With the long shadow of the bleachers shielding her from the sun as it hung low in the evening sky, Anna Little smiled as she spelled out what she was looking forward to most about Saturday night’s World Youth Day experience.
“Staying up all night,” the 15-year-old Windsor resident said, with a laugh. On a more serious note, she also said she looked forward to today’s sunrise service. “I’ve never had Mass outside before.”
Anna, a freshman at Frontier Academy in Greeley, was among about 500 Catholic youths and parents who came to Greeley for the first World Youth Day experience, which began Saturday night at District 6 Stadium.
Organizers at St. Mary Catholic Church in Greeley designed the event for those who couldn’t make the trip to Madrid, Spain, to take part in the week-long celebration, which concludes today.
Of the thousands in Madrid for World Youth Day, about 500 come from the Denver Archdiocese. World Youth Day is celebrated every three years.
The youths in Greeley, and some parents, sat on blankets spread out on the grass of the football field, clustered around a stage set up in the north endzone. Events were planned to keep everyone busy through the night, including performances from Christian rock bands 7eventh Time Down and Building 429, as well as a satellite link with Madrid to allow the crowd to watch Pope Benedict XVI celebrate Mass.
“I couldn’t go to the real World Youth Day because it’s so far away,” Anna said. “It’s just fun to go to one in Greeley, here locally.”
Trey Hill, 14, a freshman at Niwot High School, made the trip to Greeley with his sister Analise, 12, and his father, Bill Hill, 53, from Longmont. He said he enjoyed the camaraderie of the event, even if it wasn’t as big as the one in Spain.
“It’s been great,” Trey said. “I love being with my dad and my friends, and most of all, being with the Lord.”
Trey said even though he won’t get to see the pope in person, he was still excited to see the Mass live from Madrid on television.
His dad said he was thrilled to see the turnout.
“This is the future of our Catholic Church with the youth out here today,” Hill said. “It’s nice to come out and see this kind of showing from them.”
