Fr. Matthew and St. Isidore youth traveled to Rome last summer to immerse themselves in holy places, become friends with the saints, and grow deeper in faith alongside a million young Catholics from around the world.
I think God called me to Rome for many reasons but the main one was to meet people from across the world. It was influential for me to see that there were so many who all came for the same reason — Jesus. It opened my eyes to the fact that the church is much larger than just our Danville community or even the US.
One moment that will stick with me is when we were in line to get into Vatican City for the Opening Mass. The line was chaotic and wasn’t regulated well, so people were pushing and shoving their way to the front.
I ended up next to a group of teenagers from northern Italy. They spoke English so we were talking for 30 minutes about our faith and just getting to know each other. I was able to share my faith with people that I will likely never see again and I think that was the main reason God called me to go.
We visited so many holy places. To be able to put myself into the shoes of saints like St. Francis and St. Clare was powerful. Overall, the Jubilee was an amazing experience and I am grateful that I had the chance to do something so special for my faith.
It opened my eyes to the fact that the church is much larger than just our Danville community or even the US.
—Preston, high school junior