Members of a Chicora church are busy selling hoagies and hosting spaghetti feeds in February, but their efforts will pay off in August when they travel to Europe for World Youth Day.

Originally held in Rome in 1986, the event has been offered every two to three years. It is hosted by Pope John Paul II.

This year, World Youth Day is being held in Cologne, Germany, and nearby cities of Bonn and Dusseldorf. Youths from around the world are making the pilgrimage.

Joanne Sheehan, a member of Mater Dolorosa Roman Catholic Church who is coordinating the effort, saw an advertisement for the pilgrimage in a newsletter. She thought the event would be a wonderful opportunity for youths like her 14-year-old son, Daniel.

Sheehan called her priest about the pilgrimage and was put in charge of planning the trip and finding youths interested in going.

The event offers a way to celebrate Catholicism for those age 14 to 35 or those in at least eighth grade who have been through confirmation.

"We're in a time when religion is scoffed at," Sheehan said.

"Kids out there are running on empty because they have no religion to fill them."

Sheehan said the trip has several spots still available for youth outside the parish.

Those traveling to Germany will not be living in luxury. Instead, they will be walking a good deal, carrying a backpack with their belongings and sleeping in large groups in churches and schools.

The theme for this year's event is "We have come to worship Him," from Matthew 2:2. The theme focuses on the Magi and how their travels are like those of the youth. Cologne is home to the Relics of the Magi, the three wise men of the Bible.

The group is being sponsored by Youthtowne, part of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in Clinton, Pa. Youthtowne has set a goal of sponsoring and sending 1,000 youths to World Youth Day as a tribute to the pope.

With the help of Youthtowne, Sheehan's group has participated in fund-raising events, including selling 15-foot hoagies for $5, 50/50 raffles and private donations.

Saturday afternoon, the youths were busy with their latest event, a spaghetti dinner.

Eleven youths and four adults from Mater Dolorosa, including their priest, are signed up for the trip. It costs only $800 a person thanks to a private benefactor of Youthtowne, who is funding the other costs.

In addition to the $800, travelers must pay for two meals and their passports. All other expenses are covered.

Sheehan said the group needs to raise a total of $12,000, but has already raised about $7,000.

"It's a parish event," Sheehan said of support from Mater Dolorosa parishioners. "There is a real sense of community in the church. People can support at any level they want."

Kim Klingensmith is happy her daughter, Jennifer Smith, 15, is going on the trip.

"This is an opportunity I could not provide her," said Klingensmith.

Klingensmith said she wishes she could go herself, but has other commitments. She said World Youth Day has excited her whole family.

"I remember when Joanne first announced the trip in church," said Klingensmith," whose other daughter is too young to go on the trip. "She said, 'Kids, poke your parents,' and I had pokes on both sides."

The group will arrive in Germany on Aug. 15 and attend celebrations that evening.

The rest of the week will consist of prayer, mass, music, a youth festival, an international festival, celebrations with the pope and spiritual and social growth and interaction with youths from around the world.

Sheehan recalls when she got to see the pope several years ago.

"Old people were screaming like they were at a rock concert," she said.

Despite the pope's declining health, hopes are high his health will improve.

"The pope is coming to Cologne," said Prelate Dr. Heinrich Koch, general secretary of World Youth Days in a statement released Feb. 2 on World Youth Day's Web site, www.worldyouthday.org.

World Youth Day will still take place, even if the pope is unable to attend, according to Koch.

Jenn Smith, Alaina Burns, Jonathan Burns, and Tiffany Parker are other teens planning to make the trip.

Smith is looking forward to seeing Germany and meeting the Pope.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to go back someday," she said.

"I'd like to keep in touch with the people we'll meet," said Alaina Burns.

Burns is also looking forward to meeting people.

"I'll get to meet people who speak different languages and be with other Christians," he said.

Parker, 20, is one of the older youths going on the trip.

"I'm looking forward to the experience, and getting to meet people of other cultures who believe the same way I do," she said.

Some parents do not want to send their children because they are afraid of terrorism, but Sheehan said she is not overly worried about the risk.

"(Youthtowne) won't send us if there is a threat," she said.

Anyone interested in attending the trip or making a donation should call Sheehan at 724-445-2843.

"It's about spiritual growth," Klingensmith said. "Kids are going to show that they believe. They will want to pass the word along."