Youths from all across the globe gathered for the recently-held World Youth Day (WYD) 2016, which happened on the blessed days of July 26 until July 31, 2016. Since the venue of the event is in Krakow, Poland, the church picked out a delegate to be sent out to mingle with the other youths of the nation. Mark Anthony Pelobello, 26, was chosen to represent the youngsters of the Philippines in this year’s WYD.
“I can say that the World Youth Day is a meeting of the youth all over the world to show that even though there’s a difference in ethnicity, there exists one faith. I can really say that this event will help you feel more on how big the Lord’s love is to us,” explained Pelobello. The World Youth Day is indeed a gathering of different young ones from various countries.
Mark Pelobello along with his co-WYD Pilgrim during the meeting with the Pope.
What sets WYD apart from other assemblies is its occurrence of being celebrated every three years. Pelobello clarifies “Actually, World Youth Day is an annual event which happens in each Diocese every Palm Sunday. On the international level, it happens every two to three years held in different countries.”
World Youth Day is not a simple forum or gathering for the young people, it is also an event where you can strengthen your faith and your ties with the Church and God. “My World Youth Day experience made me feel and see how big and how diverse God’s love is,” said Pelobello. “I really felt it in all the youth I’ve been with in WYD. There are a lot of lessons that I can share with the youth in our Diocese.”
Mark Anthony Pelobello represented the Philippines on the World Youth Day 2016 together with his fellow youth servant from DSPNSDA, Jessica Lainez. They both experienced the struggles, blessings and the fulfillment of being part of World Youth Day.
Mark Anthony furthermore shared the highlights of his WYD experience. The young officer of the Parish Youth Ministry (PYM) of the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Aranzazu (DSPNSDA) told the two things that struck him the most in being a participant for the World Youth Day 2016. The first one is his experience to live in a random household of a family in a different country. “I cannot forget about the experience and the time with my Polish family which, even until now, I have constant communication with.” The Pilgrim Walk would be the next unforgettable thing he’d have to mention. “This is a really unique experience. The distance that we covered is no joke, I mean I’m used to walking here in the Philippines but back there in Poland was way different. Even if we’re with delegates who have been attending World Youth Day for years, they too exclaimed that this was by far the longest in distance and duration of walk that they’ve every done in a Pilgrim Walk.” Pelobello further says despite the distance, he’s happy because of the companions he had during the Walk, trudging side-by-side and hand-in-hand. In a way he felt as if God was giving them strength to finish the Walk, because not even one of the participants in their group gave up.
Aside from interacting with different young people, World Youth Day is also known for its participants to meet the head of the Catholic Church or simple the Pope. Mark recalls his first time meeting the Pope in person and face-to-face when he visited the Philippines. “We were at UST (University of Santo Tomas) at that time for the Meeting with Youth, and after I’ve seen him (Pope Francis) up close I told myself that I’ll see him again this close.” The Lord did not fail Mark Anthony for he again met Pope Francis soon enough. Pelobello adds “It was altogether a different feeling at that time. Suddenly I’m more excited for the things that will happen for the whole of the World Youth Day. The message he delivered to all the delegates was so beautiful and so inspiring. The Pope’s presence made us feel like we were with God at that time. There’s a different feeling; we can’t explain the joy and contentment that we felt at that time.”
After participating in the World Youth Day, Mark Anthony felt a lot of changes in his life. He’s thankful for all the continuous blessings coming in his life, as well as God’s guidance with any problem he’s facing right now. “Maybe that’s what my fellow delegates, who has been attending WYD for years now, have been saying –it’s the blessings that you get from WYD. It’s true, there have been a lot of blessings and opportunities coming for me and my family.”
As known to many, Mark Anthony is also a youth servant even during his participation in the World Youth Day. The learning he acquired during WYD would be his contribution in empowering the youth. Mark wants to share with his co-youngster what he felt during the event, and he wants people to feels the same.
When asked what would be his advice to his fellow youth and youth servant, Pelobello exclaimed “Continue serving the Lord and continue serving our fellow youth! You guys should experience World Youth Day — truly a wonderful experience!” (Kristine Tuting)
