Sisters lead group to World Youth Day in Cologne

HOUSTON (08-24-2005) - Sister Clare Hunter and Sister Naomi Zimmermann led a group of 24 from Houston, Texas and Cheshire, Connecticut and Kentucky, to the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, where Pope Benedict XVI joined 1.2 million people gathered to celebrate their Catholic faith.

The World Youth Days were started by Pope John Paul II as a way to renew a sense of pilgrimage in young Catholics as well as providing the opportunity to experience the universal Church. Joining Sister Naomi and Sister Clare were Professors Richard and Kim Fossey of Houston, Texas, and students from the University of St. Thomas, the University of Houston and members of the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral parish.

Part of the World Youth Day included "Days of Encounter" where the group was hosted by a German parish, Christ the King, in Augsburg. The four days at the parish were organized by Pastor Fr. Manfred Krumm, and were spent working and praying together as well as learning about the Bavarian culture by living with host families. The outpouring of hospitality, generosity and collaboration was a humbling experience for the Houston group.

Father Krumm has been a long-time friend of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. His hometown parish in Ettenbueren, Bavaria, was the parish of the Franciscan tertiaries who left their country in 1849 to serve the needs of German immigrants in Wisconsin, USA. From that original group of women and men, three Franciscan orders have evolved, including the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, and now, also the Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist. (Left) Father Krumm, Sister Naomi and Sister Clare stand next to the commemorative plaque at the church in Ettenbueren in honor of the three religious communities with roots in the parish: the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, La Crosse, Wisconsin; and the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, Meriden, Connecticut.

On August 15, the group traveled to Cologne for the World Youth Day events that included catechism, prayer experiences, a pilgrimage to the Cathedral in Cologne, and opportunities to meet thousands of young people from all over the world. Pilgrim Cindy Rodriguez, found the pilgrimage very valuable stating,"Something that I learned was that even though it was hard communicating with words, kindness, love and our faith are understood universally." Although the group found the enormous crowds overwhelming at times, the excitement and love for the Catholic faith and for the new Pope gave each member a new energy in life.

The group thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see Pope Benedict XVI at his first World Youth Day and found that the youth of the world respond very positively to the new Pope. The pilgrims are excited about putting into practice Pope Benedict's closing statement "I know that you as young people have great aspirations, that you want to pledge yourselves to build a better world. Let others see this, let the world see it, since this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ; in this way, and through your love above all, the world will be able to discover the star that we follow as believers."