Meet Jay!

Hi, my name is Jay and I am a sophomore at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover. I live in Exeter with my parents, sister and dog. I am attending this year’s World Youth Day not only because I have heard that WYD is an intense and illuminating faith experience, but also because this year’s WYD is occurring in Spain, where my grandmother and mother lived. I am excited to see all of the aspects of Spanish culture and society while also meeting Jesus in a new way and seeing the Pope.

Meet Marika Donders!

Hello, I am Marika Donders and I am the Catholic Campus Minister for Keene State College. I am going on this World Youth Day Pilgrimage in Madrid as one of the chaperones. I am looking forward most to the opportunity to reconnect with some of our own parishes’ pilgrims who went to WYD2008 in Sydney and to get to know some of the new members of our group a little better. World Youth Days are an intense immersion into the faith and the experience can be life changing. It is a wonderful opportunity to walk with some of our young people as they experience the truly universal nature of our faith.

Meet Rebecca Belrose!

My name is Rebecca Belrose and I'm from Keene NH. I am entering into my final year of my undergraduate degree at Saint Michael's College in Burlington VT where I'm studying to be an elementary teacher. I am making this pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2011 as a way of connecting with other Catholic youth from around the world and as an affirmation as to why the Catholic Church belongs in my life. Often the college culture that surrounds most universities in the United States today leaves very little space for God and sometimes young adults such as myself can begin to feel quite alone in walking a Christian way of life. By going to World Youth Day and experiencing the events that take place with thousands of other pilgrims who also are believers in the Catholic faith we can then see what an expansive and vibrant community our faith truly is. This will be the second WYD I have attended, the first being in Sydney Australia. Although this WYD pilgrimage is guaranteed to be different from the last, I look forward to meeting people from around the world and celebrating what makes the Catholic Church the unique community it is.

Welcome!

Dear Readers,
Welcome to our blog! We will use this medium to keep everyone informed of our progress as we prepare to leave for Madrid and our pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2011! You will learn more about the pilgrims and their journeys - physical and spiritual - as we make this pilgrimage together. Please check back often, and most important, please pray for us!
God bless,
Joy