Mons. Robert Zollitsch, Arzobispo de Friburgo, Misa en la Iglesia “Trinitatis” en Colonia Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, Freiburg: Mass in the Trinitatis Church Erzbischof Dr. Robert Zollitsch, Freiburg: Einzug zur Messe in der Trinitatis-Kirche
Concelebración festiva Festive concelebration Festliche Konzelebration
Esperamor: canciones y música Esperamor: songs and music Esperamor gestaltete die Messe musikalisch
Catequesis Catechesis Katechese
Publico Audience Aufmerksames Publikum
Autógrafos Autographs Autogrammstunde
Fotos: Schadt/Kanya © 2005

WYD – SCHOENSTATT, eka. WYD is an exceptional situation for all who gets involved with it. For the transit, the police, the bakers, the Cologne residents, also for the Pope. Hundreds of thousands of youngsters are there. They arrived from many countries of the world, but they all share the language of faith. They form a great community: sharing feelings and prayers. What will remain of all this when the WYD is over?

"I came to WYD because I wanted to recharge the batteries and continue the fight for my ideals" says a young Chilean girl. The WYD is a service station. The fuel is faith and prayer." "What will happen after WYD? asked the Schoenstatt Archbishop Mons. Dr. Robert Zollitsch at the catechesis on Friday. "When in the next few weeks we are again back home, no more solemn Eucharist will be celebrated, no singing in different languages by thousands of people. What will happen? Is God going away? Is the fuel only going to last until you arrive home and the tank be empty?"

"Gruss Gott – God says hallo"

No, Mons. Zollitsch is sure that it will not be so and he would like to invite the youth to take God as part of their lives even after WYD. It is the third and last catechesis prepared by Schoenstatt in the WYD that took place at the meeting center of the Trinitatis Church. The first catechesis was about the truth in life; the second about how to find Jesus in the Eucharist and the third was under the slogan: "To live in the world like true worshipers of God."

The Trinitatis church was full like in the other catechesis. It was also possible to listen on "Radio Maria", which transmitted the catechesis live by means of a mobile unit.

Mons. Zollitsch told about certain time he was with a group of hiking friends he met with other groups. "Gruss Gott" (God greets you) we told them, the usual greeting in Southern Germany. One of the unknown hikers said: "Yes, I will say hallo to God when I find him." At that moment I told him it will be sad if he could not find him. The stranger stopped and wanted to know what it means to find God.

My personal news for today

Monsr. Zollitsch invited the young people to start looking for God's foot steps in their own lives. He referred to Saint Benedict: "Saint Benedict clearly said to his monks that they could all count on God's presence. Meaning that Christ talks to me and comes to me through each person. If this is correct, then there are many opportunities to find God in everyday life."

One way to achieve it may be keeping a personal diary to write down the events of the day. Monsr. Zollitsch: "This way I will see many images, images that go into the conscience and that I can review in a personal "daily report". This exercise is not specifically a religious and Christian. But I can transform it in prayer and related to Christ."

God calls at the door

God and the everyday life are not separate things. Monsr. Zollitsch invited the young people not to have a double life, reserving one hour on Sundays to God and abandoning him the rest of the time.

The youngsters should go about life with their eyes open because "not only we are knocking at God's door constantly but quite often He calls at our door."

After the exchange of the youngsters a girl from Augsburg told about a meeting with God: "Yesterday I was at the Cathedral in Cologne and suddenly I met my Italian hosts from the days of the meetings in the dioceses. This was exceptional when you think that at that moment there were hundreds of people circulating there. I could say it was a coincidence. But I also see God's foot steps in my life. God simply wanted to give me some joy with that meeting."

An autograph of the Archbishop

He didn't improvise, spoke without rhetorics, it was not done in a specially youthful way and his lecture was ten minutes longer than planned. However, the young people paid attention to every word and at the end there was applause. Monsr. Zollitsch radiates something that attracts the young. "We could feel that he really had something to tell us," was a girls opinion.

There was a line formed at the end: some wanted photos taken with the Archbishop. others wanted autographs on their backpacks, on the handkerchiefs, on the song book... He is used to sign autographs. It started soon after he was consecrated Bishop. Once he had to be signing for one hour, and a few days earlier he signed around one hundred pilgrims' backpacks. "They are proud to have a backpack with my name" he joked. A 13 yr old girl made her way through the line. "Monsignor, which is your favorite song? and your hobby?. She carefully wrote down the answers. She is an altar girl and is in charge of the altar people's newsletter.

The Church is not "old and decrepit"

"We identify with what he said" declared Angela from Regensburg. "In our work group above all, we talk of the difficulties we may encounter after WYD. We even think that the problem is not how to integrate God in our future lives, but how to share this experience with the world around us. Frequently it is tempting to hide what is Christian and our faith. The Church and faith is often associated with the negative. I believe that with this WYD the perception of faith specially here in Germany will change. People have seen that not only the old and decrepit have something to do with the Church."

God truly is here

Continuation of the meeting of the Archbishop with the unknown hiker: "At one point I let the hiker know that I was a priest since he didn't know. He then had more questions. At the end he said that his eyes were opened and understood that he could also find God in everyday life."

Translation: Carmen Barruel, USA