33 youth leaders head to Poland for World Youth Day celebrations

THIRTY three youth leaders from Cebu will represent the Archdiocese during the World Youth Day (WYD) in Krakow, Poland.

The 31st WYD celebration will be from July 17 to July 31 and will be attended by Pope Francis.

Marlito Cabigas, Cebu Diocesan Youth Coordinator, told Cebu Daily News that the event will help them improve in organizing local World Youth Day celebrations in the diocese, which is usually done before the Holy Week.

“We will have immersion and pilgrimage on the first week. The second week will be for other activities like cultural activities and meeting with the Pope,” he said.

Cebuano delegates will be accommodated by their foster families at the St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Krakow.

Cabigas said it took them more than a year to prepare for this event especially in saving up for the cost of transportation to Poland, which is from their own pockets.

“We had fun runs, sold recycled newspapers to raise money and even fund raising activities,” he added.

The Archdiocese of Cebu helped them process their travel documents and other necessary papers.

Last year, around 100 young adults attended the World Youth Day orientation. Cabigas said only 33 decided to attend, nine of them priests.

Commission on Youth (COY) chairman Rev. Fr. Kit Sestoso and Rev. Fr. Mark Barneso led the group, consisting of priests, youths and lay adults in a one-hour meeting with Archbishop Jose Palma.

Cabigas said that like any father, Archbishop Palma reminded the pilgrims to always take care especially that they are in a foreign land.

“He also encouraged us to do a pilgrimage to Poland’s different religious sites like the Shrine of the Divine Mercy, the birth places of St. John Paul II and St. Sr. Faustina Kowalska, respectively,” he added.

The WYD was first established in 1985 by Pope John Paul II. The Philippines was host country in 1995 and Pope John Paul II attended the event together with around 4 million delegates from across the globe.