Allison Follbaum | Special to The Michigan Catholic
Detroit — “Don’t ding-dong ditch the archbishop!” Laughter rang through the basement of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in downtown Detroit as 25 young men and women were gathered for the World Youth Day Home Event on July 27-28.
For those that think the Catholic Church is irrelevant and lackluster, World Youth Day is the perfect opportunity to show off the vitality and strength in the Catholic youth of the world.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, an estimated 3.7 million people attended World Youth Day in Brazil this year, July 23-28. The theme, a verse taken from the Gospel of Matthew, was “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19).
Not everyone possesses the time or finances to make an international trip, and many dioceses around the country have started “World Youth Day at Home” events, so youth can still participate in spirit.
“For those who wanted to go to World Youth Day, this is the second best thing,” said Paul Schultz, who attended the Detroit event.
Chris Gawel, from the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Office of Young Adult Ministry and the coordinator of the Detroit event, called it the “World Youth Day Home Experience.” He said 50 people came and went throughout the night.
“It’s a place to gather with other like-minded young people at the cathedral, in the heart of the diocese.”
The event started at noon July 27 with a service project at Cass Community Social Services in Detroit. More than half a dozen young men and women volunteered to assist with the “Document Destruction” program at CCSS. The profit CCSS receives from the service rendered with many companies funds their other charitable works to provide food, housing and jobs to homeless community members in Detroit.
Gawel said with more participation in future years, there are possibilities to work with St. Dominic Outreach Center and even embark on door-to-door evangelization in the neighborhoods around the cathedral.
“We want people to have an experience serving in the city, while still being safe and free from harm,” he said.
The majority of participants arrived at 6 p.m. Saturday in time for dinner, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. Talk during dinner turned to World Youth Day and why it matters.
Helen Haas, a parishioner at St. Joan of Arc, said events like this are strengthening to a life of faith. “It’s important to have people that share your faith,” she said.
Every two hours, throughout the night, a new activity was scheduled. At 8 p.m., Auxiliary Bishop Donald Hanchon led a Eucharistic holy hour in the main sanctuary of the cathedral.
During his homily, he told about his experiences in Madrid, Spain, at the 2011 World Youth Day and the effect the Eucharist has had on him throughout his life. Bishop Hanchon explained that the weekly holy hours his family attended growing up strengthened his vocation.
“I was thinking, as I was preparing this homily, how strange it must be for Christians and uneducated Catholics to spend time in Eucharistic adoration,” Bishop Hanchon said. “You came to see him, but he’s looking at you. You come to spend time with him and read his Word, but his Word reads you.”
“When we come into a Catholic Church and look for a sanctuary lamp, it’s to move closer to where Jesus becomes really present,” he said. “This is us saying, ‘Jesus, here I am,’ then be prepared for wonderful things to happen.”
Also throughout the night, the young adults watched a play about Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati performed, participated in praise and worship in the cathedral, screened the movie “For Greater Glory,” prayed the rosary and finished with Mass at 11 a.m. in the cathedral with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron.
“The encounter with Christ was most important, whether through prayer, praise and worship, service, etc.,” Gawel said. He said the plan is to make this an annual event, with the years between international World Youth Day events “preparation.” In the future, he wants to add more catechesis and more of the pilgrimage for which World Youth Day is known.
“The mission of young adult ministry is to equip our young adults to become evangelizers, whether through training or being renewed and inspired,” Gawel said.
“People claim the Church is irrelevant,” said Jacob Rau. “We’re here to show that’s not the case. We’re the youth — the future of the Church.”
