we’ll be immersed in Catholic culture with other teenagers for two weeks. It’s going to be great.”
