18 students leave for World Youth Day celebration

Eighteen students from Saipan embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage to Madrid, Spain to join thousands of other pilgrims for this year’s World Youth Day celebration.

The students, 15 to 18 years old and accompanied by two priests and four adult chaperones, attended a special mass celebration on Saturday before flying out last Sunday.

Fr. Jim Gould, one of the two accompanying priests, said he hopes that the students will be able to renew their faith through World Youth Day and share the experience with others who are not able to join the pilgrimage.

“My hope and my prayer is that they’ll have renewed depth of their faith, that they will experience that they’re not alone in their Catholic faith, that it will deepen their faith and their desire to serve the Church and their brothers and sisters, open their hearts to the Lord and inspire them, inflame them with His spirit and His love,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Gould said the group will have a full day of layover in Seoul, Korea before they head to Madrid where they will stay at the San Genaro Parish. During the Seoul layover, the group will visit the Shrine of Korean Martyrs and other places of interest.

He said the group is divided into two subgroups, with one group to be led by Gould and the other group by Fr. Art Stoia.

Gould’s group, which will visit the Shrine of St. James or other magnificent museums and churches in Madrid, will fly back on Aug. 27. Meanwhile, Stoia’s group will visit the Shrines of St. James, Fatima, and Avila and will arrive on Sept. 1.

According to Gould, there were more students that initially signed up for the pilgrimage but only 18 were able to get the finances needed for the trip. He thanked all individuals, organizations, and companies that supported the students.

Guadalupe Camacho, an incoming junior at Saipan Southern High School, disclosed that the group did a lot of fundraising events, including bake sales, concerts, garage sales, and raffles.

“At first, I didn’t think I’d make it,” said Camacho, 15. “But God is good. I feel good that I’m going.”

Marianas High School student Mhark Apolinar said he’s very excited to see the pope, visit historic places, and meet new friends. “This trip is going to help enforce my faith in the Lord,” he added.

Deveney dela Cruz, 17, said that while she is excited to be in a different country, she has high expectations about their trip.

“I think it’s really going to have a big impact on my faith because although I am a Catholic, there’s still a lot for me to learn because I’m a young individual. I think this is definitely going to strengthen my love of god and my understanding of my faith,” she said.