Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics. We're in the Italian spirit here, the Roman world, as we welcome you back, Bishop, from the Jubilee of youth event that our diocese was attending. Bishop, welcome back.
[00:00:25] Speaker C: Thank you. You know, it's always good to get away, and boy, was it a great.
[00:00:28] Speaker D: Experience, but it's also very good to.
[00:00:29] Speaker C: Come home to Brooklyn.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: Exactly. And listened in last week to your interview with Lucero. It was a wonderful interview as you began your time there. This jubilee event with the Youth Today's episode, we are able to showcase three more interviews that you had while you were over there. I'm excited to hear them. Bishop, perhaps we'll begin with prayer. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen. This prayer was used at the jubilee year for youth as we pray. Heavenly Father, you call us by name and send us into the world to be bearers of your light.
As we embark on this journey of bringing your light into the world, fill our hearts with your hope. Hope that does not disappoint. Hope rooted in the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ. Strengthen us, Lord, to be bold witnesses of your love. Send your Holy Spirit upon us that we may go forth with courage, proclaiming the good news not only with our words, but through our lives of mercy, joy and peace. Make us faithful missionary disciples, courageous in truth, joyful in service, and unwavering in hope through Christ our Lord.
[00:01:35] Speaker E: Amen.
[00:01:35] Speaker C: Amen.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
[00:01:38] Speaker D: Amen.
[00:01:39] Speaker B: Well now, Bishop, let's listen into those three interviews.
[00:01:43] Speaker D: So, jp, you and I have known each other now for a little bit of time here since I've been in the diocese. Really? You're very active in your parish at Gate of Heaven? My experience is always in the sacristy taking care of things. But you're very involved in other way space, right?
[00:01:58] Speaker F: I am. So I'm also the youth minister of my parish. So that is why some of my pressures thought that would be a great experience for me to kind of come here and experience all this, especially ahead of World Youth Day coming up in a few years. That way I could kind of get my feet wet because compared to a lot of the people that are my peers in youth ministry, I'm a baby.
So a lot of people have been doing this for a while. They've been on several pilgrimages, but this is my first. A few of my practitioners thought it was a good idea that sent me, but yeah, in terms of what I do in the parish, I'm the youth minister, sacristan I wear a lot of hats.
[00:02:31] Speaker D: I know you do.
Actually, when I was working in my parish as a seminarian, my pastor, Monsignor Hamilton, was asked to write a letter, kind of. It wasn't mainly recommendation, but it was more like an update, because it was. I was already in the seminary. But you sort of like a report of what you were doing in the summer. And he described my position as a factotum. I had to look it up in the dictionary, but it means somebody who does everything.
A little bit of this and a little bit of that. In your work in youth ministry, I got to know you outside of Gate of Heaven and really see you taking part in some of the diocesan youth ministry functions. That's always great. One of the things that really impressed me is you and some of the young people from the parish were very involved in our Lenten pilgrimage, and I would meet up with you along the way. You were there with young people from the parish, so you gave them an experience of what we were doing on a diocesan level, and I thought that was really very good.
[00:03:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:25] Speaker F: So I. I just thought it would be important for them to see that what we do as a parish community, as important as it is, we are part of a much larger church, especially that within the Diocese of Brooklyn that offers so many things for its faithful. I feel like it's important for them to see that, to feel. To make them feel like they're something. They're part of something bigger, especially part of the one Catholic Church, one universal Catholic church.
[00:03:50] Speaker D: Well, actually, that takes us right to this pilgrimage, because what you're doing in a very good way, on a diocesan level, is what we're doing together is to see ourselves as something even bigger than Brooklyn and Queens here in these days, you've experienced the world. How is that for you?
[00:04:04] Speaker F: It has been absolutely amazing. This is the second time I've ever left the country, especially seeing the world on this scale, seeing that our Catholic faith is alive in the young people.
When a lot of people say that not a lot of kids are going to church, it disproves it wrong, because there are so many kids out there who are just so alive and so in love with our Catholic faith.
And it is just amazing to see. And it is definitely something that I want to bring home to our kids.
[00:04:38] Speaker D: People will get tired of me saying that. But that, to me, is one of the best things about World Youth Day. So in this case, the Jubilee, you're made to feel isolated, almost as if you're doing something weird by being involved in Your church, in your parish. And yet we're starting to see a little bit of an awakening all around the country as people are looking for something with greater meaning. But when you do feel isolated, it's easy to get lost. It's easy to lose the motivation. But when you come to something like this and you see other young people like yourself who are exuberant in living the faith, they're normal. They're not holy rollers here. They're having a good time. I mean, you were out at the field overnight. We're talking on Sunday after the day with the Pope, the vigil on Saturday night, and the mass with the Pope on Sunday. That's not easy. You walked the distance, you camped out, you dealt with the elements. But in another level, it was sort of like a big party.
[00:05:28] Speaker F: It was. It was great realizing that you just had a sleepover with literally a million other young Catholics. You wake up and you look around and everyone is the same amount of groggy, but the same amount of excitement, because you see them starting to barricade the roads, and you see them starting to prepare for the Pope passing. So you have that sense of anticipation.
[00:05:48] Speaker D: That sense of excitement, and everybody's kind of staking their ground.
[00:05:51] Speaker F: But at the same time, everyone's also still half awake, because, again, it's the biggest sleepover ever.
[00:05:55] Speaker D: Yeah, actually, you know, by the time you get ready in the morning, you've only been asleep an hour or two. It probably took that long to fall asleep. But during the day on Saturday, you arrive early. There are concerts, there are musical artists, there's all kinds of activity. And again, all around our relationships with each other and with the Lord. Tell me, what was the highlight for you?
[00:06:15] Speaker F: It has to be visiting Carlo Kudis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frazzati. Because I have such a devotion, especially to Blessed Carlo. In my breviary, I have a little card of a relic of his shirt. I always ask Blessed Carlo for that friendship that he had with Christ in order to be able to imitate Christ more. So, in a sense, I was asking for myself to have the grace to imitate Blessed Carlo in order to imitate Christ.
[00:06:43] Speaker D: I think that's amazing. That's great. And Pier Giorgio Frasati, they brought his remains to the Church of St. Catherine of Siena. St. Catherine Soper, Minerva, Father Caroly, Father Velazquez and Lucero just happened to be going by, and we met a priest who used to serve on Long island. And all the Dominicans were out there and said, what's going on? And he Told us, oh, we're expecting Blessed Pier Giorgio Frasati. And then the Dominicans brought him in when he finally arrived.
And it really was a great thing to be able to just venerate and again, to be surrounded by other people.
[00:07:16] Speaker F: Absolutely.
[00:07:16] Speaker D: Yeah. Now, I wouldn't call it disappointment, but there was a level of a letdown that the canonization didn't take place this week. But in retrospect, I'm not disappointed. I think you got to experience a closeness to the saints in a different way.
[00:07:31] Speaker F: Absolutely.
[00:07:31] Speaker D: And I think Sunday mass this morning was just right.
[00:07:35] Speaker E: Absolutely.
[00:07:36] Speaker F: I feel like if they were canonized during this weekend, being able to see them would have been much more chaotic, and I don't want to say impossible, but it definitely would have been on the side of less likely.
[00:07:48] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:07:49] Speaker F: But, like, being able to see them was such a blessing.
[00:07:52] Speaker D: You know, it was only. You asked the question, what was the highlight of this vigil?
[00:07:56] Speaker F: Highlight of the vigil? Definitely seeing the Holy Father and definitely waking up realizing that you just had the biggest sleepover ever.
So those are the two great things about it.
[00:08:06] Speaker D: You know, we just had our group dinner. We're in the middle of our group dinner, and everybody's all dressed up. It's really kind of nice to see. And after a rough two days, everybody's been rejuvenated. I think that experience of being close as he went by, that's one of the blessings for me. I love seeing this through the young people's eyes. I love seeing it through your eyes. I love seeing it through people who are experiencing it for the first time. It really makes up for everything else.
[00:08:32] Speaker G: Absolutely.
[00:08:32] Speaker F: Like, I've seen the quietest kids suddenly be like, he waved at me. He waved at me. The Holy Father waved at me.
[00:08:39] Speaker D: Yeah, you're right. You're right. Kids who I thought were pretty quiet during the week talking about exactly that.
[00:08:46] Speaker F: They're sounding so excited even at the beginning of our pilgrimage, like you were saying, there's this sense of isolation, this sense of shyness, this sense of timidness once we first arrived. But the more we stayed here, the longer we saw and watched all the other groups running past us with their music and their excitement and joy. It rubbed off on us. And you see that in the group that we're traveling with. You see them suddenly coming out of their shells. You see them start to talk to people that you didn't really think that. That they talked to. Like I said, the quietest kids are suddenly jumping for joy, and it's amazing.
[00:09:18] Speaker D: It's Amazing. It really is. And there is a great love for the Lord. I'm really impressed with this group, and from everything I experience, we can really, really be proud of the youth of Brooklyn and Queens.
[00:09:29] Speaker F: Absolutely.
[00:09:29] Speaker D: And we had a small group from the Bronx, and I'll be talking to one of those people in a little while. But thank you. Thank you for guiding this out, for taking this time, and in giving yourself to the Lord. I hope this becomes a transformative experience for you.
[00:09:43] Speaker F: Thank you, Bishop.
[00:09:45] Speaker D: I had the chance to talk during the farewell dinner with Amy Vu, who was traveling with parish of Mount Carmel in Astoria.
But Amy and I go back a little bit, too, earlier in the year, when Amy was one of the people who welcomed me at Malloy High School. So congratulations on your graduation this year.
[00:10:03] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:10:04] Speaker D: How was the year?
[00:10:05] Speaker A: Senior year was really stressful. The college process was really stressful. But it was fun. It was quite bittersweet. Like, my friends and I were all going to different places where I wouldn't be so far away from each other. And I've made a lot of really good, meaningful connections to me at Malloy, like with teachers and friends and peers and underclass, especially underclassmen, too, that, you know, I have to say goodbye to because I'm moving on to college.
[00:10:30] Speaker D: Are you going to live out there in Stony Brook?
[00:10:32] Speaker A: Yes, I'm going to dorm at Stony Brook. That's also scary, but I'm excited for it at the same time.
[00:10:37] Speaker D: In a sense, it's kind of the.
[00:10:38] Speaker E: Best of both worlds, because you experience.
[00:10:39] Speaker D: That being away, but you're not that far away. So tell me, what was the highlight of the pilgrimage for you?
[00:10:46] Speaker A: I think the highlight of the pilgrimage was walking through the last holy door, because that was the whole point of the Jubilee pilgrimage. To walk through all four. Four holy doors and to see what it was like inside of all of the basilicas. And the last one that we walked through was where Pope Francis was buried. And so when I got invited to this trip, they were talking about, like, oh, we're going to celebrate Mass with Pope Francis. We're going to see Pope Francis. And I was really excited to see Pope Francis. I love Pope Francis. I love how he was a Jesuit pope. I love how humble he was, how down to earth he was, how respectful he was, how he was able to welcome so many people back into the church. So being able to see where Pope Francis was buried and being able to see his tomb, that meant a lot to me.
[00:11:34] Speaker E: I'm glad you were able to do that.
[00:11:35] Speaker D: And that's a very good point. I mean, I was talking to somebody today. Pope Francis gave us the gift of this experience of the way the jubilee year is designed and that we would have this encounter during the summer. It was he who invited us, and in a sense, he stood still, received us.
[00:11:49] Speaker A: It was really meaningful for when we were doing the Mass and the Adoration with Pope Leo, how much Pope Leo talked about Pope Francis. And that also meant a lot to me because it was like. It wasn't like we just forgot about Pope Francis. Like, of course we can never just forget about Pope Francis, but it was like. It was literally like he was still there through Pope Leo.
[00:12:08] Speaker D: Yeah, exactly. And that succession, and we just keep building on the faith. That was the night at the vigil, and the whole experience of the vigil and the Mass, the walk, the staying.
[00:12:17] Speaker A: Overnight, the walk, honestly, it was rough because I was sweaty, it was hot. We were all crowded together. We were packed up those streets like sardines. But once I got there, it was really nice. We were able to sit down, we were able to appreciate everything around us. And the sun was out, so it wasn't even that bad. The sun was out, everyone was excited. We were trading our little gifts with people from around the world. We were getting to know people from around the world, signing T shirts and stuff. And then adoration happens. And we saw Pope Leo. And that was like a really big moment for me. I thought it was beautiful. I felt really blessed. I felt really grateful because so many kids who wish that they could be experiencing this right now aren't here to experience it, and I am. And then the next day, the really rough part was at night when it started raining. And I woke up to the rain at like 2am but then the morning came and the sun came out. And then we saw Pope Leo. I was right at the barricade, right in front of Pope Leo. And that was really exciting. And that was when the sun was coming out and it was getting warm again. So even though the walk up there was rough and, like, the night was rough, I think it was worth it. Seeing the Pope, being able to celebrate Mass with the Pope having adoration led by the Pope, being in the Pope's presence, I think it was worth it. Completely.
[00:13:29] Speaker E: Excellent.
[00:13:30] Speaker D: Oh, I'm so glad. You know, on the jumbotron, as he was going from all the different areas and then to 19, some of the videos of a couple of people took or photos, he was beaming. I could see he was having.
[00:13:43] Speaker A: He was so happy. I know. I love the Pope. I love that he's so open to like talking to everyone. I was really excited to see the Pope.
[00:13:51] Speaker D: That's great. That's great. Now, going back from here, you mentioned being aware of people who didn't have this experience. Do you see yourself being able to share this experience with other people? Not just by telling stories, but just this whole experience? Experience of encounter?
[00:14:06] Speaker A: Yes, 100%, because it was truly a blessing. And like for my parish, we fundraised all the money that brought us here. The Mass majority of the money that brought us here, we fundraised it. And if we could do that, then we have so much opportunity to help other people fundraise that same amount of money so that they could come here and experience this too.
[00:14:24] Speaker D: I love it. I love it. Pay it forward. You know, you speak of these experiences of that we had during this pilgrimage, but you're really not a stranger to spirituality and to being part of something bigger than yourself. So talk about those experiences at Punoi. So you're involved with the retreat programs.
[00:14:43] Speaker E: With the Marist Youth.
[00:14:44] Speaker D: Tell me, how has that affected your high school growth?
[00:14:47] Speaker A: So freshman year I was really not outgoing in high school. I was, I wasn't shy particularly, but I wasn't open to, to experiencing new things with new people and meeting other people.
So sophomore year I went on one of the SOPIS retreats and I thought it was life changing. I met so many different people. I connected with my faith a crazy amount because freshman year I really wasn't open to my faith. I wasn't open to making new friends, having new experiences, focusing in school, honestly. But once I. I went on a retreat at Esopus my sophomore year, everything changed. I did a complete 180 and I realized in that moment that I wanted to be a retreat leader myself. So in my junior year, I went on the Marist Youth Encounter and I got encountered myself so that I was able to lead the senior encounter my senior year.
And that experience was, I thought, life changing as well because I was able to, to be a leader. And so many of my peers, not even kids, my own classmates that were in my group, they said that the way I talk to them and how I help them, that it really meant a lot to them. And I was really glad that I was able to help them and be a part of their spiritual growth. Even though for me it was stressful and I was nervous because that was my first time leading. So I was stressed and I was nervous. I wanted to know whether or not I was doing a good job. And I was scared if I wasn't. But once they told me that I was the best leader that they could have asked for or that I really helped them with the advice I gave and with what I said, I felt really glad that the Holy Spirit was guiding me through the whole way because of the amount of support that I get from people here on Earth and from God and from the Holy Spirit that I can do things that I want to do and that I set out to do.
[00:16:42] Speaker E: That's amazing.
[00:16:43] Speaker D: And with these retreats at Esopus, you develop those leadership skills. You see the power of God in your life. You see you're affirmed by people who recognize your gifts, and that's great. And you belong to this whole network, really, of Marist. Are you ever involved in contact with other Marist schools through the network?
[00:17:00] Speaker A: At the Marist Youth Encounter, we were able to meet students from other Marist schools from Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Florida and the Bronx. And I'm still in contact with a couple of them through social media, which has its pros and cons. But being able to contact different people from the same community in different places, that's definitely a pro. And I'm able to talk to them about, like, what they're doing, how their leadership or spiritual journey is going, and I'm able to, like, reflect with them on how we spent our journey together and how we might be able to see each other again at another retreat or another encounter in the future.
[00:17:42] Speaker D: Amazing. Amazing. Well, again, congratulations on your graduation. I wish you the very best at Stony Brook. And don't mind my saying so, I hope that you'll be very involved in the campus ministry. I'm a little biased, but I believe they have a great campus ministry program.
[00:17:58] Speaker E: Matt.
[00:17:58] Speaker D: Stony Brook. And in fact, part of it is Focus, the Focus Missionaries, which Lucero, who is part of our leadership at the team, was involved in here in Queens. I hope you'll get involved, and I hope it'll be as rich for you as that whole experience at moy.
[00:18:12] Speaker E: So Max is one of the people who I actually met on this pilgrimage for the first time. He comes to us from. Is it St. John Chrysostom parish in the Bronx. And the group from St. John Chrysostom with Father Morano joined us. How many were you? You bet.
[00:18:27] Speaker G: Seven in total?
[00:18:28] Speaker E: Yeah, seven in total. And we were so glad to have them. It was a lot of fun traveling with you men and women and seeing all the different sites through you. Tell me. Well, we only met on this pilgrimage. We do have some Common roots. I discovered when we had the send off Mass, that the church where I was baptized and started school as a little kid, St. Raymond's the elementary school you just graduated from, the high school there, from St. Raymond's High School in the Bronx. Congratulations on your graduation.
So what's next for you?
[00:18:56] Speaker G: Well, anything I do, I do it by faith. So I continue to stay in my Catholic roots. You know, I graduated from Catholic high school. Doesn't mean I graduated from my Catholic faith. So I'm still going to be in church. I'll be heading over to college. I'll be staying in the city at the City College of New York, and I'll be pursuing film and video production.
[00:19:14] Speaker E: Film and video production. That's interesting because I've seen a little bit of your work. I've learned new things, new tricks you can do.
[00:19:20] Speaker D: One of the things that really got.
[00:19:22] Speaker E: A lot of people impressed was the photo that you took of the Pope as he passed by. But it's almost like professional quality. It is professional quality.
[00:19:29] Speaker G: Well, yeah, about that photo, I wasn't expecting to get a shot. I just wanted to live the moment, as you say. But, you know, when the Pope's passing by, you want to capture this. Who isn't going to take out their trunks and record? So I did have my phone on my left hand, my camera on rapid shooting on my right hand. So I was just hoping by the grace of God that, you know, with all the ruckus, you know, the pushing, that I would get something, a still shot, and I got something great out of it, the little edits on there, and now it seems gorgeous.
[00:19:56] Speaker D: You know, I'm impressed by the way.
[00:19:57] Speaker E: You say you still stayed in the moment. Yeah, you still stayed in the moment. What made you want to come on this pilgrimage? How did that come about?
[00:20:05] Speaker G: So, well, first of all, I'm not a fan of Plains Heights Ocean. So just being in between both those spheres. Yeah, But I always wanted to come to Europe. And I read a lot of articles, seen a lot of videos, that Rome has a lot of Catholic sites, and I've been to a lot of Catholic sites in New York, but I know I could go beyond that. And I remember when this was announced, the Jubilee year, and Father Richard had brought to me that the Diocese of Brooklyn is holding this pilgrimage and they're inviting us to go. And I was like, it took me a while to think about it because, you know, I was like, I'm scared. I don't want to do this. But I took the leap of Faith. Because I have this motto, you never know you can fly if you don't take the leap of faith. So I took a leap of faith. I was like, yes, I'm doing this. I want to encounter Christ more. That was one of the biggest things. And you guys actually mentioned that a lot here, that a big part of this is to encounter Christ through this pilgrimage. So, yeah, I wanted to see Catholic sites and I was going to experience my first youth day. You could call this Jubilee Youth. It's nice to hear the Pope as well in person. But mostly, yeah, I wanted to encounter Christ and just that sense of being in Europe, testing and trying out all these cultures here and other religious based activities was pretty cool. And also, I like meeting new people. So meeting a lot of the youth in the Diocese of Brooklyn was really good. And I blended so fast with them. We helped each other out. We had each other's back like brothers and sisters, especially within those crowds and that heat.
It was fun.
[00:21:26] Speaker E: Yeah, that's great. Oh, I'm glad. What would you say is the highlight of this week?
[00:21:30] Speaker G: Well, the highlight this week, actually. I feel like it was kind of a surprise and something sent by God because as you know, my phone is Maximiliano, so my confirmation is same Maximilian Kobe. I didn't know that we were going to go to the place where Maximilian Kobe studied. He, he slept there, he worked there. He initiated the militia of Mac Conception, I believe he called.
So I remember walking in there and seeing this relic on that altar and I'm like, look, I get a closer look and I see this as Maxwell and Kobe and like I felt like this sense of like, wow, this is really a piece of him because, you know, there's nothing ahead in life, you know. You know, his body was burnt, this piece of his beard. And I remember acting Father Richard, actually, I was like, hey, Father, you know, if there's anything about Mack and Kobe and Rome, and we honestly didn't know. So this was like a surprise. And I feel like it was something from God, you know, that finally got to see my confirmation state somehow, you know, and learn more about him too. And I was saying that, oh, seeing Carlos Celi is like the best thing because, like, that's my guy right now. I love him. Everything is just Carlo for me. Carlo, Carlo, Carlo. But I think it was seeing the relic of Saint Maxwell and Kobe, just being in the place where he studied and, you know, initiated the militia, the maximum conception, that was very powerful for him.
[00:22:32] Speaker E: Something else. Good, Very good, very good. Maximin Kobe is a Real hero to me. I remember I was young, studying about him, when I guess it was around the time that he was probably named a saint. And so I was always fascinated by him. Unfortunately, I didn't get to accompany you guys to that church and I haven't been there. So this is something that I have to put on my list now to get to visit, to see the Colbert, Right? Yeah, the place where he studied.
[00:22:54] Speaker D: And, you know, you mentioned Blessed Carlo.
[00:22:57] Speaker E: I happened to be around you when you said that you could spend more time in Assisi. What did you think of the city of Assisi?
[00:23:03] Speaker G: Well, Assisi, it's. It's just the peace and the silence that there is in Assisi. It's just less distractions over there. And it happened like Lukuma, St. Francis Assisi, Carlos Acoutis, St. Clair, and just the small towns, easy navigation.
It's just different from the city life. You know, I come from the city life, so it's very good to get away from the city life. And it's just something like that. Yeah, I would love to spend more time in the ccu. I feel like I'm just away from all the distractions in the sisi and when I was in the cc, praying, you know, all these different types of tombs, whatever, like, I felt like that really got strong connection with God there. I just dropped to my knees and I wasn't embarrassed. I just opened my heart in cc. That's really what happened the most in Rome, too, in the city here, in the Vatican as well. Very powerful places. But Assisi, was it for real?
[00:23:51] Speaker E: It's amazing. They weren't the easiest of days. I mean, we. First of all, we went to Assisi on the day you guys arrived. Yeah, I mean, right from the airport. Three hour ride. And then we get there and we're barely there 15 minutes and it starts to rain.
[00:24:05] Speaker G: Oh, yeah.
[00:24:06] Speaker D: We had to wait online to get.
[00:24:07] Speaker E: Into the church to see Carlo Kudis. That was the first thing we did and kind of moved through. And yet, even in the midst of all that, there was some kind of a peace.
[00:24:17] Speaker G: There was. I told myself before landing in Assisi. Well, pilgrimages aren't meant to be easy. You know, there's some easy parts in them, but there's always some kind of suffering, some hard parts we have to get through, unfortunately. And I knew that when I started hearing that thunder, it was kind of like it was teasing us. It was sunny, then it was some thunder and it got great. It was something. No rain yet, and then a bunch of rain Came out of nowhere. I had an umbrella, and I gave it to my sister because I felt bad. She was getting soaked. So I sacrificed that. And I just kept telling myself the saying from one of Father Richard's homilies was, jesus, I trust in you, Mary.
[00:24:46] Speaker E: I love it.
[00:24:46] Speaker G: I just kept repeating and repeating it just to gain the strength, like, to just get through this. And also because I'm on the line, and I'm about to see one of my favorite scenes, Carlos Acutis. So I repeated that in my head, and I'm like, no, I knew what I signed up for. This is what I'm here for. I'm here to encounter Christ. If I got to go through whatever, I'll go through it. I'm here with everybody else. No one else here is going to give up. We're all in this together.
[00:25:05] Speaker E: Tell me, what do you see yourself coming back from this experience? How do you think you bring this back home with you?
[00:25:12] Speaker G: Well, first of all, I definitely have a better sleeping schedule now.
Been able to sleep. Been able to sleep earlier, which actually helps a lot. Number one, my praying life, like, I would pray, you know, but like such in this pilgrimage, I was praying every day and more, like, more focused on God. And when I go back home, I really want to continue just that, that praying life. Trying sleeping earlier, of course, but I also just want to bring back what I learned here, take it back to the people in my home parish, my family, you know, and try to help them now encounter Christ in an even stronger way, more intimate way, which is the same, and to love God more.
I learned a lot, and I took a lot from here, and I can finally bring all that back home.
[00:25:56] Speaker E: Good for you. Good for you. You guys have an active youth program.
Because I could see there's a certain tightness in your group, so I could tell that it comes from something else. And so, yeah, you'll be an inspiration. You can be able to kind of encourage some of the other members of that youth community to stand strong and to find that deeper or to seek, really, that deeper spiritual life. Well, listen, thank you for your time tonight. Thanks for taking the time. Thanks for coming on this trip.
[00:26:22] Speaker D: The whole group.
[00:26:22] Speaker E: From John Christensen, you added something special. We're really, really grateful to you.
[00:26:26] Speaker D: And I hope that now, with the.
[00:26:28] Speaker E: Different things that happen along the way, our paths will cross. And good luck at City College. I wish you all the best. I hope that between your parish and the campus there, that opportunity to continue your faith. Go. Will go on.
[00:26:40] Speaker B: Wow, Bishop, those were incredible. Interviews. We should be very proud. They're inspiring young people indeed.
[00:26:46] Speaker C: You know, I have to tell you, I'm incredibly proud of all of our pilgrims, our diocesan pilgrims, our shalom pilgrims, even. I had a good amount of time with the neocatechumen away. So I'm so proud of all of our pilgrims.
[00:26:58] Speaker D: They are a real credit to the.
[00:27:01] Speaker C: Families from which they come to their parishes, to our diocese. These three conversations were just three examples of the depth. I mean, it's really incredible, impressive. The depth of the spiritual lives and the spiritual searching of these young people. And these aren't just words. I could see it when they knelt down to pray in the different churches or how seriously they took walking through the jubilee doors. And of course, their great excitement at being close to Pope Leo. They made a tough journey. After the vigil, they slept in the campgrounds. And the next morning before Mass, the Holy Father went right by where they were. So that was a very exciting moment for them. And to see all of that having its effect on these young people, it's very satisfying and it's a sign of great hope for the church. We see a generation coming up, a very joy filled young Catholics. And as I said in the conversations, sometimes you're made to feel like you're all alone out there in what you believe. You're isolated in it, you're weird for believing it. And yet when you see a million other people leaving it and leaving it joyfully, it really changes your perspective.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: It was really stunning to watch from afar, the great crowds, the words of our Holy Father, Pope Leo to the young people, and just a very inspiring message. And just like you said, Bishop, to see so many, that number seemed to have just grown drastically.
[00:28:20] Speaker C: It did, yeah. They were expecting half a million, and it turned out to be closer to a million.
[00:28:24] Speaker B: Wow. You know, Bishop, as you mentioned, it's nice to go away. It's good to come back. There's a lot in store for us. The summer is flying by, but we've got a lot of big events happening. A week from the day of this release. On August 15, Friday, August 15, the church celebrates that solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation. We can talk a little bit more about that next week.
[00:28:46] Speaker C: Yes, I look forward to that. We'll talk about that and return to life as usual here in Brooklyn and Queens on next week's edition of Big City Catholics.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: Thank you, Bishop. Perhaps you could lead us in a closing prayer.
[00:28:56] Speaker C: The Lord be with you and with your spirit. May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain with you forever and ever. Amen.
[00:29:06] Speaker B: Thank you, Bishop. And thanks again to all who continue to join us each and every week on our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics. Hope you'll join us again next week. God bless.
