Cologne, Germany
by Therese Wycklendt
Sleeping on the cold, damp ground inches away from other people
with no room to stretch out is extremely unpleasant. However, the
opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist with hundreds of thousands
of other people and with the Pope is an experience like no
other.
Photo Gallery
The World Youth Day message for 2005 was: “The Magi found Jesus
at ‘Beth-lehem’ which means ‘house of bread’. In the humble stable
in Bethlehem on some straw lay the ‘grain of wheat’ who, by dying,
would bring forth ‘much fruit’ (cf Jn 12:24)… Faithfully pursuing
the path of our Redeemer from the poverty of the Crib to His
abandonment on the Cross we can better understand the mystery of
His love which redeems humanity.” At Pope Benedict’s first World
Youth Day, this message was truly felt, lived, and celebrated as
hundreds of thousands of young Catholics from countless countries
flooded the city of Cologne, Germany to be with the Pope and to
search for Jesus Christ as the three magi did.
For me, the greatest part of the week was the twenty-four hours
spent at Marienfeld, 15 miles from the Kolner Dom Cathedral where
the bodies of the three magi lay. The magnitude of the event was
truly astonishing. Eight hundred thousand people all gathered
together for the same purpose: to meet the Pope, to celebrate the
Church, and to find Jesus. After each of the thousands walked about
six miles to arrive at the abandoned mining area, the anticipation
of the Pope’s arrival was felt as meals were shared and people
talked, sang, prayed, and danced. It is remarkable that 800,000
people could gather without having any major accidents or problems;
grace undoubtedly played a large part.
The vigil on Saturday included participating in Eucharistic
adoration with the Pope; it was definitely one of the most moving
prayer experiences ever for me. Having thousands of people join the
Pope on their knees allowed me to greatly recognize and appreciate
the beauty and strength of the Catholic Church. It was evident that
many people, including myself, found Christ that night in the
Eucharist and in fellow pilgrims. The vigil was excellent
preparation for the liturgy celebration the next morning.
After an unspeakably rough night on the cold, wet ground, the Mass
with 1,000,000 other pilgrims was a joyful, powerful, and prayerful
experience. In his homily, Pope Benedict spoke of the adoration
that had taken place the night before; through it, we had become
one. We were brought together in union with Christ. He encouraged
the pilgrims to embrace the Mass and the Eucharist each Sunday, and
to strive to love. He spoke of the importance of the community of
the Church and the importance of serving others. His words,
delivered in 5 different languages, were well-received; I took them
to heart.
After communion was distributed to the million, we left, tired
and sore from the hard ground, but exhilarated and enthused by the
events that had taken place. I feel very blessed to have traveled
to Cologne, Germany with so many other young Catholics. My faith
has definitely been strengthened by the experience.