Although World Youth Day will not begin officially begin until Aug. 16, I am already in Madrid, awaiting the arrival of our group on Aug. 12. Claretian Missionary Sister Olga Villar, who also works in Miami, is guiding this first part of the pilgrimage.

Our group is made up of 29 Hispanic young adults from different parishes of the Archdiocese of Miami and two from the Diocese of St. Augustine. They come from nine different countries of origin (Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela, USA). We have been meeting for at least a year and a half to raise funds to be able to participate in World Youth Day; but most importantly, we have been building community and preparing ourselves spiritually.

The majority of the group began the pilgrimage Aug. 6, when they flew to Paris. They spent two days there before visiting Liseaux, the town of St. Therese of the Little Flower. Then they will go to Barcelona and from there visit the places important in Claretian history — the church-crypt in Vic that houses the body of our order’s co-founder, San Antonio Maria Claret, and the convent/church in Reus where the Venerable Maria Antonia París, our other co-founder, is buried.

The group will arrive in Madrid on Aug. 12 and together we will travel to Segovia, a city to the north of Madrid, to participate in Days in the Diocese with the Claretian Family. This event brings together 1,200 young people from different parts of the world where Claretian priests and sisters labor. We will spend these days celebrating our faith in Jesus Christ, taking part in cultural activities and visiting local sites of interest.

The final phase of the pilgrimage is the World Youth Day event in Madrid, beginning Aug. 16 and ending with a vigil and closing Mass on the 21st. In between, we will participate in daily catechesis, welcome Pope Benedict XVI (Thursday, Aug. 18), and walk the Way of the Cross (Friday, Aug. 19). On Monday, the group will visit Avila, the town of the other St. Teresa, and return to the U.S. the next day.

Our hostel has Internet, so stay tuned for our blogs and pictures the week of Aug. 15.