By Emily Drooby
Aurelia Tello says she was excited when she found out that her son, Adalfo, had been given the opportunity to attend World Youth Day. Tello said, “I got so excited I asked my son; ‘do you want to go to Panama to see the Pope?’ And he said yes! And I feel so happy.”
The proud mother and her other children have been getting a first-hand look at all of the festivities happening in Panama, through photos and videos from her son. Tello said, “I call him and I said, ‘how do you feel’, and he says, ‘very good’, and I said ‘are you happy’ and he said ‘yes I’m very happy I feel so blessed’, and that makes me feel so good.”
Her daughter Hillary Tello, said, “He’s going to learn a lot about God, and get closer to him.”
On Saturday night, the Tellos’ and other members of the Brooklyn and Queens Diocese gathered at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish For A World Youth Day viewing party.
One of the event organizers tells us she’s been to two separate World Youth Days and because of her incredible experience, she wanted to make sure the rest of her community, knew what it felt like to be a part of it.
Event co-organizer, Laura Ramirez-Galeas, said, “It’s just, I can’t describe it. When you’re there, you don’t need to speak, you just know who you are and that you belong there…People don’t understand that we belong to this immense church, it’s not just the church that we go to go across the street, no, we are the church.”
The viewing was of the Vigil With The Youth and drew in about 80 parishioners, of all ages, from across the Diocese. Event co-organizer, Claudia Cruz, said, “We have this opportunity for them to come and enjoy the view even though we are not close together in the same place, we are one in spirit.”
All looking to feel some of the same sense of community the pilgrims in Panama are experiencing.