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Pilgrimages for Youth and Young Adults |
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Testimonies
Trailblazers tell about their experience
From our last pilgrimage, to Our Lady of Guadalupe (see photos here)
The Trailblazers were given some
questions about their pilgrimage, on the plane trip home, and here is
what some had to say. It's amazing how deep and rich the spiritual
lives of these young people can be. So much more could be said, these
testimonies are as a pebble compared to a mountain!
What will be different about how you live your catholic faith from now on?
I’m going to really really try to get to daily mass, weekly confession, & pray the liturgy of the hours. – Melissa Klimushyn
Everything, I think. I have a much greater appreciation about my faith, and I am proud to be a cradle catholic - Scarlette Pietro
Much more time spent in
paryer. This pilgrimage taught me how to pray the liturgy of the hours
and daily rosary/chaplet. – Tim Constantino
From now on my devotion to the blessed Mother will be greater. – Robert Weisenburger
I will pray with heart and devotion, and love. – Mario Flores-Valle
I will devote myself entirely to God and trust in his divine mercy and Providence. – Rafael Velasquez
More prayer to Mary! And I will try to see Christ in everyone around me, and treat them accordingly. – Luke Bueche
From now on I will really
try to keep praying the rosary and divine mercy chaplet like we did
here and I will try to bring others closer to God – Christina Calleros
Increase my prayer and read more of the bible and continue the liturgy of the hours. – Tony Ivezaj
I’ll try to be an apostle and bring others to God. – Luly Calleros
I will live with much more pride and courage to stand up for my catholic faith. – Anne Wolf
I’ve learned how to
be a better example of catholic faith by learning to be more patient,
less angry, more cheerful and also by becoming loads more
understanding. – Marcus Johnson
I will definitely pray
more fervently and hopefully attend Eucharistic adoration more often
maybe even bring a few family members along! – Virginia Rybicki
How did the pilgrimage affect your prayer life?
This pilgrimage has greatly affected my prayer life. Adoration (almost)
every day and the rosaries and chaplets have done wonders, and I think
I will always remember to say my grace after meals. - Scarlette Pietro
It brought it a lot deeper & closer to Mary - Melissa Klimushyn
It gave me a bigger perspective of the world we live in and the church we are a part of. - Gail King
It allowed me to be proud (not afraid) to pray in public without worrying about what others might think. - Tim Constantino
I feel good about the Catholic faith. – Adam Devich
It made me be loyal to prayer, and showed me the importance of it. – Mario Flores-Valle
It reaffirmed that what I was already doing is the right thing to do, and to keep doing it. - Luke Bueche
Before the pilgrimage I
only said night prayers and prayer before meals and the rosary once in
a while. Now I feel like I need to say the rosary and divine mercy
chaplet & morning prayer. (If I don’t I feel like
something is missing.) – Christina Calleros
It has helped me understand my faith more, and has strengthened my will and endurance. – Tony Ivezaj
Words couldn’t describe how much better it is. – Ken Pietro
Now I know I can go to Mother Mercy, and the saints as well as Jesus. – Sara Marroh
I grew a lot in my prayer life. I’m also glad that I learned to pray in latin. – Luly Calleros
The pilgrimage helped me
realize that prayer is very important and a special thing. While
praying during the hikes I forgot about the pain I was in. – Anne Wolf
I grew very much in my
prayer life on account of all the rosaries and chaplets we prayer and
saying the liturgy of the hours in the morning and the evening. – Virginia Rybicki
I will try to find more time to pray throughout the day. - Tony Weisenburger
Extra Comments
This trip ROCKED! ... I
found myself a little further on the road to spiritual peace. Thank you
Fr. Paul and Alejandro! If it wasn’t for you two (and the
“big one”) I wouldn’t have made it. - Anon.
World Youth Day 2005, Cologne, Germany
See some quotes from our memory book
From our previous pilgrimage, World Youth Day 2005 in Germany (see photos here), these are a selection of quotes from the survey:
The most important things pilgrims got from World Youth Day:
I think now I am more receptive to daily Mass and frequent confession.
The grace and motivation to discover and do God’s will, and to be more fully transformed in Christ.
The universal language is not music but the universal faith – Catholicism.
Ways in which pilgrims were inspired consciously to grow in holiness:
“Spiritual direction…really opened my eyes to the need to
continually grow in love for God and by loving God we serve Him in our
work, prayer, joys, and sufferings. Also, the Pope’s
encouragement to bring Christ to others. - Julie Chamberlain
It made me realize what gifts I’d been given throughout my life, and that I had a duty to become more holy. - Ben Pohl
Pilgrims’ favorite part of World Youth Day:
Seeing the Pope, and spending time with the
Eucharist!! Because the Pope is the head of the Church, and the
Eucharist is our God.
Benediction with the Holy Father because it was then that each one of
us realized that Christ was the one who brought us together.
How pilgrims fulfilled the goal to “Come and Adore Our Lord”:
I came all the way to Germany to worship Jesus. - Anon.
I sought out our Lord in every Mass, and in every church, and He gave
me many reasons to adore Him in every occasion. By the last few
days it was almost my only focus, to find Christ. - Marnee Wohlfert
Some statistics from the WYD2005 German (Cologne) trip:
» There were 194 pilgrims who traveled with the Trailblazers group to Germany for WYD 2005 including:
2 Priests
1 Religious sister
4 Seminarians
11 Youth Group Leaders
69 Males
107 Females
» Since then, three of these pilgrims have entered religious orders.
» Origins of Pilgrims
» By
citizenship: USA – 190
Mexico – 4
» By State:
Michigan – 189
Ohio – 2
Alaska – 2
North Carolina - 1
» Most of the pilgrims were 18 and 19 years old; ages ranged from 15 to a few chaperones in their 60's
Want to find information about volunteering for Trailblazers?
Click here.
Contact us:
Virginia: editor of The Compass - compasseditor@trailblazerswyd.org
Amy : Trailblazers Secretary-
secretary@trailblazerswyd.org
(248) 722-5808 *
www.trailblazerswyd.org
Mailing Address: Trailblazers, WYD, Inc., c/o Bovitz, CPA, C.P., P.O.
Box 445 , Trenton, MI 48183