In a few hours I’ll take a plane to Poland. I’ll join thousands of young people from all corners of the Earth for the World Youth Day in Krakow. We’ll gather around Pope Francis to pray and celebrate the Mercy of God.
Three years ago I was coming back from WYD Rio 2013. I was dead tired, but happy. I had two wonderful weeks of experiencing the faith of our Catholic Church. I asked Jesus and the Blessed Mother the grace to experience it again.
So, here I am on my way to this amazing event of faith! I’ll help again as a translator of the main events of the Pope. Yet, I am going also as a pilgrim, looking forward to experiencing the merciful gaze of Jesus.
If you can’t make to WYD Krakow 2016, you are welcome to join me through this blog! I’ll do my best to post daily updates. Please, pray for all those young people who are on their way to Poland, So that they may have an intimate encounter with our Lord in Krakow!
I´m exhausted, but I feel energized. I´m not doing anything particularly “fun”, but I´m enjoying myself immensely. I´m not getting anything out of this on a practical level, but something is overflowing with joy inside of me.
Rain or shine, sleet or snow, my family would find a way to make it to 8:30 am Sunday Mass at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I actually remember putting on my snow boots, gloves, scarf and ski hat and slogging through nearly two feet of snow after a rough Michigan blizzard the night before…and yes, the priest was surprised to see us show up on time, covered with snow and maybe a little frost bitten. Even though missing Mass was never an option, my parent’s deep Faith in the Eucharist and love for Christ made it seem like less of an obligation and more of an opportunity and a gift. 
King David knew Mercy before mercy was cool.
In June I was able, for the first time, to go on a five-day spiritual exercises. Yes, it was wonderful! It was needed! It was all I had hoped for and more!
Two things have surprised me during my first two days in Ireland, of the three weeks I will spend here helping with the Woodlands Academy Summer Camp. The first was when I arrived to the Dublin airport and all the signs were in Irish and English.
As it´s the first weekend after exams, we’re having a few days away as a community to close the year together before the diaspora to new communities and summer apostolates. Here I am on the first morning, sitting outside after a late wake up and a refreshingly light Spanish breakfast, with The Sound of Music style mountains in the very near distance, dangling my legs off a little rock wall, breathing in the smell of summer. 
If you’ve grown up in the United States in the 20th or 21st century, you might miss how revolutionary the religious liberty in the Constitution is. Until 1791, no national government in human history had officially declared that there was no established religion and people were free to practice whatever religion, and almost every state had some official or semi-official religion. Even the French Revolution, at about the same time, established an official religion of reason rather than permit religious freedom. 
I hardly know what to write because now that the work of the plenary session is over, all the adrenaline that’s kept me going through long days and not much sleep has drained away and I’ve noticed I am tired. And there’s packing to do before an early trip to the airport.