“You are Called, You are Chosen, You are Sent.”
These were the words Trinidad and Tobago’s World Youth Day (WYD) pilgrims received as they continued their preparation for their spiritual pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia.

Held at Holy Faith Convent, Penal, they descended on the Southland to attend the 25th Annual Penitential Youth Rally on February 17. Joining other young people from the Southern Vicariate, they sang, prayed and adored Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Mass.

‘You are called’

“God calls some people subtly and then he grabs others by the foot”, said one of the young speakers at the rally. For one of the young pilgrims who will be travelling to Australia, when she was called initially by her parish and told that she was being sponsored, she saw this as an opportunity afforded her, nothing more.

Unlike some of the other pilgrims whom she has met, she was going to Sydney without great expectations. She confessed, “I have a tendency to be difficult, and my immediate instinct at times is to say ‘no’.

I know I put up a block and this can prevent me from making positive changes in my life”. Courage lies in being different from the rest and each one of us has an opportunity to change, it is up to us to want to do it.

All the pilgrims have been called to attend monthly gatherings in preparation for their journey. For this young lady, this has been a challenge, and she says, it is much easier to say “no”.

Finally, after much persuasion, she succumbed and attended the February gathering in Penal. Here she shared a common experience, meeting other young pilgrims, sharing a common faith, she found an immediate connection.

Now, she hopes by sharing this common pilgrimage experience she can grow to become more tolerant, more patient, more ready to say “yes”.

‘You are chosen’

In calling us, “God chooses what the world says is weak, what the world says is not good enough and raises us higher than everything else,” Mikkel Trestrail said to the youths gathered in Penal.

These words were meant for me, claims one young man, who says this pilgrimage is like being on mission, that it is an opportunity for him to deepen his faith, to grow in Christ.

T&T's World Youth Day pilgrims

For him and for many of these pilgrims, the challenge has been raising funds to cover the expenses for this journey to far-way Australia. The total cost is $30,000 with airfare alone costing close to $21, 000. He says he has received very little support from his parish.

Many pilgrims have had to put on bake sales, barbecues, car washes and some have even staged a fund-raising concert. It has been and continues to be quite a struggle. Being chosen comes with many challenges and obstacles.

This young man claims, “I know that I am far from being the person I want to be,   but through all this I am learning about humility, and trust in God.  I see this as training ground, it is pretty rough…it is a test of faith.”

He recalls the words of one of the speakers at the Youth Rally, “at the very moment that I accepted that I was chosen by God and I allowed the Holy Spirit to burst forth in my soul, I entered into a new prayer relationship with the Lord.” These words continue to resonate in his mind.

‘You are sent’

Two young men in the contingent of 42 who are heading for Sydney have been sponsored by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs in keeping with their Vision to “empower young people who are able to make informed choices so that they can lead meaningful lives…”

Their project is to produce a written report and a documentary of the happenings at World Youth Day to bring the experience back home to Trinidad and Tobago. This is a tall order for two young men who are by no means, seasoned professionals in the field of communications.

However Marc and David took up this initiative on their own and undaunted, have started to work this project. They explain that this documentary can be an opportunity for youth around the country to experience the World Youth Day phenomenon - hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the globe gathered in one area to bring the message of Christ’s love. They see it as a means to unify the youth of Trinidad and Tobago, to help them grow and to set them on fire for the love of God.

They explain that some people might see the pilgrims as “standing on the doorstep to Heaven”, but a film tells a story. “It will tell a story of the ups and downs of young people, it will allow young people to see how equal they are and how they are struggling for something, the same thing…to find God.  It will humanise the whole experience”.

David and Marc have been sent to be “real” witnesses of Christ. Very often, when we are sent to witness, it is in the most challenging of situations, it means going counter-culture, standing apart from the crowd, being alone in the wilderness.

As the World Youth Day pilgrims continue their journey, they are being called to be witnesses of Christ. May the Holy Spirit empower them to be steadfast and strong; to be disciples filled with the light of God and faithful ambassadors for Trinidad and Tobago.

This article was written on behalf of the Archdiocesan Youth Secretariat by David Thurton, one of the World Youth Day pilgrims, youth volunteer and future leader.  The Youth Secretariat invites young people interested in submitting articles to call us at 624-0454 or email us at cathyouthsecretariat@gmail.com.