Chicago Marian Youth with Superior General, the Very Reverend G. Gregory Gay, CM

Pilgrimage of Faith

Contributed by Jeremy Dixon

Seven Vincentian Marian Youths and one Daughter of Charity traveled together to Cologne, Germany in August 2005 for World Youth Day. Reflections from this journey are shared below by Vin­centian seminarian and member of the Chicago chapter of the Vin­centian Marian Youth, Jeremy Dixon.

Having never been on any type of pilgrimage before, I really didn’t know what to expect from our trip to Cologne, Germany for World Youth Day. I had talked
to some friends who attended the previous gathering in Toronto to get an idea of what it would be like, but nothing discussed really prepared me for the experience.

One thing a pilgrimage like this teaches somebody is patience. Patience to deal with long lines for food, for showers and just about everything else you need. Public transportation systems pressed to the limits also provided a unique opportunity to get to know fellow pilgrims very well since everyone was pressing against each other. Several things became clear to me throughout the week. The first and most striking insight was the sheer vastness and diversity of the Church. One million pilgrims came to Ger­many from nearly every country on Earth. I personally spoke with people from England, Ireland, Australia, the Philippines, Italy, France, Ger­many, Hungary, Slo­vakia, Poland, Taiwan, Guat­emala, Mexico, Peru and many other countries. Despite our language and cultural differences, we were united by our common humanity and our common faith. It gave me a strong sense of hope for the future that so many people from different backgrounds could come together in a spirit of peace and love. I pray that we can take the Holy Father’s message in his homily at the closing Mass to heart when he called upon us to bring Christ and Christ’s love to the world.

Another great thing for the week was having a smaller audience with Pope Benedict. I was privileged to attend a seminarian conference in Cologne which concluded with vespers and an address by the Pope. When he came in, the whole crowd erupted in cheering and chanting the likes of which I have never seen. As he walked down the aisle, I was probably about 15 feet away from him, so I got a good look. It was inspiring to me to attend vespers with him and the other seminarians from 89 countries around the world. This too gave me hope that the future of the Church will be in good hands.

The most lasting effect of my pilgrimage would be the friendships I made and strengthened during our trip. Our Vincentian Marian Youth group became a small community during the week due to the living arrangements, events and meals. Our group had openness and a willingness to be open to the Spirit, to be open to being uncomfortable and to be open to new experiences.

Through lost suitcases, sleeping bags, cameras and pillows, we learned to share our resources with each other without concern for our personal com­fort and become a true Christian community. Meeting other JMVs from across the globe also strengthened our commitment to building the group here in Chicago and made us realize we are never alone – we have the Vincentian family and the Church as a whole standing beside us.