Last Jan 18, Sunday, the COY-SFW sent a total of six delegates to the Youth Encounter with Pope Francis in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and 23 communion ushers for the papal mass in Quirino Grandstand.
"The experience itself of being a volunteer was a positive experience because not everybody was given the chance to see the pope up close like I did," said Justin Labad, one of the communion ushers in Quirino Grandstand as he recounted the papal mass.
To the 23 ushers from the COY-SFW the experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
For Beatriz Ann Labad, vice president of the COY-SFW, "it was a chance for us (COY-SFW) to bond. . . it was worth the 12 hours of waiting in the rain. . . because it (the rain) was the one that kept us together." It showed the "genuine concern" of each member through making make-shift raincoats, etc.
The biggest struggle for the communion ushers was the failure of the Diocese of Paranaque to announce the change in the venue of the volunteers' station in which they will be holding up umbrellas for the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
"It was not fun going around the rain for more than two hours looking for the quadrant we were supposed to be in," Labad said.
In the end, their station was located near one of the carabao statues at the entrance of the grandstand.
Crossing the street to UST now where the crowd was more difficult.
Stephanie Ramos, the president of the Commission on Youth for the Vicariate of the Holy Family (the vicariate in which the SFW belongs to), the "harassing" and "never-ending calls" from the COY heads about the disorganization of the entrances of volunteers was "difficult".
Emmanuel Fermin, another youth delegate from the COY-SFW, stressed on the disorganization of the event.
"Pangit ang naging groupings sa gate 6 (along Espanya Blvd.) at nagkakagulo ang mga tao," Fermin exclaimed.
Due to the recording breaking crowds in the UST field, Marlo Caballero Jr., noticed that "there was a lot of trash and little trash cans." More effort should have been put in by the organizers of the event.
Ushers and delegates for both papal events were chosen through application forms coursed through each diocese. An average of 18 volunteer were needed per parish.
Ramos said that "physically able and active in the parish activities" were the only criteria given to the parishes.
"It was the discretion of the presidents of the COY as to what the age bracket would be," Ramos explained further.
No comments:
Post a Comment