Alcorcon City, Spain, August 16 —THOUSANDS of pilgrims from the Philippines and other countries prepare for the official start of the World Youth Day (WYD) week in Madrid.
The Filipino pilgrims, who are being housed in schools, gyms and public arenas in different places in Madrid and neighboring cities like in this city, just received their official WYD backpack that contains several materials including the week’s schedule, which will culminate with the overnight vigil with the Pope at Cuatro Vientos Airspace on August 20 and the Closing Mass early morning on August 21.
Other contents of the WYD backpacks received by the delegates are the official ID, map of Madrid, the pilgrim’s guide, a Bible, a youth catechesis “YouCat” book, food stubs, transportation passes, and some WYD memorabilia like WYD official beer, t-shirt, hat, and fan.
The 425 delegates of the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (ECY-Philippines) left their host, the diocese of Coria-Caceres yesterday, to get to the capital and settle down for their accommodation for the week.
The ECY-Philippines delegation is supposed to be housed in just one venue but sudden changes made by the WYD organizers forced the group to split into two: one group at the Polideportivos Canaleja and the other at Deportivos Los Cantos, which are both located in this city.
“These changes are expected. Let’s just consider these deviations as part of our pilgrimage,” said Fr. Conegundo Garganta, leader of the ECY-Philippines delegation.
Although WYD organizers consider the ECY-Philippines as the official delegation representing the Philippines, there are still a lot of groups outside the ECY-Philippines that are attending the WYD and are housed in different places in Madrid.
For instance, a group of students and alumni of the University of Santo Tomas, the only pontifical and royal university of the Philippines, have joined the delegation from the Archdiocese of Manila.
Another group from UST has joined a separate group, the Dominican Network (DomNet) of the Philippines, who will participate in the Dominican WYD, which will be held in between the activities of the official WYD.
According to the website www.mardid11.com, the official website of the WYD 2011 organizers, delegates from the Philippines have reached 3,000. Kris Bayos
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