COURTESY PHOTO

A group of teens and chaperones from the northern part of the archdiocese going to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day pose for a photograph.

Years of work, planning about to pay off

More than100 teens and chaperones heading to Australia for WYD events

By David Eck

ARCHDIOCESE — Daniel Kloppenburg’s 16th birthday won’t be like any other he’s ever had.

The parishioner from St. Michael Parish in Sharonville will celebrate the milestone birthday while on a trip to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day.

Kloppenburg is one of more than 100 people from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, including about 80 teens, who will be attending World Youth Day events in Sydney. The international gathering of pilgrims, which will be held July 15-20, will attract over 125,000 young adults and youths. Pope Benedict will also attend.

"It’s going to be a huge trip for me and for all the others," Kloppenburg said. "I’m actually thrilled. Australia’s been one of the places I’ve always wanted to go in my life. I think it’s an awesome place."

He will be one of 19 people, including 13 teens, traveling to World Youth Day from St. Michael. It’s the first time a group from the parish has participated in the event, said Lori Anne Fothergill, youth faith formation director at St. Michael.

One of the highlights for Kloppenburg will be the opportunity to see Pope Benedict XVI in person.

The trip and events are intended to give the teens and young people a deeper love for the Lord and the knowledge that they are a key part of the church.

"My number one goal over there is for them to see that they are part of a Catholic community that is global," Fothergill said. "We don’t do things here in the United States that other people don’t. It’s not just little Sharonville. It’s a worldwide community."

The parish will bless the group at a sendoff the morning of July 12.

The teens said they are looking to strengthen their faith, as well meet with young people from around the globe.

"I’m really hoping to get out of World Youth Day a sense of who I am as a person," said Karen Argo, 17, a parishioner at St. Michael. "I think it would be a good opportunity to gain new relationships and friends and a sense of appreciation for other people’s beliefs and backgrounds."

There is also a group of six people from Emmanuel Church in Dayton going to Australia. They will be traveling with Marianist youth and young people groups from around the globe, said Tom Fagan, who teaches continuing Catholic education for high school students and adults at Emmanuel Church.

In the northern part of the archdiocese, a group of 84, including nearly 70 teens, left July 8 for Sydney and World Youth Day. The trip, led by the St. Henry Cluster, includes parishioners from several churches in the northern counties.

Linda Thieman, youth minister at St. Henry Cluster and the leader of the northern group, said the experience will help the teens see a bigger world while deepening their faith.

Lori Brunswick and her daughter, Lauren, both of Maria Stein, are part of the northern group making the 9.400 mile trip from Dayton to Sydney. Lori has attended a previous World Youth Day event.

"It’s a very humbling experience," she said. "You hear the pope’s message for (young people) that they have a mission, a reason for being. It’s just wonderful."

Because of the distance and the cost, all of the teens have been fund-raising for the last 2-3 years to pay for the trip. They have held various sales, performed chores, solicited businesses and done babysitting. The teens from the northern area worked at Dayton Dragons baseball games raising money for the trip.

"They’ve had to give up a lot of things to work on fund-raising," Thieman said. "Some of them have used it as an alternative for others things that might not have been so positive."

But with the trips now days away, the teens – and even the adults – are buzzing.

"Now the kids are getting excited," Thieman said. "Once July 1 hit, it was real."

The group from St. Michal, Sharonville, will chronicle their trip on a blog at http://stmichaelswyd.blogspot.com.