New Guam Priest In Miami

Congratulations to Father Juan Alberto Gomez!  

Jungle Blogger Accused By Wife

Now that the tables have been turned, Tim Rohr can experience a little bit of what Archbishop Apuron went through. His ex-wife have gone public and accused Tim Rohr of physically abusing one of his sons and sexually abusing some of his daughters. Perhaps now, he can start to understand the importance of a person's right of due process of law.  Interesting......I do not believe in Karma, but I guess the saying is true - What goes around comes around. According to KUAM news:

JungleWatch blogger accused by wife

Millions from around the world have watched Guam's clergy sexual abuse cases and other church controversies unravel through the blog, JungleWatch. Now, founder and writer, Tim Rohr, is under fire for allegations of sexual abuse himself.

The accusations came to light through court documents as Rohr and his wife, Leone Williams-Rohr, fight for custody of their minor children after Rohr filed for divorce late last year. According to her declaration, Leone moved back to the Virgin Islands to see her father, who suffers from cancer. The trip was also to take one of their sons to see a medical specialist not available on Guam.

She maintains she is the "best and safest parent" for their minor children, noting Rohr hasn't provided financial support and ignores his children.

Leone further alleges Rohr has bullied her through emails, texts, calls and voicemails for the past ten months and that his "constant attacks" have forced her to file police reports and seek help from the Women's Coalition.

Most shocking, Leone alleges Rohr physically abused one of his sons and sexually abused some of his daughters.

Before he get access to his children, Leone requests a home study be done and Rohr undergo a psychological evaluation.

The couple have been married for over thirty years and have 11 children together.

Congratulations to Juan Alberto Gomez

Another Guam seminarian will be ordained a priest in Miami very soon. Miami gains and Guam loses. I only copied and pasted the biography of Deacon Gomez. According to the Archdiocese of Miami website:

MIAMI | The Archdiocese of Miami will gain four new priests this Saturday, May 12, when Archbishop Thomas Wenski ordains the following men: Deacon Omar Ayubi, Deacon Gustavo Barros, Deacon Juan Alberto Gomez, and Deacon Matthew Gomez.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Cathedral, 7525 N.W. Second Ave., Miami. It is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Miami’s website and Facebookpage.

Here are brief biographies of those to be ordained.

Deacon Gómez, 37, was born Oct. 30, 1980, in Acayucan, Veracruz, Mexico to Juan Gomez and Catalina Roman (deceased). He is the fifth of seven brothers and sisters. He graduated from high school in the Bachillerato in Acayucan, Veracruz, Mexico and earned a bachelor of arts from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He also earned a doctorate in sacred theology at Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, Catholic Theological Institute for Oceania, affiliated to the Pontifical Lateran University. He is completing a master’s in divinity at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary.

His home parish is St. Cecilia in Hialeah. His pastoral assignments have included service at Immaculate Conception parish in Marlborough, Diocese of Boston, Massachusetts; St. Patrick in Holyoke, Diocese of Denver, Colorado; and St. Anne, Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado. He has served his diaconate year at St. Joachim Parish in Miami.

He will celebrate his first Masses Sunday, May 13, at 9 a.m. and noon, at St. Joachim.

The Graces From God

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

This week, the pilgrims who attended the 50th anniversary of the NCW are on their way home. Some of them already left on May 7th. We all came on different flights and will be leaving Rome on different flights. Nevertheless, the pilgrimage was outstanding. Meeting the Pope was the best! 

As many of you already know, Guam's media and those who oppose the Way are already downgrading the meeting with the pope and taking his words out of context. Guam's media is biased. Remember that one of the accusers of Archbishop Apuron works for PDN. Many of us also know who owns the building which PDN is in. The Pope's words were taken out of context. For example, they point out that the pope stated in his address to the NCW to respect other cultures.  However, Pope Francis also stated:

But how do we go? It is necessary to travel light, you cannot take all your household goods with you. The Bible teaches this: when God frees the chosen people, He makes them go into the desert with only their trust in Him as baggage. And making Himself man, He Himself walks in poverty, without having a place to lay His head (cf. Lk 9: 58). He asks the same style of His followers. 

The Pope made the above statement to the NCW. Yet, even those who hate the NCW are fully aware that its members evangelize in two by twos take no money or cars with them.  They carry only their bibles and passports with them.  How the NCW evangelized, taking nothing with them has been recorded in many news media.  Therefore, the pope was not chastising the Way in how they evangelized. It is recorded in the media that the Way evangelizes the same way as the Apostles, taking nothing with them; yet, the pope made the above statement. Therefore, the pope was not chastising how we evangelized.  Rather, he speaks words of encouragement to continue God's work.  The same is also true when he stated to "respect other cultures".  

Brothers, we who walk in the Way already know that the RMS priests have told us not to follow superstitious beliefs, such as asking permission from the taotaomonas to pass through the jungle whenever we go on hiking trips. We are Catholics, and the Catholic Church does NOT teach that the spirits of people who died inhabit the trees or the land. That was a belief that the ancient Chamorros believed in before Christianity came to the island. However to this day, many people who profess to be Catholics still follow the old superstitious beliefs. And the opponents of the NCW use this as a way of saying that we do not respect culture.  The TRUTH must be proclaimed!  There is a heaven, hell, and purgatory. When a person dies, his/her soul goes to one of those three.  His/Her soul does NOT remain on earth to inhabit the land, and the Catholic Church never taught to ask the spirits permission to pass through the jungle.  This teaching does not oppose "culture".  It is a declaration of truth.  We are the witnesses. We have heard these things taught by the RMS priests, but those who hate Way twist the words to discredit the Way.

Courage!  Those who oppose the Way are inventing stories, saying that the Pope was unaware of Archbishop Apuron being on stage with him. We who were on the pilgrimage are the witnesses.  We know and can declare that Archbishop Apuron was invited to attend the ceremony.  The chairs were already set on stage as to the number of Bishops, Cardinals, and priests who were invited to attend. We are the witnesses because we were there and have seen and heard.  We were called forward by security to enter past the fence and closer to the stage. Guam was also the SECOND on the list to be called during the presentation. The first were the brothers from Australia who was with us inside the fence.  Rejoice!  It was the persecution that brought us to the front together with Australia whose cardinal is facing a civil trial on sexual abuse.

In the pilgrimage, we are told not to despair the closing of the seminary. The RMS in Guam existed to fulfill God's plan to evangelize the Pacific.  As some people pointed out in the pilgrimage, its closure did not defeat God's plan.  The first community of Palau was born despite the closure of RMS and the moratorium imposed on the NCW.  There were about 20 brothers in Palau who joined Guam in this pilgrimage.  

Courage!  Pope Francis is grateful of the Way and gave thanks to God for the NCW. Anyone who read his address can see that.  Those who have eyes can see and read for themselves.  Courage and do not be afraid of the persecution.  We are being persecuted as Christ was. However, Christ rose from the dead, and so shall we.  Do not be afraid of the persecution and of dying because those who live in Christ cannot die.

Remember the Japanese Church who were persecuted? The Japanese Christians were killed. Their priests were executed.  Did they die?  Of course not.  They survived.

Matthew 5:10-12  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Brothers, the word I received from the pilgrimage is this:  
Rejoice for we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  We are witnesses of God's work. There were 300 brothers on this pilgrimage. Many came with families and this is a miracle.  Look at the hundreds of thousands in the Way who came to this pilgrimage......from over 100 countries and people of all ages.  Look at the many fruits. Christ said that it is by their fruits that you shall know his disciples.  

Pope Francis spoke of the New Evangelization as the top priority of the Church.  According to Pope Francis:

Go. The mission demands that we leave. But in life, there is a strong temptation to remain, not to take risks, to be content with having the situation under control. It is easier to stay at home, surrounded by those who love us, but it is not Jesus’ way.

The formation of the RMS priests has been exactly that.....to be missionary priests. 

VIP Guam

Guam was given the VIP treatment at the 50th anniversary.  We were given an excellent place where we were able to see Pope Francis up close as he rode the pope mobile to the stage.  Guam was called up toward security before many of the other countries. They easily identified us by the Hawaiian print shirts we wore.  We were very surprised that security allowed Guam to come forward to the checkpoints before other nations who were already ahead of us.  I will tell you more about our experiences of the pilgrimage soon.

The Pope told us to make disciples of all nations by announcing the gospel and sharing the gifts we received, which is what the Way has been doing since its birth. Evangelization is the pope's top priority.

You can read the pope's entire speech here.  It is always best to read the entire speech yourself so it can be read in the correct context. 

The following article below was taken from the Catholic News Agency (the bold is mine). 

Rome, Italy, May 5, 2018 / 05:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholics have a mission to evangelize, teaching people that God never tires of loving them, Pope Francis said to members of the Neocatechumenal Way Saturday at a gathering for the 50th anniversary of the movement.

I feel like speaking to you from the heart about “the mission, about evangelization, which is the priority of the Church today,” the pope said May 5.

This is because “mission is to give voice to the faithful love of God, it is to announce that the Lord loves us and that he will never get tired of me, of you, of us and of this world of ours, which we may get tired of.”

He warned Catholics about the temptation to ignore God’s call to evangelize the world out of laziness or a fear of taking risks, noting that it is easy to be content with the situation one is already in and has under control.

“It is easier to stay home,” Francis said, but this “is not the way of Jesus,” who sends out his disciples with the word, “Go!”

A strong call “that resounds in every corner of Christian life; a clear invitation to always be outgoing, pilgrims in the world looking for their brother who still does not know the joy of God’s love.”

The pope spoke during an international gathering of the Neocatechumenal Way at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata.” The Neocatechumenal Way is a Catholic community founded in 1964 in Madrid, Spain, dedicated to post- and pre-baptismal formation of Christians.

The meeting included thousands of members of the Neocatechumenal Way, cardinals, and bishops, from almost every corner of the world – including Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.

During the encounter, Pope Francis blessed and handed out crosses to the leaders of 34 new “missio ad gentes,” which are groups made up of families and a priest sent to live in various parts of the world to evangelize the local community through what they call an “itinerant church.”

The pope also commissioned several Neocatechumenal communities in Roman parishes to bring missions to parishes in the outskirts, or “peripheries,” of Rome.

“The risen Jesus says: ‘Make disciples.’ Here is the mission,” the pope said during the meeting. “[Jesus] does not say: conquer, occupy.”

To “make disciples,” he said, means to share with others the gift you have already received, “the encounter of love that has changed your life.”

To do this, the pope said not to worry about using arguments that convince, but to focus on living a “life that attracts,” serving, not imposing.

Pope Francis also pointed out the important role and vocation of the family, which has in its “DNA” the ability to bring a family atmosphere into “so many desolate and unconcerned places.”

“Following the example of the Holy Family: in humility, simplicity, and praise… Let yourselves be recognized as the friends of Jesus,” he said.

In living out the mission, Francis also encouraged detachment from material things, which he said are only burdens keeping people from true freedom in Christ.

“Only a Church that renounces the world announces the Lord well,” he stated. “Only a Church freed from power and money, free from triumphalism and clericalism, testifies in a credible way that Christ liberates man.”

The person who through love “learns to renounce the things that pass, embraces this great treasure: freedom,” he said.

Concluding, he said the charism of the Neocatechumenal Way “is a great gift from God for the Church of our time.”

“We thank the Lord for these fifty years. And looking at his loving faithfulness, never lose trust: He will guard you, spurring you at the same time to go, as beloved disciples, to all peoples, with humble simplicity.”

Rome Pilgrimage

We are currently on our way to Rome.  Some of us are already there.  During the time we are on the Pilgrimage, I will not have much time to blog until we return.   Christ is risen, everyone!!!  

Top 5 Dioceses With High Ordination

A research by a sociology professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio listed the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey as one of the top five dioceses in the United States with the highest number of ordination.  It should also be noted that during Archbishop Apuron's tenure, there was a constant flow of priestly ordinations....something unheard of before and unheard still.  Guam was the envy of all the islands of the Pacific. According to the article below: 

When Hendershott began her research, she noted how some dioceses had many priestly ordinations, while others had none. “I started analyzing the data, and the news was better than I thought,” she said. “I think the No. 1 reason for vocations in most of these ‘superstar dioceses’ is their bishop and vocations director.  

Although Archbishop Byrnes has been in Guam for a little over a year, no ordination took place under his tenure.  Instead of ordination, he closed down two seminaries and rejected most of the seminarians including four Chamorro seminarians.  Two of the seminarians he rejected have recently been ordained Deacons in another Diocese in the United States. The people of Detroit and Guam need to pray harder for Archbishop Byrnes.  You can find the following article here (the bold is mine):

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STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — What makes a diocese fertile ground for encouraging men to follow a path to the Catholic priesthood?

When Anne Hendershott, a sociology professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, began to do research on the dioceses in the United States that have consistently ordained the largest numbers of men to the priesthood, she was able to identify the top five: the Archdioceses of Newark (New Jersey), St. Louis and Atlanta and the Dioceses of Paterson, New Jersey, and Arlington, Virginia.

Over a 10-year period (2006-2016), those dioceses produced the most priests per 100,000 people.

Why these dioceses have full seminaries year after year is an important question. While some dioceses languish with zero ordinations, these “superstar dioceses” are vibrant and flourishing.

Father Chris Martin, the vocation director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, believes it is important that all men who consider the priesthood do so with a healthy sense of freedom.

He tells the story of a young man of 18 who had been on discernment retreats in St. Louis. He came to Father Martin last year for some advice.

“He was torn, because on the one hand, he wanted to go out on a date with a girl, but on the other, he was thinking about the priesthood,” said Father Martin. “I asked him if she was nice. He said, ‘Yes.’ Then I asked if she was the kind of girl who would lead him astray? He said, ‘No.’”

Father Martin reached into his desk and took out a $25 gift card to Appleby’s.

“I gave him the assignment to take this girl out on a date. He had his freedom,” said Father Martin.

That young man ended up dating the girl for a short time, but eventually broke it off. He said that dating her actually gave him clarity about his vocation to the priesthood. In fact, he recently submitted his application to St. Louis’ Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

“We tell the guys who are discerning: ‘If you can’t go out on a date, don’t ask the Church for a date.’ You need to be self-possessed in order to be a priest. We want to attract solid, healthy young men,” said Father Martin.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis has 53 seminarians. (Its seminary currently has 132 seminarians total from various dioceses.) Many give credit to Archbishop Robert Carlson for this high number. “Archbishop Carlson is very good with vocations. Wherever he has been appointed, the number of vocations has gone up,” said Father Martin.

“He spends time with the seminarians. He often says that he will never ordain a man whom he doesn’t know. He goes to the discernment retreats, and he is very accessible.”

Another factor is that St. Louis has the largest Serra Club in the United States. The Serra Club works to promote vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life. The organization’s members provide parishes with posters about the priesthood and essay contests about vocations. They organize financial and prayer support for vocations and seminarians
.
The archdiocese also has a well-developed youth office directed toward teens and young adults.

“Our youth office is phenomenal,” said Father Martin. “They are intentional about vocational support in all of its outreach, both at the parish level and the diocesan level. I often give talks to youth ministers and train them on vocation promotion.”

Other factors that seem to support vocations are the witness of young, energetic and happy priests. These priests are encouraged to share their vocation stories during homilies. The Fishers of Men Summit in St. Louis is an annual dinner that awards pastors who foster vocations.

Many vocations come from parishes that have perpetual Eucharistic adoration coupled with a strong youth ministry. Every year, the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, holds several “Quo Vadis” events for high-school young men. Under this program, there is a discernment summer camp. The diocese is in its 11th year of holding the camp. Quo Vadis also sponsors a ropes course with seminarians, a visit to the seminary and a basketball game called “Hoops Challenge vs. Seminarians.”

“We set the limit to 115 boys per camp, but we usually get 170 applications of boys who want to go. We end up having to decide on who gets to go by lottery,” said Father J.D. Jaffe, vocation director for the Diocese of Arlington.

Each applicant must make a statement that he is open to the vocation of the priesthood. “We have seen a couple of boys who went to all four years of Quo Vadis. In the beginning, they were really into the sports. By their second year, they became more accustomed to the prayer, and by the third and fourth year, they developed a tremendous desire to become a priest,” said Father Jaffe.

The growth of vocations in Arlington has been described as “organic.” It comes from good liturgies, strong families and solid parish-based ministries.

“It is more than just the case of a good pastor or parish. It has been, really, faithfully practicing Catholics who have been promoting the faith for 30 years,” he said.

There are 44 seminarians in Arlington. They come from home-schooling families, Catholic schools and public schools, with the breakdown being, roughly: 40%, 40% and 20%, respectively.

Father Edgar Rivera, vocation director of Paterson, New Jersey, which has sent the most men to seminary from 2006 to 2016, attributes his diocese’s success in priestly vocations to the fact that his bishop, Bishop Arthur Serratelli, is a “good shepherd.”

“He is passionate about vocations. He has a heart for international students, and not only for seminarians, but for priests, as well,” said Father Rivera.

Bishop Serratelli hosts several “pizza nights” a year for vocations.

“We do this three times a year at different Catholic high schools. Bishop Serratelli will read from the Bible and then give a talk about vocations. After this, we have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Finally, we have the pizza dinner, during which the kids can ask our bishop any question they want,” said Father Rivera.

Another tradition in Paterson is an annual fundraising dinner for seminarians; a video is always shown at the event. Last year, the video was titled “Get to Know Your Seminarian.” In it, seminarians were interviewed about their vocations. This year, the video will be about thanking seminarians. “During our ordinations to the diaconate this year, we decided to have all the seminarians process in together. This will be a witness,” said Father Rivera.

There are 55 men in Paterson’s seminary right now. They hail from the Philippines, Poland, Colombia, India and the U.S. For those who do not speak English, they are given one year of language lessons before official seminary studies. All foreign priests remain in the diocese after ordination.

According to Anne Hendershott, the author of this study with her assistant Makenzie White, there are several factors that can account for high ordinations in a diocese: a “transformational” bishop; a culture of promoting vocations in the diocese; a seminary where orthodoxy is a given; and a solid rector for the seminary who does not allow dissent from Catholic doctrine.

Not all dioceses have all four factors. According to Father Frank Fano of the Newark Archdiocese, the seminary there is evenly split between American seminarians and foreign seminarians.

“You also have to look at the role of the Neocatechumenal Way. They came in the mid-1990s and spiked vocations up ever since,” he said.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a charism within the Catholic Church dedicated to the formation of adults. The movement is responsible for the formation of communities called “families in mission.” It is also known to attract many vocations to the priesthood.

When Hendershott began her research, she noted how some dioceses had many priestly ordinations, while others had none. “I started analyzing the data, and the news was better than I thought,” she said. “I think the No. 1 reason for vocations in most of these ‘superstar dioceses’ is their bishop and vocations director. These bishops are faithful. I call them transformational. They are not questioning Catholic doctrine or calling for female priests. The men who answer the call to the priesthood want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

Bishop Arthur Bishop Serratelli poses with the six men of various backgrounds, life experiences and ages whom he ordained to the priesthood of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, June 19, 2010, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The priests are (from left): Father Benjamin Williams, Father Stephen Sniscak, Father Brian Quinn, Father Amadito Flores, Father Manuel Guevara and Father Daniel O’Mullane. 

  

Congratulations Martin Munoz!

Congratulations to Martin Munoz.  He was ordained a deacon!  Blessed be to God.  Below is a photo of Martin Munoz during his diaconal ordination.  The RMS in Guam formed our seminarians so well that they were able to become deacons in the United States of America.  Both Victor and Martin are on their way to the priesthood.  We pray for you and may God always protect you in your vocation!  I am sure that the Bishop in Miami is thankful for Guam for producing such dedicated men to the priesthood. 

Martin and Victor are the fruits of RMS Guam, and there will be many more of them to come. Congratulations.  As we have been saying all along......RMS Guam was a true seminary.  

UPDATE:

Martin Munoz was ordained  by Bishop Felipe Estevez from St. Agustin in Palm Beach. All deacons from Florida were ordained there this year.

The Good Shepherd

Sunday was the feast of the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd is Jesus Christ.  However, the name "shepherd" has also been given to the bishops and priests who are leaders of the Church. The shepherd has several responsibilities toward his flock, which includes feeding, watering, grooming, leading, and providing protection.  He intimately knows every member of his flock and is willing to put his life in line for each and everyone of them.  Unfortunately, that is not true for every shepherd.  Sometimes, the shepherd does not know every person in his flock.  A true bishop and priest imitates Jesus Christ.  He serves not to be served, is protective of his sheep, does not oppress nor exploit them, and at all times is willing to subordinate his interest for the good of his flock.  

In the Philippines, the priests who were formed in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary were also recognized along with other priests in Manila.  According to a news article in Manila dated April 23, 2018:

Our pastors in the Neocatechumenal Way have also been good shepherds. I am especially grateful to Fr. Paolo Benetton, Rector of Redemptoris Mater Mission Seminary of Manila and his fellow formators for the priests that have been formed in that seminary. Teaching philosophy to its seminarians have been an immense source of joy for me.

I also appreciate very much Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar for his wisdom and example that has guided me through the years. This includes his work as lay leader in the Mindanao Church. Indeed, lay leaders have also been good shepherds.

This article in the Philippines showed that the priests are able to get along well with each other regardless of whether they are diocesan or religious priests. All priests (regardless of whether they are RMS, Jesuits, Capuchisn, Franciscans, Carmelites, etc.) are all called by God.  They are all shepherds and are called to imitate Christ.  

The Good Shepherd left the 99 sheep in search for that one lost sheep to bring back into his fold.  Christ's ministry did not end with his death nor the death of his Apostles.  He commanded His Apostles to spread the Good News to all the nations so that all can come together as one flock.  As the article pointed out, God is not only the Shepherd of the Israelites, but the Shepherd of all nations.

However, the Old Evangelization is gone.  Today, there is a New Evangelization.  Some bishops and priests think that they no longer need to evangelize in the New Evangelization, Some believe that the laity are the ones who evangelize and that the role of the shepherd (priests and bishops) are diminished in evangelization.  This is incorrect.

What makes the Neocatechumenal Way extremely effective in their evangelization is the fact that the NCW did not leave the shepherds out in the evangelization.  As anyone can see even in the International Team, Father Mario is with Kiko Arguello and Maria Ascension Romero.  There is a shepherd (priest or bishop) in every catechist team.  The New Evangelization did not diminish the role of the shepherd.  Evangelization is the work of the whole parish, of individuals, and of the priest.......this is the New Evangelization. 

Jeremiah 3:15   I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.  

Plainfield Students Invited To Meet Pope Francis In Rome

Only in Guam, certain people get anxious because the Neocatechumenal Way is traveling to Rome to meet Pope Francis.  Other places, they rejoice and place it in their local news.  

About 300 people from Guam will be traveling to Rome to meet Pope Francis to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way.  You will not find that in our local news.  Nevertheless, we will be carrying the Guam flag with us to represent our island.  

The following news article can be found here.

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A religious pilgrimage to celebrate a new movement within their church in Plainfield

PLAINFIELD, NJ - Oliver Corona and Christian Menjivar, both 16 and students at Plainfield Public School’s Barack Obama Academy for Academic & Civic Development (BOAACD), will meet Pope Francis in Rome.

The students were invited by their church, Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Plainfield, and will be part of 250 families who will make the pilgrimage to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way’s presence in the Vatican.  This is a celebration of a new movement in the Catholic church that encourages lay people to be more active in their neighborhoods.

The students will travel from April 30 to May 7.

For Menjivar, the possibility of seeing Pope Francis, “feels like it’s a once in a life time opportunity because you never know if it can happen again.” He said, “Seeing the Pope is like seeing someone that is mentioned a lot and is always talked about in church.  It’s like seeing the President.  It’s someone you only hear people talk about but you never think you are going to see them.”

This is the second time Corona will get the opportunity to see the Pope. He previously traveled to Poland on World Youth Day. This time he will travel with his two older sisters, Guadalupe, 21, and Yamilet, 17.  He says for his family, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico, “This trip is a great experience because seeing the Pope has brought his family closer.”

Both students are able to travel to see the Pope with the help of their parents, their own work, and the church.  Menjivar, whose parents came from El Salvador, lives at home with his mother and three siblings, and aspires to become an architect. 

Corona, who dreams of becoming an electrician, also lives with his parents and two siblings and is looking forward to seeing the Pope once more. “I want to be in the moment, you never know what’s going to happen.”