Youth group from Herman sees new pope
A group of 15 youths and adults returned from an 11-day pilgrimage that was nothing short of awe-inspiring Wednesday afternoon.
The youths, who all attend St. Mary’s Church in Herman, spent the past two years fundraising for their trip to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Between 2 million and 3 million people from around the world attended, including Pope Francis.
It was a long time waiting and preparing, but well worth it, they said.
“It was a blast, but it went so quick,” said Holly Schnur, 18. She and her four sisters April, Hope, Autumn and Faith had all gone on the trip.
The first day Pope Francis was in Rio, the group had gotten within 15 feet of him.
“Seeing the pope was huge,” said Mary Hoffman, 19.
They had also seen him at a few other Masses they attended, via the big screen.
The majority of the group gathered at the Schnur’s home for a homecoming celebration on Wednesday. Suitcases sitting on the porch, straight from the airport, the smiling, sun tanned group ate slices of pizza, already reminiscing about the whirlwind experience.
Angie Hoffman, Mary’s older sister, said it was the unity of the trip she loved most. Despite the massive group, the language and cultural barriers, they were all united in a spiritual commonality.
“On the vigil night, we slept out on the beach,” said Hoffman, 21. “Everyone was kneeling, praying together ... It was awesome to see everyone coming together as one.”
“We went in as strangers, but came out as family,” said Hope Schnur, 22.
Most of the young men and women slept on the floors of schools during their stay. The showers, which were outside, sprayed cold tap water. The Hoffman sisters said they shared 8 showers for about 150 people.
Their mother, Betty Hoffman, had coordinated and went on the trip. Their brother Shawn, 17, also went.
Something Mary Hoffman will remember most was their hike to see the Christ the Redeemer statue. They were told they might not be able to see the statue on an overcast day, but they hiked the two-and-a-half hours anyway. But for the brief time they stayed to see the statue, the clouds had cleared.
“It was miraculous that they cleared when they got up there,” she said.
The weather was also cooler than they had expected. While it is winter in Rio, temperatures were expected to stay in the low 70s. Instead, they were sleeping in temperatures as cool at 55 degrees. Despite the hardships they encountered, they met like-minded youths from all over the world with whom they plan to stay in touch.
“It was a lot different from what I expected, but in a good way,” Mary Hoffman said.
And between the whole group, roughly 43,000 candy bars were sold during the past two years to raise money for the trip. They sold thousands of hoagies, breakfast bagels and did odd jobs to raise the money they needed. The trip cost roughly $3,000 per person. For several youths in the group, it was their first trip abroad.
The last World Youth Day was held in Madrid, Spain in 2011.
