SPEAKER_07 0:07

Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a podcast of the Diocese of Patterson in the great state of New Jersey. Join us for conversations about our Catholic faith, and together let's strive to live a life of faith, hope, and love. We're so glad you could join us. I'm Cecile Pagliarulo, and with me is Bishop Kevin Sweeney and two guests that have been on the show before. Welcome. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

John, Sister, welcome. Thank you, Bishop. Cecile, thanks for uh hosting today, and we got a great topic. Uh World Youth Day. Cecile is an expert in six, right? And uh and Sister Teresa and John are gonna be leading our efforts for Soul Korea in uh 2020 August 2027 with uh Pope Leo the 14th, right?

SPEAKER_07 0:56

Um so um Well uh I'll introduce John really quick. He's executive director of St. Paul Inside of Walls in Madison, our evangelization center. He also serves as our diocesan youth ministry director. John has two decades of experience serving in youth ministry. And also we have Sister Teresa Lee, a familiar face from the diocese. She is our diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious. She's a religious sister for the Salesians for how many years, sister? 26, 26 years. So thank you for being again to talk about a very important topic, I think, for the church, World Youth Day.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

And uh yes, so um thanks uh for for being with us, and maybe we'll begin with a prayer. Yep. So um um I remember as a 23-year-old in Denver World Youth Day with St. Pope John Paul II, 1993. The theme was uh Jesus' words from John's Gospel also, um uh I have come that they might have life and have it in abundance. Um Pope Leo has chosen um from the conclusion of the 16th chapter of John's Gospel, which is a beautiful uh three, four chapters of Jesus at the Last Supper, kind of giving these last messages and instructions to his apostles. Um, but um take courage, I have overcome the world, I have conquered the world. So as we pray um uh for our diocese, for all of the intentions and things we want people we want to pray for, um, but in a special way for um those who will be traveling to World Youth Day um next August, and like Sister Teresa and John and Cecile and others who are um in youth ministry, inviting young people, parents, uh, open to the possibility that maybe uh through our words today uh and the words of scripture, uh a young person or young adult might hear that invitation uh to join us on pilgrimage to World Youth Day. So let us place ourselves in God's presence in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And this these words come from the gospel according to Saint John. Jesus answered them, Do you believe now? Behold, the hour has come is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this, so you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble. But take courage. I have conquered the world, the gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. And as we consider our pilgrimage day by day, and listening and responding to Jesus' words of invitation to be his disciples and to know the peace that only he can give, let us ask the help and intercession of Mary, our blessed mother, as we pray. Help Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Saint Jerome, pray for the bear. Pray for us. Recording on September 30th. Yes, there's the Feast of the Archangels. This is an all-star lineup these days. So uh Saint Jerome today, Saint Therese of Azure tomorrow. Um Guardian Angels on Friday and Saint Francis in this Jubilee year of St. Francis of Assisi, even though it's a Sunday if October 4th is St. Francis. So I'm sure there'll be a lot of blessings of animals this weekend. So, Cecile, please.

SPEAKER_07 4:34

Okay, so uh so for this World Youth Day, we have Verso Ministries who will be coordinating our pilgrimage, handling autologistics. So, what can people expect from this World Youth Day and working with uh Verso Ministries?

SPEAKER_03 4:49

Uh well we spent a lot of time uh looking at various organizations to help us organize this trip. And uh we landed on Verso Ministries, I think mostly because I met them at NCYC. NCYC.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

They had a great youth kind of thing in Indianapolis.

SPEAKER_08 5:08

Yes, they had a great booth, they had a great cocktail hour, and then they had a great gift goodie bag. But beyond that, they just had great professionalism, great personableness, and um just a great approach to what a pilgrimage is. So I came back all in thuse and I said, John, we gotta rethink this and let's take a look at Verso Ministries. And after bidding out, they really came out on top.

SPEAKER_03 5:35

And I and I think they we met with a lot of uh groups and there was a lot of travel agents that did pilgrimages, right? And they are a pilgrimage ministry that has the capability of a travel agent. And so that's why I think we really landed on them.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

And uh again, John and Sister, you've been doing this for quite some time. John, you've led some of the August and uh uh youth youth World Youth Day pilgrimage in in the past, right?

SPEAKER_03 5:58

Yeah, I've uh uh parish level, yeah. So at St. Peter's I I led, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

But you've seen different companies that write and uh and as you say, we looked at them and and and uh while Sister Teresa was enthusiastic about Verso, uh when you looked at uh some of the uh details, uh you felt confident this is I think they're gonna be able to do that. Even though it's the first time, right, that we're as a diet is the first time we're using that. So we're gonna hear now, right?

SPEAKER_07 6:22

We're gonna Yes, we'll we'll hear a little bit from Verso. The founders John Paul LaShawn and Joan Watson, who is uh the pilgrimage formation manager. So we'll hear a little bit about what they have to say about Verso Ministries and some about World Ute.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

And then we'll come back and hear some details for those who might want to join us that Teresa and John can share uh after the interview with with uh representatives from Verso. See you in a bit.

SPEAKER_07 6:50

Hello everyone. Our two guests are from Verso Ministries, a Catholic pilgrimage company helping people explore the world and discover what God has in store for them. They do so in the spirit of its patron saint, Saint Pierre, Giorgio Frasati. And our first guest, well, both guests here, are John Paul Lachon. He is founder and CEO of Verso Ministries. After a decade uh in parish and college ministry, he followed his passion for evangelization, a pilgrimage to create Verso, helping people encounter God through the transformative experience of pilgrimage. He lives in South Bend, Indiana with his wife and four children. And then we have Joan Watson. She is the pilgrim formation manager at Verso Ministry, as well as a Catholic speaker, writer, and she's also a podcaster like you, Bishop. With a background in history and theology, Joan has spent nearly two decades working in Catholic ministry and is passionate about helping people discover the beauty of the church through pilgrimage. She is also the author of Making a Pilgrimage. Welcome, John, Paul, and Joan.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Thank you so much. Great to be here. Thank you for being with us, John, Paul, and Joan. And I think Cecile has some questions that we'll start there, I think.

SPEAKER_07 8:14

Sure. And the so Verso Ministries is helping us plan our World Youth Day pilgrimage to Korea in Seoul, Korea, South Korea. And so I guess I'll start off. Have either of you actually been on a World Youth Day?

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Yes, we've both been to World Youth Day, but actually Verso was founded in the fields of Krakow because I was at World Youth Day in 2016 with Pope Francis. Um, and I was discerning this idea of starting my own pilgrimage ministry. And it was words from Pope Francis that actually inspired me to start what is now become Verso Ministry. So World Youth is very near and dear to my heart. We've taken the last couple of World Youths, taken groups to World Youth, and now we're preparing for the next one in Seoul, South Korea.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

And were the particular words of say of Pope Francis that uh that inspired you?

SPEAKER_00 9:04

There were, yeah, yeah. He was talking about um, you know, the living the life of Christ uh and how how much fear people have and and and kind of the idea that we know the right path to live. Um, but we have a lot of fear sometimes. Maybe it's fear of failure, fear of um looking silly or or you know, uh, you know, messing up, or um, in my case, I was discerning starting a new business. So I was I was discerning out of a fear of what if I lose a lot of money? What if I it doesn't work out? What if something bad happens, right? Uh what if I make a mistake and all this? Uh and the line was from actually it's kind of a European saying uh that mountain climbers use. And the basic gist of it is that they they say that the goal of climbing a mountain is not to never fall, it's to not remain fallen. And he said that line, and then he's like, and then who's there to pick you up when you fall? Well, obviously it's is it's Jesus, and it's Jesus extending his hand. And how many times does he do it? Does he just do it once? No, he does it many times, right? And he just can't and he, you know, he was in Krakow, so he was using the lines from Pope uh uh John Paul II, of course, as well. Do not be afraid. All of that kind of themes were all coming out during this speech, and that was really what inspired me to start Verso, because then I switched from discerning out of fear to discerning out of trust in the Lord and what the Lord had in store for me and this and this ministry, uh, and that just made the decision so easy, actually.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Amazing, amazing. God works in mysterious ways in Joan.

SPEAKER_04 10:34

So I went to my world youth with Verso, actually. Um, I had always said, I, you know, world youth is not for me. And John Paul helped change my mind. And I went to Portugal with Verso, and everything was so beautiful and such an inspiring experience of the universal church. My mindset was always like, I don't need to go to World Youth Day to see the Pope. I can go to Rome to see the Pope. But World Youth Day really isn't about seeing the Pope, it's about seeing the Universal Church and the body of Christ, and you can't really get that in any place but World Youth Day, and it was just so inspiring that I'm going back with Vers Oakersoul.

SPEAKER_07 11:14

Is this a first-time visit for you to Korea? Both of you. Have you been there?

SPEAKER_00 11:20

So we've been there in preparations for World Youth Day. Our team has been there several times, and I was there last summer. I I saw a lot of hotels and many a short amount of days. But it is a beautiful, beautiful country. Uh, I can't not say enough about how beautiful it is. And I and the striking thing is that not a lot of people know, right? They think of Korea as um, many people think of it as like, well, it's just kind of foreign. Like maybe we know Korean food, maybe we know Korean pop culture, right? That's there's aspects of the culture that have come over to the US. Um, but especially many Catholics don't think of Korea as a place you go on pilgrimage. Right. Right. Right. Um, but there's actually many Catholic pilgrimage sites there, and the history is just absolutely beautiful. We can probably get into that on this podcast today. Um, but there are so many Catholic pilgrimage sites, so many stories to learn about. And the beautiful thing is that it's also well documented. That the Korean, like the the history of it has been uh documented, it's organized, they they know the stories and and they share them, and it's just a beautiful place to go on pilgrimage, and not a place you would think of going on a pilgrimage.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

And Cecile, I think have you been on a World Day or two?

SPEAKER_07 12:34

Oh, I've been on six World U Days? Yeah, never with Pope Fran. I was explaining to Jonah and John Paul, never with uh Pope Francis as host, but uh my World U Day journey will be 30 years next year. Uh 1997 to Paris with Pope John Paul the Great. So um I have a little experience with World U Day myself, but uh I I guess John Paul, since uh speaking of that, are you named after Pope John Paul?

SPEAKER_00 13:04

I am, I am actually. Funnily enough, my I'm actually probably can't tell from the way I look, but I'm half Polish, half Chinese, and my dad is Polish Catholic, and I was born in the 80s when Pope John Paul was Pope, and uh my uncle also is John, my dad's best friend is Paul. You put all those things together, and uh I guess I was destined to do ministry by my name's sake.

SPEAKER_07 13:27

So very nice. Okay, and and also actually explain the name Verso. Where did that come from?

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Sure, yeah, Verso. So our patron saint, as you mentioned at the at the beginning, is our patron saint is Saint Pierre Giorgio Frasati. Um and he has a very famous photo of him. He was uh, so if people don't know who he is, he was a young adult, an Italian uh saint now. He was canonized last year. But he wrote to one of his correct, yes, yes, yes, they were canonized together. So he sent a photo to his friend of him climbing mountains, okay. And on it he signed it Versola Alto, which means in Italian to the heights. Okay. And I was telling my friend the story about, as you asked me about Bishop, the the founding of Verso and the the inspiration. I told him that that line from the mountain climbers, and I was at World Youth. Pior Giorgi Versati is the patron of World Youth, patron of young adults. Um, and my friend was like, oh, it's like kind of like Voscolo Auto. And at that time I'd never heard the phrase before, I didn't know what it meant uh or anything like this. But obviously the the mountain imagery, the saint, his story, and his his life of witness to the gospel, all of that just came together. Um and so we just shortened that to Verso Ministries, a little easier to say. Um, but that's where it came from.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

And Joan I'm sorry, Joan, have you been with Verso since the beginning?

SPEAKER_04 15:37

I haven't. I've been there for three and a half years, so three and a half, um, so about a third of Verso. Um, but it's it's been a great, a great time. And like I mentioned, that's why I went to World East Day. I actually moved up to South End Indiana for the job um and have loved it.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

Told those told those told those that memorable moment of uh Pope Francis and uh Lisbon, right? Uh yeah um sorry, Cecile, go ahead.

SPEAKER_07 16:01

No, no worries. So I I think one thing we have to kind of get this record straight is a lot of people, especially young people, they say, Oh, here's an opportunity to travel. I think what's something that especially you, Joan, you probably could speak more of this is why a pilgrimage? What sets a pilgrimage apart from actually like going on a vacation? I think that's important to know about world easy day.

SPEAKER_04 16:24

Yeah, so you know, on the outside, sometimes pilgrimages and vacations can look very similar. Um, you know, you're going often, not necessarily, but you're often going to a faraway place. Um, you know, you're experiencing the culture of the place. We think that's very important. That's not, you know, pilgrimage means entering holistically into the culture of a place, but you're going with a different intention. And I always kind of remind people it's more about the disposition than the destination. You can make a pilgrimage down the street, you know, if you have the right disposition. But something like World Youth Day, you know, I think a lot of people might go just for the adventure, just to go with their friends. And I hope that they will actually encounter Christ and it they will become pilgrims along the way. And so the whole reason Verso uses pilgrimage and that our whole viewpoint is to facilitate encounters with Jesus Christ. That's our mission at Verso Ministries. Everything we do here is pointing people to Jesus. So we will eat great food, we will experience great conversation, and all of that can lead us to that encounter with Christ. Um, and so pilgrimage and vacation might look a lot like look similar, but there's a different um, you know, at its root, they have a different purpose. I say it's more about receiving of what the Lord has to give you than grasping or then consuming, um, which sometimes, you know, vacation we consume a lot. Pilgrimage is what are we ready to receive from the Lord.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

And just as a word, adventure, I think, could go either way to vacation or pilgrimage. But if we listen closely to Pope Leo speaking to young people, he said, if you give your life to Christ, you're gonna experience an incredible adventure uh in in in what what the Lord has in store for you. So uh Pope Leo likes to use that word. I think he used it especially at the um um the um uh jubilee of of young people uh or young adults uh when he had that huge uh encounter, his first encounter with young people as Pope, I think in uh in June or July of 2025. Uh what he um uh I think in some ways really similar, carrying on with uh John Paul and Francis um that invitation to young people to not be afraid and and to give you allow uh give your life to Christ, allow him to guide you, and hopefully I would say he'll he'll he'll he'll lead you on an amazing adventure, which could begin in Korea for some, right?

SPEAKER_05 18:41

Amen.

SPEAKER_07 18:45

So uh uh here's a question. What is the best place of pilgrimage as we're talking about? What's a place that you is your favorite place is to travel on pilgrimage?

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Oh goodness, there are so many great places, but uh I I always have to go back to the Holy Land. Um I mean to be able to walk where Jesus walked, um, to see the places that we hear in the in the in the Bible every Sunday, every day you go to Mass, you're hearing about these places. And I had the opportunity to go there um several times now, but it was the first time that really struck me of of uh, you know, it's like it's like visiting Jesus' hometown, right? It's like you when you visit a friend's home for the first time, you learn so much about more about who they are, and you know, you meet the their family, you you see where they grew up, you see the school they went to, the the places they walked by, the the the the kind of like hear the stories again that he they've already told you, right? And that's that same feeling, right? When you go to the Holy Land that you've heard the stories of Jesus from you know, from many of us from when you're when you're first born. And uh to be able to go to those places and see where he walked and talked and did his ministry and his healings and all of that, it just it's it's it's an unforgettable uh place uh and um yeah, almost indescribable in many ways.

SPEAKER_04 20:07

I always say that picking your favorite pilgrimage site is like picking your favorite child because each one has its own love. Like I would definitely say the Holy Land, but I'd also say Rome. Um I'd probably say the last place I went on pilgrimage is my favorite because each one is just full of surprises and have changed my life in different ways. I think that's the other difference. Very rarely have I taken a vacation that has changed my life, but definitely I've taken pilgrimages that have changed my life, and that's the hope for World Youth Day, right? Um that in some ways it changes our lives and and sets us um closer to Christ on the pilgrimage of life.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

So um uh uh I'm not sure in our demographics that we have a huge uh uh viewership or listenership of of teenagers, late teens, and young adults who might be considering, but I'm sure there are some listening and watching, I hope. Uh but there will be parents, youth ministers, others, priests, um um, and uh we'll follow up with John Camarad again and Sis Teresa, who've been organizing our Darsin um uh uh group that's gonna be going. Uh and we looked at a number of different um uh groups like yourselves that uh that guide the pilgrims on their way. Um uh and and John and and Sis Teresa can speak a little bit about their choice of verse verso, but um what would you say to someone who's thinking about going uh or to parents or youth ministers or or priests or other leaders that might encourage um you know uh uh someone in their late teens or um a young adult to uh to to be part of World Youth Day and and maybe what verso um uh uh does to try to uh enhance that um experience of pilgrimage.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Yeah, that's a great, great question, Bishop. And I think you know, when you start considering going to World Youth Day or sending a a a child there's there's probably many fears that go into that, right? It's like, okay, hey, I'm going to a country I've never been to. Am I gonna like the food? Am I gonna know the language? Um, first of all, I'm I'm spending thousands of dollars to do this. I'm taking, you know, many days out of my life, you know, over a week, week and a half to go across, you know, all the way across the other side of the world. Um but to me it it's it's really about you know investing in in many ways your own formation, your your life, uh right? Like when you go on World Youth Day, uh as Joni mentioned, like it has the potential to change your life. If you're if you're open to the experience, right? It's all about listening to what God has in store for you, to learning from the people around you. Um, you're gonna be asking life's biggest questions during this week, right? It's just designed to, you know, a pilgrimage kind of takes you out of your ordinary life and it helps you actually see more clearly your your life back home in this crazy way, right? You're all the way across the world, but you're thinking about your relationships back home, the things you're involved in, the you know, if you're in college, the the things that you you want to study or the people you want to date, or you know, these big life questions come up during a pilgrimage. Um so you know, I would say if you're if you're searching for something, if you're searching for community, if you're searching for purpose in your life, um, for clarity around a tough decision, um, all of those might be reasons why you consider going. Um and I know it's a lot of time, I know it's a lot of money, but it's also really kind of this idea of an investment in your own life, right? And in or in somebody else's life to to do something you know amazing um and in a in a very positive way change the trajectory of your life.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

You just described uh some thoughts I had this morning. Um uh Cecile, it'll be 30 years. For me, it'll be 34. I was in uh uh World Youth Day in Denver with the great Saint Saint Joe Pope John Paul II, as I've spoken about before, but the theme for that week was um uh that they may have have life and have it in abundance. Jesus said he came so that we might have life and have it in abundance. Uh I started thinking about uh what it means to live a life in Christ. Even though I had been in my first year in the seminary, it was uh a great help to me to just continue discerning my vocation. It it caused me to ask some real questions and clarify some things about what was meaningful, what mattered. Um, and I know I'm looking forward to uh Pope Leo, God bless him. He's chosen that beautiful theme, um the Lord's words at the Last Supper. Take courage, for I have overcome the world. So uh I'm sure that'll help a lot of our young people as well. Um, Joan, maybe something about uh a word to those who um may be considering attending or their parents or others that might encourage a young person. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:51

So I would encourage people, um, especially like grandparents or parents who maybe their kids aren't quite sure that the Catholic faith's for them. I just want to remind people that World Youth Day is still for you. And I think sometimes people come to Verso and they're like, I'm not holy enough for a pilgrimage. And that's a lie, right? Pilgrimage is for everyone. And so if you're if you have a lot of questions on your heart and you're not sure if you belong in the church, or you have a son or a daughter or a grandchild who's not quite sure they belong in the church, totos, totos, totally like come to World Youth Day because pilgrimage is for everyone. One thing Verso does is we rely really heavily on this experience um and preparing for this experience. My whole job is information, and so I provide youth ministers, I provide diocese and leaders, but I also provide individuals ways to prepare their hearts and minds for this trip. What are we gonna see in Korea? What are we getting into with the history of Korea, the church in Korea? What is a pilgrimage? How am I preparing this? And some people will take advantage of those things and some people might not, but the people who do, I think will enter into this experience even more. So we believe your pilgrimage starts as soon as you sign up. And now is the time to prepare your heart and your mind and also provide those those resources. But if you're on the fence and you think like, oh, I'm not holy enough for pilgrimage, that's really the devil talking. I would love to go to Egypt anyway.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

I have to get to Poland. I want to go to uh see where John Paul grew up in Middle Studio Krakow and um I'll get please God. I didn't make it for World Youth Day and uh when it was in Poland, but Bishop, you gotta go.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

It's a beautiful country. Beautiful country. So I'm struggling to answer because I just ticked off one off the list which was Lourdes. I never had been to Lourdes. We've sent so many groups to Lourdes, but I never had personally been there.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

You weren't there this weekend with Pope Leo, were you?

SPEAKER_00 27:15

No, I was not. But they were preparing. We saw all the signs and everything, they were so excited. So I took my family there this uh August with uh three of my four children. We left the baby at home with my mom.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Uh thanks, mom.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

Um we are planning, so you know, like to Joni's point, um, you know, you can do a pilgrimage in so many different places. Um, and so you know, I just encourage people like you you don't have to spend a week and fly across the ocean to go on pilgrimage. Like there are so many pilgrimage sites just you know in either in your diocese or nearby, like you can drive somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 27:54

Um We're having a diocese pilgrimage to the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. I'm not sure if this episode will come out before or after, but we're hoping that many will take that opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Yeah, that's a beautiful spot. Like just right in your backyard, right? So you can you don't have to go far away to do a pilgrimage, you can do it um locally as well.

SPEAKER_07 28:15

So I think that's an excellent point, too, because Bishop 2. Also Saturday we have the Eucharistic pilgrimage to uh the Carmelites. I was telling Jo Joan and uh John Paul a little bit about uh our last episode.

SPEAKER_02 28:29

Cecilia, what was the most memorable of the six that you went on to be previously?

SPEAKER_07 28:33

I'd have to say Sydney because it was Australia.

SPEAKER_02 28:38

Right.

SPEAKER_07 28:38

Uh it was uh we I I guess because it was so contained, it was it was not many people attended it be I because it's so far, but uh because of that we were really able to see Pope Benedict, who I I guess we forget that Pope Benedict did hold some world youth.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

Yeah, Cologne also.

SPEAKER_07 28:54

Right, and it was it was very special to be in Australia. And uh one thing I still remember to this day is the theme of that World Utah, which was which was about the Holy Spirit. I have a keychain still that I hold what year was that? 2008. That's still on my set of keys about um you will be my witnesses. I'm gonna misquote it, but uh I still remember that theme so much. And and I remember they had a beautiful adoration tat at the pilgrimage site, and it it was just an unbelievable experience to be in Australia.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

Yeah, that was a blessing.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

I know I'm the guest here, but if I may ask Bishop one question of you, because I'm always fascinated because I feel like we work with a lot of dioceses, and there are certainly many bishops that are very supportive of World Youth A. Um, but I'm sure there are some that are that aren't as supportive. But why why are you interested in supporting World Uh Day? Like why is this something that your diocese is participating? Um, I believe you're you're coming with to Korea. Is that correct? Looking forward to it, yeah. Um why why is this so much important to you?

SPEAKER_02 29:59

The first simplest answer is because being in Denver in 1993 changed my life. I mean it it it it changed my faith, it it brought me closer to the Lord the universal church. Uh I had not experienced the universal church, and then being with a million people in Cherry Creek Park celebrating Mass with and a vigil the night before with uh Pope John Paul II. I mean, um so for if if if I could as Bishop uh give any young person in my diocese that experience, um, which in some ways, as Joni said, um I you there's a uniqueness to World Youth Day, uh that experience of the Universal Church. Um so that would be number one. Um, and then um I I went as vocation director twice as as in when I was vocation director in Brooklyn, um, uh in Sydney and Cologne, and uh you know it helped discerners and seminarians, uh and it certainly produces vocations. Um and then uh being there, my only one as bishop was in Lisbon. And uh it's just a blessing for the diocese, for families, for parishes. Uh I've said that um I think the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis a few years ago, so many of the leaders of that um effort were uh were in Denver in 1993, you know. So it World Youth Day gives uh uh they might it might not happen immediately, but five or ten years down the line, those young people are gonna be leaders in their parishes and their in in the in the church. Uh and so um I could go top ten reasons why, but those are a few.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

Thank you for sharing. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

Um thank you for your time, and we'll be looking forward to um connecting. And uh um John and uh camaradens Teresa are gonna give some details for those who are interested. And uh I know we'll be planning some uh gatherings as and Joan, you make a good point. The pilgrimage begins uh once you sign up, and uh maybe even in that process of discernment of signing up. So we'll be praying for those who might be considering it at this time. Uh Cecile, were there any other questions that you had for John Paul or still Joan?

SPEAKER_07 31:52

I I think that's it. Just thank you on behalf of the diocese for hosting us uh for this amazing experience.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

It's a real pleasure. Honestly, it yeah, it's a big privilege to support you and support your pilgrims uh and give them this opportunity to have this great experience.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

Thank you so much. Hope to see you soon, and God bless you and your families. Thank you and your ministry. Thank you so much. God bless. Take care. Thank you, Cecile.

SPEAKER_06 32:15

Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

Wow, very um now. I see why you chose them. They're great. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_07 32:26

So uh I guess so how many pilgrims do we have signed up so far? What parishes? And also, too, Bishop, you are the host of like maybe three or four different dioceses.

SPEAKER_02 32:36

Oh, right. We have a few, we have a few uh neighbors and friends coming with us, right?

SPEAKER_08 32:39

Yes, right. So we're just so grateful that, Bishop, you're going to be joining us. Um you're actually leading and supporting. We have the diocese of Bridgeport, Trenton, Metutchein, and we actually also have some pilgrims from um Hartford Diocese. So um right now we're looking at close to a hundred altogether, with the bulk of the pilgrims coming from the diocese of Patterson.

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Diocese of Bridgeport as a Brooklyn Ident as there, Bishop Cajano, who's participated in many, many, many youth days and was all World Youth Days and was often uh a phenomenal um catechetical speaker for the young people. Um uh so we're happy that each of the dioceses and we have a new uh bishop in in Metouchin, our neighbor from uh the Archbishop Archdiocese of Newark, uh Bishop Saparito, and who knows, maybe he'll decide to join us.

SPEAKER_08 33:32

That's the unknown factor right now. So we have to wait till he gets installed and gets going. Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

And how many from our own diocese?

SPEAKER_03 33:41

We're probably uh over 80 out of that hundred are from the diocese of Patterson and probably about twelve different parishes, I would say.

SPEAKER_07 33:50

Okay. Well, something interesting too. I mean, sister, I know you were like, oh, just because I'm Korean American. But what was your reaction when you found out World Youth was in Korea? Or for many of us, what was your reaction about it being in Korea?

SPEAKER_08 34:04

Well, I was surprised as I am every time a country is announced, but I felt, oh wow. You know? Um and then the more I thought about it and reconnected with the current reality of Korea, I became more and more excited because although it's the second Asian country to host a World Youth Day, it's actually the first country with a minority Catholic population. Interesting. So the statistics in 2023 say 45% profess no religion, about um 30% Christian, with 11% being Catholic, and then the rest is Buddhist. So I'm just really excited for South Korea to um witness.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

And also here more locally, uh, one of the beauties of the immigrant charge here in our country, um, you know, we see how blessed we are with different cult cultures and and languages and histories and um the the the the Korean community in some Catholic churches here in North Jersey. And I know my own experience in Brooklyn and Queens, we had many, I had a classmate, Father Gabriel Lee, we and um we probably had six or eight um uh young men who grew up in in Brooklyn and Queens or were born in Korea and and came with their families uh and entered the seminary and um and were ordained as priests with and they would also often talk about uh going to um uh youth min youth retreats um uh in Jersey. Uh I wasn't exactly but then it turned out, and now I'm remembering it there's also a connection, a local connection to uh Brother Marinus, uh who was tight with the Korean church, uh the um St. Paul's Abbey and Newton. So that's where uh but uh maybe just two things, sister to um say a word about the local um Catholic Korean community here in North Jersey, um and uh and then their connection maybe with Brother Marinus and uh and St. Paul's Abbey and Newton.

SPEAKER_08 36:11

Okay. So probably the greatest concentration of Korean, Korean American parishes would be in the Archdiocese of Newark.

SPEAKER_02 36:18

They've been coming to Newton for youth ministers for youth retreats, right?

SPEAKER_08 36:21

Yes, yes, yes. So between Sacred Heart Center and St. Paul's Abbey, they receive um a lot of the youth groups and young adult groups for retreats, life in the spirit seminars or Antioch or other types of retreats. And Brother Marinus, uh, you could find out more online, but um Bishop Saritelli began the process. Bishop Sweeney continues to support it for the beatification of uh Brother Marinus, who is buried at St. Paul's Abbey. I mean, the And I think we actually had an episode on Brother Marinus.

SPEAKER_02 36:55

Yes, we did, right.

SPEAKER_08 36:56

I guess the Christmas miracle. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 36:59

As the merchant marine captain, he took many um refugees from North uh East Korea, I guess, around the peninsula to safety. Um and uh and when the numbers in the Abbey were getting low, a number the Korean community sent uh Benedictine monks, who many of them serve now here in Newton, right?

SPEAKER_08 37:17

Right, correct.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

So a lot of connections with the money. Yes, yes. And uh so there's still time, right? Uh for those who might be interested. Uh John, what would you say as a youth ministry? You're still even though you're uh serving as the executive director of St. Paul's, you still, I believe, are involved in youth ministry at St. Peter the Apostle? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:37

Uh not anymore, so but I'm still run the Office of Youth Ministry for the devices. So yeah, so uh there still is time. Uh you know, we want people to sign up as quick as they possibly can, but uh always we could get people in for sure.

SPEAKER_02 37:50

Be great by the end of October, but even through the end of the calendar year, there's still time to sign up. Yes. Yes. But don't wait, right? Don't wait.

SPEAKER_08 37:55

Right, because um we're moving towards deadlines of um flight availability and room availability. So with the size of our group, Verso said we're about mid-size, and um we're hoping to keep all of our pilgrims together on the same flight and the same hotel. So the sooner pilgrims register, the better.

SPEAKER_02 38:20

Uh and Cecile, as a veteran of uh six World Youth Days, what would you say to someone thinking about uh uh themselves or their children or grandchildren, the young people they know uh joining us uh for World Youth Day, especially maybe someone who's never been to World Youth Day before.

SPEAKER_07 38:37

So uh so I was 17 years old when I was invited to World Youth Day by my youth minister, Lori G. Gaetano, uh St. Anthony's in Passake. And uh for me, I grew up in an inner city, so I saw this as the opportunity to kind of see the world. But then when I got there, you experienced something different. You don't just see Paris, but you see the universal church at work. And uh I I feel like Pope John Paul became kind of like my Catholic saint. He was very, he spoke to young people in a way that was very loving, and you felt empowered to make a difference in your church. And so from there I went to Rome.

SPEAKER_02 39:13

Paris in 97, then Rome in 2000.

SPEAKER_07 39:16

2002, I went to Toronto, 2005, I went to Cologne, 2008, I went to Sydney, and then 2011 I went to Madrid. Uh I feel bad because I never experienced a World Youth Day with Pope Francis. I did get to see him though when me and my husband went to uh on our honeymoon, we went to Rome, so I did get to see Pope Francis then. And uh me and John have an interesting connection because uh we both were on that we met. Yeah, on that 1997 World Youth Day uh in Paris. And and it was Bishop Roderimer, like we talk about the bishops that supported uh World Youth Day, and Bishop Dimer really supported the youth.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

As the bishops ever tell you.

SPEAKER_07 39:52

Yes, and um, I could see pictures of Bishop Rodimer with us sitting on the ground doing pilgrimage things, and uh, I think that's very important that young people see their bishop too in these experiences with them, because then it makes you feel like wow, you're a part of this church.

SPEAKER_02 40:09

We do we do it together, we do it together. Sister, have you been in the world you think before?

SPEAKER_08 40:13

I have uh to Denver when I was a mere youth, okay. A young adult. I was fresh out of college, and our parish with the Archdiocese of Newark, from our parish alone, I think we had about 85 youth who we took. So that was a tremendous experience. And I've heard you talking about uh Cherry Creek Park and the vigil. And it was really, I was kind of a closet Catholic up to that point, very private in my faith, a Sunday Mass Goer, and that's about it. But really attending and participating in World Youth Day was really to see the universal church and to see a vigorous John Paul II as our Pope and leader, and to see so many religious sisters. It just kept feeding that desire in me to be a more active young adult in the church and to be closer to Jesus and to just love him more.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

And um uh that's right, uh boy time flies, right? But uh but thank God for those experiences. We never know what how God will touch our hearts and and and introduce us to the universal church, that we're part of that mystical body of Christ. And uh thank God for youth ministers. Um uh maybe John, a word about uh, you know, as a youth minister, seeing these young people in the parish uh talking about World Youth Day, them signing up, them going and coming back. How have you seen it impact um young people's lives?

SPEAKER_03 41:41

It's it it's amazing, right? So, you know, I went as a college student in 97 and then uh in 2002 to Toronto and Cologne, I was the leader of a parish group. And the best way to describe a World Youth Day is um it's a glimpse into the garden. It's it's exactly what God wants us to be together. So when you see, you know, either a Eucharistic Congress or an NCYC or a World Youth A, when you have thousands of people together and they're worshiping together and they're praying together and they're sharing meals, singing, and trading things, talking to me, and to to not see any arguments, not to see any fights, to see exactly how it's supposed to be. And so it's an amazing experience. And you you just mentioned before, uh, you know, years later, those people are now becoming leaders in the parishes, and and I think that's a great um point to make that there there is a responsibility. When you get a glimpse of the garden, you have to go back and bring it to the space that you occupy and bring it back to your parishes and your families and and your workplaces. Uh it it is uh uh an experience like no other. And and when you you're with there and and it is uh tiring and it is you know exhausting at times, but when you celebrate Mass with a million people and and and you say, Well my God, this is something. You know, it's really beautiful.

SPEAKER_08 43:00

If if I may add, you know, um Pope Leo recently to 80,000 French youth, you know, he said to them, You are the saints of the church. You know, we're used to hearing you are the future of the church, now it's become you are the now of the church. But Pope Leo said to these youth, you are the saints of the church. And he summed up his whole um days in France with one word saying rebirth. And when you say, you know, how did I feel when I heard Korea was the next World Youth Day destination? I think as I continue to work with John and with Bishop and all of our youth ministers and parishes, that hope is also there, like the rebirth of the church in Korea. And if I could make an appeal to, we need prayer warriors for our pilgrimage. Yes, we are the ones who will be attending and going and doing the hard work of the physical labor and the trekking and everything. Um, I remember as a youth minister taking 86 high school kids. It's demanding, it's strenuous, but again, the joy and the reward. But for those of us, I mean, for those who will be remaining home here, we need your prayers, you know, as we prepare, but also while we're there. Because it is monsoon season. Please go. I am um asking for the prayers that during that one week of traditional monsoon season, it will be the most beautiful weather. Um, and then it can be in addition to the personal witness of us being in there. Like this is the Lord of heaven and earth, of winds and water, sun and rain, and um God providing, God willing, we could have some good weather while we're there. Although, if it's not good weather, it's all part of the mortification and dependence and sacrificing the offering. Yes. And the second appeal is we have a scholarship through the generosity of um some of our diocesan friends, and that's how I am also able to participate as a religious sister, but through the generosity of some of our friends, we're also looking to sponsor two young adults. But if you feel in your heart that maybe God is calling on you, inspiring you to sponsor a young adult or a youth, um, please get in touch with Bishop, John Camarada, or me, and we will um assist you and accompany you in putting your gifts to good use for the sake of um these young souls and the building up of the church in Patterson. So thank you for letting me make this appeal.

SPEAKER_02 45:44

Thank you, thank you, sister.

unknown 45:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 45:46

Great. Um so we'll put their uh Sister and John's uh contact information in the show notes, right? And uh there's still time, so please um pray for us. Uh maybe consider uh supporting uh a young person to go and uh and consider uh joining us uh on our pilgrimage to Korea for World Youth Day.

SPEAKER_08 46:05

And this information and more is on our website.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

Including the uh the scholarship, the uh the the uh the opportunity to go to win a uh uh a trip to join us.

SPEAKER_08 46:15

And for all the pilgrims, a meet and greet with Bishop Knight, uh morning of reflection, and then a pilgrim's retreat day prior to departure with a commissioning mass. So we really hope you'll join us and pray with us, whether here or on the trip.

unknown 46:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 46:32

Now, are there any other youth-related diocesan events to uh well diocesan youth day?

SPEAKER_03 46:38

So November 8th is our Diocesan Youth Day at St. Elizabeth University, uh, and you can visit St. Paul Inside the Walls website for the uh registration. And yeah, we have a great uh speaker, uh Brayden Johnson, who's an international Catholic speaker, and we have the Scally brothers doing a concert also. So it's gonna be a great day. Join us.

SPEAKER_08 46:56

Will you be there, Bishop? I will. Yeah, we're the youth with the biggest. And mess with Bishop. Where the youth are. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 47:02

Very nice. Okay. All right. So is there anything else?

SPEAKER_02 47:07

I think we're good to go.

SPEAKER_07 47:08

Okay. Good. All right. So then let's say the outro and say thank you for joining us. Please subscribe, comment, and leave a positive rating. Get to know us better by following Bishop's Instagram and beyond the beacon on social media. Read the bishop's weekly column on beaconnj.org. Get in touch with us if you have a question for the bishop or a podcast episode ideal, and see you next time.

SPEAKER_02 47:32

Thank you, everybody. God bless you.