Guest Twitcher: Marcus Mickey
Dear Fellow Parishioners,
Thank you, or as said in Polish: Dziekuje! I had a trip of a lifetime and now that I have returned from World Youth Day, I hope I can regale you with just a few of the memories I made along the way. The beauty of World Youth Day was getting to meet people from six continents and more than 150 countries, including Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and South Korea.
The St. Thomas Aquinas High School group with whom I was traveling arrived in Vienna after a nine-hour plane ride. It was a long, hot six-hour bus ride before, we, the faithful traveling with the Archdiocese of Miami, arrived at our first stop: Cieszyn, Poland. Later that night, we had our first Mass at St. George’s, the oldest church in Cieszyn, which was built in the 14th century.
The next day, we journeyed to Our Lady of Czestochowa where we visited the icon of the Black Madonna. An unforgettable moment in my life occurred at Czestochowa when I was asked to be a lector at the Mass for the North American pilgrims, with whom Archbishop Wenski was the main celebrant. Standing in front of six other bishops and forty priests, as well as hundreds of people, truly made this a memorable experience.
On to Krakow! Our first night was spent exploring the beautiful “Old Town” and experiencing part of the Polish culture.
On July 25th, we visited Auschwitz and Birkenau, places where unspeakable tragedies occurred. Hearing the Divine Mercy Chaplet sung by a hundred or so pilgrims caused me to break down and cry. It was at that moment when the enormity of the Holocaust hit me. There’s only so much that books and movies can do to explain and portray the events that occurred at these concentration camps.
The next day, the opening Mass for World Youth Day was held at Blonia Park where 600,000 pilgrims were gathered. After waiting almost seven hours, we were able to secure a perfect spot for the welcoming ceremony The real test of fortitude came the night we slept outside with 2.5 million other pilgrims at Campus Misericordiae, where we joined with Pope Francis for the prayer vigil and closing Mass to World Youth Day 2016.
The only misfortune on our trip came enroute to Vienna, when our bus blew a tire, thus delaying our arrival to The Imperial City. We celebrated Mass, in German, later that night, at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. I thought St. Stephen’s was by far the largest and most impressive church we visited on our thirteen-day pilgrimage.
All in all, every moment of this trip was mesmerizing, and the Holy Spirit absolutely captivated my soul. There aren’t enough words to thank all of you: the parishioners who made this trip possible. Without your support, both through prayers and donations, my spiritual journey with Pope Francis and the 2.5 million youth would not have happened. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Blessings and Peace,
Marcus Mickey
