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Overcast Rockville Centre girls attend World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro
Kellenberg students travel to Brazil
By Amanda McKelvey
rvceditor@liherald.com
Rockville Centre residents Lyndsey Ruchalski and Taylor McLaughlin were among 60 incoming seniors from Kellenberg Memorial High School to attend World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, late last month.
Ruchalski and McLaughlin arrived in Rio on July 19, part of a contingent of 103 students from Chaminade High School and Kellenberg. The group stayed in the Copacabana Palace across from the beach where Pope Francis would celebrate Mass only a week later. Before the pope arrived, the group toured landmarks in Rio and attended Masses prepared especially for them.
“We visited many churches, such as the Virgin of Aparecida Basilica, where we were lucky enough to have a Mass just to ourselves at the site right on the water where a miracle took place,” McLaughlin said.
Ruchalski, McLaughlin and their classmates took a trip to the Sugarloaf Mountains that overlook Rio, and visited the 130-foot-tall Christ the Redeemer statue, despite heavy fog.
“One night we set out on the beach for the Mass given by the archbishop of Brazil,” Ruchalski said. “We camped out on the beach for nine hours to claim our territory. In the meantime, we traded with those from all over the world. When the Mass started, the whole beach was packed with 500,000 people, all facing the altar.”
Anticipating the pope’s arrival, the group attended a live depiction of the Stations of the Cross and concerts on the beach performed by Christian rock and pop bands.
Ruchalski and McLaughlin both mentioned how welcoming people were. World Youth Day, July 28, drew about 3.5 million Catholics from all over the world to the Copacabana Beach for the pope’s visit.
“The people from Brazil were incredible,” Ruchalski said. “One time during lunch, my group had a hard time trying to pay, since we couldn’t understand Portuguese. The people next to us said that they could pay for us. They definitely gave us a warm welcome.”
“No matter what language someone spoke, you could just shout out ‘Papa Francisco!’ and the entire street would burst into cheering,” McLaughlin said. “People would see my American flag pins and bandanas and run up and beg me to trade pins with them. The love and respect people had for each other was amazing, to say the least. I met people from Guam, Paris, Germany, Chile and even Iraq.”
When the pope arrived, the group saw him from the balcony of their hotel. Pope Francis presided over an adoration of the Eucharist, at which millions knelt silently on the beach. The group also attended a closing Mass the following day.
“He gave an amazing homily which told us we have the power to make disciples and not to be afraid because with God we can find joy,” Ruchalski said. “The experience is one I’ll never forget.”
