Cologne, Germany, Aug 15, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Yvonne Aquino, Aldo Polo and Jorge Rodriguez never thought they would make a two-week pilgrimage to World Youth Day (WYD) 2005 in Cologne, Germany.
But about a year ago, the parishes of St. Johann and St. Marien in Donaueschingen, located in southern Germany, informed Cristo Redentor Parish in Trujillo, Peru, that they had funds to welcome three young people for WYD, Aug. 16-21.
The three young Peruvians accepted the invitation and were hosted in the small German town for one week, prior to WYD, to participate in the Days of Encounter with another 33 French-speaking Canadian youth.
The Days of Encounter is an opportunity for pilgrims to share in the life of a German parish community for a few days, learn about the culture, and grow in faith. The Days of Encounter are not new to the WYD program; they have existed since WYD 1997.