By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Father Silverio Rueda, now recovered from his return trek from the papal Mass the day before, points out some of the artistic details of the church in Zakopane.
KRAKOW, Poland | Nothing was going to stop Father Silverio Rueda from concelebrating the final World Youth Day Mass with Pope Francis.
Not the pain caused by walking long distances. Not the heat. Not the humidity. Not his diabetes. Not the fact that he just fought a bout with cancer.
Along with his tremendous sense of humor, the Colombia-born priest brought his wheelchair and a friend from St. Ann Mission in Homestead, Salvador Plasencia, to help out. But Plasencia is not a priest, so he did not have the credentials to accompany him to the sacristy at Campus Misericordiae.
Father Rueda didn’t spend the night in the field with the St. Ann pilgrims. He and another priest who spent time with the Miami group, Father Alejandro Lopez Cardinale, set out together early Sunday morning.
They took a cab, which took them to an area behind the altar where more than 4,000 priests were vesting.
The way back was tougher. No cabs were available. It was past noon, and the heat was unbearable. But walking was their only option.
They moved slowly, resting often. But at one point, Father Rueda simply couldn't walk anymore.
“I was not in any pain," he recalled. "But my legs just wouldn’t move.”
Father Lopez Cardinale found a policeman who drove them about 100 yards to one of the many ambulances that lined the road to the Campus Misericordiae.
The medical staff rubbed a gel on Father Rueda’s legs. Gave him an injection for the pain. Found that his blood sugar was over 300.
They suggested he get it stabilized at a hospital. But that would mean at least an overnight stay, and the Miami group was traveling to Zakopane the next morning.
Forget it, both priests said. They kept walking and finally found a cab just as they neared central Krakow. They had walked about two-and-a-half hours.
Father Rueda did not attend the farewell dinner that night with Archbishop Thomas Wenski. He got to the hotel and went straight to bed.
The archbishop noted his sacrifice and praised him. “What a model of a priest, of a human being, of a Catholic,” he said.
The pilgrims prayed for him. Many asked how he was doing.
Father Rueda put all the worries to rest the next morning when he presided at the Mass the pilgrims celebrated in Zakopane. At the end, he took the time to play tour guide � something he loves �- and to point out some of the historical and artistic features of the church.
One St. Ann pilgrim recalled what he had told her when she asked how he felt earlier that morning.
His reply: “I feel 15 years younger.”
