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Colorado Connection to World Youth Day draws 400 pilgrims to Greeley
Two-day pilgrimage ends with sunrise Mass at stadium
By Nissa LaPoint
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Photo By Nissa LaPoint |
As the warm rays of the sun broke the crisp morning air Aug. 21, youths huddled in blankets and prayed with folded hands at a Mass in Greeley marking the end of World Youth Day Colorado-style.
“I thought the Mass was beautiful and the birds were flying all around (us),” said 16-year-old Samantha Macias of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Longmont. “Other than the cold, it was amazing.”
The sunrise Mass celebrated in the grassy field at Weld County District 6 Stadium concluded a two-day experience for about 400 registered youths and parents who couldn’t make the trip to World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. St. Mary Parish in Greeley, at the initiative of former pastor Father Reinhold Weissbeck and with the support of current administrator Father Pawel Zborowski, organized the events called Colorado Connection as a way for youths to experience a pilgrimage without leaving the country.
“One of our main goals when we first established the (event) was to offer a lot of young people a way to engage,” said Susie Ritz, youth minister at St. Mary. “We also wanted kids to have a stronger sense of our universal Church and bring it down to the local Church.”
The pilgrim experience kicked off Saturday with a two-mile walk to Northridge High School’s stadium. Youths from across the state joined for events through the night, including performances by Christian rock bands 7eventh Time Down and Building 429 as well as adoration, fellowship and a satellite feed of Pope Benedict XVI celebrating Mass in Madrid.
“I didn’t know I would meet this many people,” said Anna Fiedler, 14, of St. Mary. “I think this was a good alternative.”
As the Mass began Sunday morning, several Knights of Columbus in full regalia led the procession of celebrants and altar servers to a stage. The main celebrant of the concelebrated Mass was Msgr. Bernard Schmitz, vicar for priests and pastor of Mother of God Parish in Denver. Father David Nix of St. Anthony of Padua in Sterling assisted.
Msgr. Schmitz reflected on the Gospel reading when Jesus asked “Who do you say I am?” He encouraged the youths to take up their armor of faith and follow the Lord Jesus as his disciples.
“I call upon all young people to respond to the call of Christ,” Msgr. Schmitz said. “When we allow the love of God, we allow the riches of God to touch us and be rooted in us.”
All the youths together that day, he continued, are joined in faith with those in Madrid. This same faith that brought everyone together should make them realize that God invites us and calls us to his very being, he said.
Together the youths and parents sang “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” along with the choir and hand bell choir from St. John the Baptist.
The sunrise Mass and the whole experience was a benefit for James Maher, 13, of St. John the Baptist, who could not make World Youth Day in Madrid because the school year began.
“I would do it again,” Maher said. “We got a lot of time to talk to God.”
Some families only attended the sunrise Mass, which for Rhonda Curran of Niwot and her daughter Piper, 17, was an amazing time.
“As soon as the Mass started, it was a joy,” Rhonda Curran said. “I loved to see all the kids together.”
The World Youth Day connection was a first in Colorado, Ritz said, and is something the event committee and more than 100 volunteers hope will be repeated.
“We definitely plan to do that, and we hope it will continue to grow,” Ritz said.
As a whole, Msgr. Schmitz believes the youth had a positive experience and likely made new friendships, he said.
“You never know how this will affect some kids,” Msgr. Schmitz said.
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