The Guam youth left on July 27 and July 28 for World Youth Day. We joined with the islands of Saipan, Hawaii, Palau, and Kiribati. We met in Madrid Spain and came together as the NCW of the Pacific Islands. We went on pilgrimage together in Spain and then traveled to Portugal ahead of Pope Francis.
World Youth Day began on August 6th. There were an estimated 1.5 million youth there. There were also 30 Cardinals, 700 Bishops, and 10,000 priests at the event. The message that Pope Francis gave to the youth is to not be afraid to change the world. Yes, it will be the youth whom we hope will change the world into a better place.
When the calling came for the priesthood and the convent for girls, over 1500 young women stood up answering the call to be a nun and over 2000 young men stood up answering the call to the priesthood. Of that number, 46 youth from the Pacific Islands stood up. There were 31 girls and 15 boys from the Pacific Islands. Of those youth who stood up 4 came from Kiribati, 12 from Hawaii, 1 from Saipan and 29 from Guam! Kudos to these youth from the Pacific Islands and to all the youth who stood up for the calling. The Neocatechumenal Way continues to move forward into promoting vocations for the Catholic Church. Congratulations!
The next World Youth Day will be in Seoul, South Korea. This is good news because South Korea is closer to Guam. Hopefully, the next time around, we can book our tickets on Korean Airlines earlier. 😀
In further news, the NCW in Guam will continue to evangelize the Pacific region. We will be evangelizing the Federated States of Micronesia, American Samoa, and other islands in the Pacific. So, hopefully, we will have more Pacific islands joining us in the next World Youth Day in South Korea.
