by Antonina Zielinska

MADRID, Spain – In the days leading up to World Youth Day, early arriving pilgrims from the Diocese of Brooklyn were taken on a guided tour of Toledo, a city located 60 miles from Madrid.

The city has been populated since the Bronze Age and grew in importance during the Roman Empire. It also played a key role in the development of Christianity in Europe.

Pilgrim Diana Arreaga from St. Joseph parish, Prospect Heights, said she was amazed by the city’s cathedral and its history. Although the exact dates of the church’s origin are unknown, it has existed since at least the sixth century.

“It’s still standing after so many years,” she said. “It’s representative of Jesus and the Church who are still stading after so many years.”

During their half-day stay in Toledo, the pilgrims attended Sunday Mass led by Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano. The bishop said this Mass was the highlight of the trip so far.

“Being able to lead young people in prayer, that’s always a privilege,” he said. “The sightseeing is good, but the prayer is what it’s all about.”

Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano chats with young people during a tour of the historic city; and poses with diocesan pilgrims, including Msgr. Kieran Harrington and Father James Kuroly, with the city’s cathedral in the background.

During his homily, he explained how the Gospel story of the Canaanite woman and her sick daughter promotes unity among all people.  He said that by allowing the Canaanite woman to show her faith, Jesus let everyone understand that with faith all people can be saved.

Renee V. Marcellus, from St. Thomas Aquinas parish, Flatlands, said the bishop’s message inspires her desire to be more active in her Catholic faith, especially when she returns to her college campus.

“The bishop’s homily was an extremely powerful message of God’s love,” she said.

Bishop Caggiano said all of the World Youth Day events are centered around helping young people come closer to their faith.

“When the pilgrims come back (to Brooklyn), they will bring with them a real enthusiasm and an open heart,” he said.

He said that the feeling of loneliness is one of the obstacles that World Youth Day will help young people overcome.

“Most people think they are alone in what they are trying to do, which is to follow Christ,” he said. “World Youth Day is over a million youth together to teach them that they are not alone.”

The bishop said that the best way for young people to evangelize is by setting a good example. World Youth Day 2011 has many young people setting good examples for their peers, he said, just like the previous one in Sydney in 2008.

“The same enthusiasm, same joy, same dedication that we had in Australia, we have here,” he said.

Pope Benedict XVI receives the official World Youth Day 2011 backpack from Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela of Madrid during a private meeting at the Vatican in early February. The cardinal was the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in 1989 when Pope John Paul II met young people there for World Youth Day. Spain is preparing to host World Youth Day in Madrid Aug. 16-21. (Photo courtesy Catholic News Service.)

by Antonina Zielinska

I-Confess video winners, Melinda Collins and George Simon chat with Currents’ host Matt McClure on the set of The NET’s daily news program.

Nearly 200 students from all around the country responded to the i-Confess challenge of making a one-minute YouTube video encouraging viewers to partake in the sacrament of reconciliation.

They competed for the grand prize of $50,000 to be shared equally by the winner and his or her school. The contest was sponsored by the Diocese of Brooklyn in collaboration with the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

With nearly 25,000 views and over 700 “likes,” Melinda Collins won the contest with her video, Get Clean.  Second place and a $10,000 educational scholarship went to Caled and Molly Herboth for their video, Be Reconciled to God. Virginia Jacobson and Douglas Kraeger won third place and $1,000 for their video, Backpack of Sins.

Collins, who starred in her winning entry, is a senior at John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego, California. The school will use its share of the prize money as a scholarship for George Simon, who was the cinematographer and co-editor of Get Clean.

Simon was forced to leave school one year before earning his bachelor’s degree due to financial difficulties.

“I would never have been able to finish,” he said. “When I had to leave John Paul University I was heartbroken.”

During the year he was off from school, Collins contacted him about the idea for the video. Eager for a creative outlet and motivated by the possible prize, Simon was excited about the project. However, Collins was overwhelmed with school and extracurricular activities.

The two filmed the entire project when a class cancellation gave Collins a three-hour window of time. Despite her busy schedule, she made her way to Simon’s apartment to film only after she attended Mass.

“I try to go to daily Mass,” she said. “Especially when I am working on something, I need to go to Mass.”

Having asked God for help, Collins faced the task of filming without a script or a clear plan for the video.

Simon said the project presented man y challenges that forced the two to find innovative solutions. Not having professional camera equipment, he spent much of the time filming on top of his makeshift tripod that consisted of a roll of plastic bags on top of a cooler.

Despite their creativity, Collins said many of the problems they encountered required extra help. She said many of the aspects of the film resulted out of necessity, instead of choice.

“The timing and the circumstances of this project are all extraordinarily providential,” she said.

The students said the popularity of the project was beyond their control because they did not start promoting the video until four days before the cutoff date.

The popularity of the video was a great reward in itself, Collins said, because it allowed her to spread the message of God’s forgiveness. As a student, she said she feels restricted in how much she can spread God’s message.

With this project she brought the topic of confession up for discussion in a worldwide forum. Her video has over a hundred comments, many of which thank her for the inspirational message in the video.

“The reason I think it was successful is because it was very true,” she said. “The reason I wanted to make this film is because I experienced it. This is what confession is to me.”

The video, scored to a song by Rachel Fannan, can be viewed on i-confess.com.

Because of contacts made through the video competition, Collins and Simon have been asked to do a documentary on pilgrims from Brooklyn and Queens who will walk the Way of St. James in Spain in August.

They also will provide footage of the diocesan delegation to World Youth Day in Madrid for broadcast on Currents, The NET’s daily news show.

by Antonina Zielinska

Msgr. Anthony Hernandez, pastor, stands with the World Youth Day delegation from Transfiguration parish after he blessed them during Sunday Mass.

After a year and a half of spiritual preparation and fundraising, 10 young people from Transfiguration parish, Williamsburg, are less than two weeks away from joining thousands of pilgrim from throughout the world to celebrate World Youth Day in Spain.

“It will be an experience of a lifetime,” said Arisleidy Maran, one of the 10 pilgrims. “And I am very exited that we will be going together.”

The pilgrims, all of whom attend Mass in Spanish, know each other well through the many ways they minister to the parish community. Aside from the weekly youth meetings, they donate their time and talents to the parish in various ways including: volunteering in the homeless shelter, serving as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, assisting during feast days of saints, staffing the rectory and being part of the Jornada movement.

Pilgrim Michelle Enriquez said she is looking forward to World Youth Day because it will bring a new perspective to the group.

“I’m excited to meet other young people,” she said. “It’s amazing, because it’s going to be a reminder that we are not alone.”

Jason Espinal, a seminarian in his pastoral year, will be one of the chaperones at World Youth Day.  He grew up in Transfiguration parish and became part of the youth group when he was 14 years old. It was at the seminary that Espinal realized the Church community is so much bigger than just his parish. He said he hopes the members of the youth group going to Spain will have a similar realization.

“I can’t wait to see their face when they see that they are not the only youth group — that as much as they pray and struggle, they are not alone, and that the Church will continue to have a future in them,” he said.

Coming to understand his relationship with the Church through the experience of others is one of the goals Jon Soto has set for himself while in Spain. He will ask people about the reasons for their faith because he struggles to understand that about himself.

“I will try to learn more about my faith through other people’s faith,” he said.

Soto said the preparations for the pilgrimage have already increased his understanding. The pilgrims had to face the challenge of raising enough money with the help of a community that is struggling financially.

“It shows that when you have a goal and a little bit of faith, anything is possible,” he said. “And if we are able to accomplish this, imagine what else we can accomplish.”

Pilgrim Pedro Ramirez said he did not want to join the pilgrimage at first because of the daunting task of fundraising.

“I didn’t think it was possible to raise money for everyone to go,” he said.  “My mom pushed me and made me see that it was possible.”

The group was able to raise enough money to pay the $3,189 per person pilgrimage fee.

“The people in the community helped us a lot,” Maran said. “Without them the fundraising would mean nothing. We are very blessed to be part of this community.  Father Tony is very supportive of the youth.  He supports our ideas and fundraisers and thank God for that.”

In their appreciation, the pilgrims said they will bring back what they learned and experienced during World Youth Day and share it with Msgr. Anthony Hernandez, pastor, and the rest of the church community.

It is because of the church that we are going to Spain,” said Pilgrim Elizabeth Enriquez. “It will help us appreciate the church more. We will value it to a higher extent.”

by Antonina Zielinska

When World Youth Day pilgrims go to confession in Spain this August and kneel to kiss the stole of their confessor, they may come in contact with purple cloth hand stitched in Brooklyn.

The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará Sisters, who reside in the contemplative monastery of St. Edith Stein, Flatlands, stitched 25 stoles that have already been shipped to Madrid as part of the “Just a Stitch Away” World Youth Day campaign. It took them half a year to complete the project, while maintaining their already busy work and prayer schedules.  Four sisters did the majority of the stitching before their mother superior came with another sister from Argentina.

“We took this as an extra sacrifice offered freely in order to help World Youth Day,” said Sister Annunciation, S.S.V.M., who worked on the project from the beginning. “We saw it as a little way, in addition to our prayers, to participate with our work to give praise and glory to God.”

Mother Superior Maria Del Redentor said the sisters will not be able to partake in the pilgrimage because they are a closed cloister but they already are keeping the pilgrims in their prayers.

“We know this will be an opportunity for young people to come in close contact with God,” she said. “Some may be inspired to give their life completely to God. So we pray that they may have the strength to hear their calling.”

It is the sisters’ concern for all the people of the world that brought them to this project. During Lent, the sisters have a tradition of sewing the baby Jesus a vestment related to a special intention they choose to pray for. This year they dressed him in traditional Spanish garments in honor of World Youth Day.

The sisters sent the World Youth Day committee a photo of their work.  In turn, they received information about the “Cozer y Cantar.” The project became part of the sisters’ celebration of the 25th anniversary of their community.

“We think this will be good to give as an offering to the Church in gratitude for being in this institute,” said Mother Superior Maria.

When the sisters sent their offering to Spain, they included a letter to Pope Benedict XVI.  The mother superior said the sisters are excited to have had this opportunity.  She pointed out that the pope will donate the stoles to new missions in poor regions of the world.