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UST Students Reflect on World Youth Day Experience
10/3/2008
Described as an epic and  spiritually transformative event, a group of 10 University of St. Thomas students and four staff chaperones traveled to Sydney, Australia for World Youth Day 2008 in July.
They joined approximately 500,000 young Catholic pilgrims in the company of Pope Benedict XVI, who shared his wisdom on this year’s WYD theme, “Receive the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Retreat time in the Blue Mountains, catechetical days in Sydney, the vigil and Papal Mass at Randwick Racetrack, and challenging experiences during the journey all made the pilgrimage life-changing. This is what takes place in the lives of UST students involved in spiritual programs and outreach, be it World Youth Day, the Catholic Studies Rome study abroad, or the upcoming Holy Land pilgrimage.
 UST pilgrims included students Ivan Navarro, Nick Montes, Prescilla Montemayor, Allie Righthouse, Sheena Byrne, Kailey Posterick, Jennifer Callon, Jennifer Monroy, Ivan Earls, Megan Silva, and staff chaperones Sister Maura Behrenfeld, FSE , Joanna Palasota, Dr. Steve Sutton and Father Michael Earthman.
Kailey Posterick, a sophomore psychology and theology major, was among the UST students who traveled to WYD. Upon returning from Australia, Posterick penned an account of her reflections, and recorded how the journey profoundly impacted her fellow UST pilgrims. The following comments were featured in Posterick’s article published in the August 8 edition of The Texas Catholic Herald.
 “Our group all seemed to be expecting different things from WYD,” Posterick wrote. “Some of us didn’t know what to expect; some were expecting a spiritual renewal or to find their place with God again. Others were hoping to figure out their vocation, or maybe to receive the Holy Spirit.”
In his very first address to the WYD crowd, Pope Benedict XVI told the youth, “Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth and where identity is found in respectful communion … It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the world!”
Posterick remarked at the immensity and diversity of cultures at WYD, all of whom were united in faith. “Being at World Youth Day with half a million people from all over the world shows the universality of the Catholic Church.,” Posterick said. “We didn’t all speak the same language, but we could all say Amen and Hallelujah.”
Jennifer Callon echoed the same sentiments, “Since I had never been to a WYD before, so I didn’t know what to expect. Actually celebrating Mass with the Holy Father and so many people in one location was such a powerful witness to the Christian faith that it was an experience that I couldn’t have prepared for.”
For recent UST graduates  Jennifer Monroy and Ivan Navarro, The experience at WYD strengthened their confidence in their own faith and provided spiritual inspiration to help transition into life after college.
“There is no way I could have imagined all the amazing things that happened,” Monroy said. “As a recent graduate, this experience has given me spiritual renewal, guidance and strength to face full-on whatever might come next.”
Navarro reflected, “By praying with the Pope, praising God with people from many different countries and receiving the Holy Spirit, I was able to feel God’s love for the world like I had never felt it before. I don’t think that I could be ashamed to speak about my faith publicly and proclaim this divine love after this trip to Sydney.”
 Posterick said the students were all grateful for the leadership of UST staff chaperones Sister Maura Behrenfeld, FSE, Dr. Steve Sutton, Joanna Palasota and Fr. Michael Earthman, whose tireless efforts and detailed preparations made the trip possible, and whose guidance and support enhanced the experience.
In preparation for the journey, the students raised about $20,000 – nearly half of the trip’s total cost. They participated in numerous fundraisers around campus in the community including bake sales, a large-scale garage sale, hosting an Australian-themed dinner catered by Outback Steakhouse, speaking engagements and even working as “Christmas elves,” to wrap gifts.
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