Millions of the youth of the world – and 32 from Our Lady of Hope – to gather with Pope Francis in Panama

The group from Our Lady of Hope parish, including Rev. Manuel Cardoza, will be attending World Youth Day in Panama in Jan. 2019.

BY DEACON ERIC VILCHIS
Our Lady of Hope

SAN BERNARDINO — Millions of the Catholic youth of the world will descend on Panama in January 2019 for World Youth Day and 32 of those attending will be from Our Lady of Hope parish in San Bernardino.

This will be the first time since World Youth Day began that parishioners from Our Lady of Hope will be a part of the celebration.

St. John Paul II began the event when he invited over 300,000 youth from all over the world for an international jubilee in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday in 1984. Since then, World Youth Day has taken place in different parts of the world about every three years.

The last World Youth Day was held in 2016 in Krakow, Poland and previous to that it was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2013. Now, the youth of the world are preparing to attend the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama City, Panama.

Mariela Gonzales and Anthony Hernandez, two of the coordinators for the Our Lady of Hope World Youth Day group, help to chaperone a group of OLH youth at the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim in March of 2018.

Anthony Hernandez, one of the World Youth Day coordinators from Our Lady of Hope said, “that’s one of the exciting things about attending this pilgrimage! Youth from every corner of the world coming to flood the streets of one city just to share, learn and grow in our faith together.”

“One thing we are really looking forward to is seeing the diverse amount of cultures from all over the world who are going to be attending this pilgrimage that practice the same religion as us! I’m sure it’s going to be an amazing thing to be a part of!”

The group from Our Lady of Hope made up of youth, young adult, and chaperones, including Fr. Manny will leave on Jan. 17, and fly to Costa Rica where they will spend four days experiencing a part of the World Youth Day program called “Days in the Diocese.” During this time they will stay with host families who will show them around the city as they take an active part in the day to day happenings in the diocese, attending mass in the local parishes, helping do community service, taking tours, etc.

After the Days in the Diocese, they will fly into Panama City where the actual event will begin. Each day they will take part in multiple activities around the city, which have yet to be announced in detail. Thursday, January 24th is the day when Pope Francis will arrive to celebrate Mass for all of the pilgrims.

The youth from Our lady of Hope played a charity soccer match against the Priests and seminarians of the diocese as a fundraiser for World Youth Day. The youth won.

The group from Our Lady of Hope is excited to see the Holy Father and to be part of all they will experience but one thing stands out.

“Our group is really excited to see what types of food we will get to eat. We are intrigued and excited to see what tasty cuisines are coming our way,” said Hernandez.

The group from Our Lady of Hope is the largest group attending from the San Bernardino Diocese. This will be a new experience for all of them, some never having left the state, let alone the country!

“Our group is well aware of this amazing opportunity to leave the country and visit these exciting places however, we are focused, determined and well aware that this is not a vacation. We are attending this pilgrimage to grow and learn in our faith alongside each other and millions of other youth/young adults,” said Hernandez.

The World Youth Day group from Our Lady of Hope held a rummage sale as a fundraiser for their trip to Panama in Jan. 2019.

Our Lady of Hope is located in a working class community, and not financially well-off. Choosing to attend this pilgrimage was a big decision and took lots of prayer, according to Hernandez. The total cost for the group to attend is $90,000. Each member pays $800 and participates in monthly fundraisers. Fundraising is going well so far for the group according to Hernandez. They still need to raise more money but more importantly, the group is asking for prayers.

“On behalf of the entire World Youth Day program at Our Lady of Hope, we want to thank everyone from our Parish and community that have supported our journey and for continuing to do so! We are extremely grateful, excited and most of all BLESSED to take part in this amazing experience God has placed in front of us. We ask that the community continue to support us in our upcoming events. Lastly, we ask that you please have us in your prayers as we continue on with our journey, thank you and God Bless,” Hernandez said.

Members of the Our Lady of Hope World Youth Day group prepare roses to be sold on Mother’s Day as a fundraiser for the pilgrimage to Panama in Jan. 2019.

To donate to the Our Lady of Hope World Youth Day group send donations to:
Our Lady of Hope – World Youth Day
6885 Del Rosa Ave.
San Bernardino, CA 92404