Local Kids Travel to Rio for Pope's World Youth Day

Seven local teens and their chaperones were among the one million on hand for World Youth Day during Pope Francis' trip to Brazil over the past week.

The Rev. Msgr. Donald Hanson said that Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in East Hampton sent the teenaged parishioners — all girls — and five chaperones to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.

Larry Faulkenberry, a deacon, and his wife, Christina, are among the chaperones for the trip, which started one week ago. They have been sending emails, texts and photos that Hanson has been posting to the Most Holy Trinity website for the community to see. 

Monday's email gave an update on the Saturday night vigil and the experience of giving away their food to the homeless at a vigil site on Copacobana beach before returning to their hotels for the night. 

"We arose early Sunday morning and proceeded back to the beach at 5a.m. It was a surreal sight as the sun crested over the mountains and its first rays illuminated the masses," the Faulkenberrys wrote in the email. "Mid-morning, we celebrated mass with the Pope. It was an incredible and moving experience. Then the Holy Father announced the location of the next world youth day — Krakow, Poland."

Three million people were estimated to have attended the pope's final, open-air mass in Rio, a historic trip for the first Latin American pope to his home continent. 

World Youth Day, an international Catholic event held once every few years, started July 23 and ended Sunday, but Pope Francis continued to make headlines with his radical messages during his flight back to the Vatican on Monday. During an unprecedented press conference mid-air, the pope told reporters he would not judge priests based on their sexual orientation, The New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, the East Hampton group will return on Thursday. 

The Rockville Centre Diocese made the arrangements for the pilgrimage, and several parishes from across Long Island took part, Hanson said. 

However, the youth program in East Hampton started with the efforts of the deacon and his wife a few years ago. "Once kids make their confirmation, that's the last we see of them," Hanson said, adding that the Faulkenberrys offered a movie night once a month, aimed at younger students, at first. Some of the older children then got involved. 

"When the World Youth Day came up, they said, 'Can we raise enough to make this happen for the kids'?," Hanson said. And, that's exactly what they did through baked sales and other small fundraising efforts. Though the pastor wasn't able to provide the amount raised, he said it covered the costs. 

Hanson said he believes the trip has already made an impression on the girls. "They've made contact with kids from other countries and from other parishes across the country," Hanson said. "It seems they were very moved by the pope," he said, though he wasn't sure if translations were available. "I think it was more just the event, the scale of it."

Hanson said he has been watching the coverage. "I've been a priest for 42 years and sometimes I can be cynical. I was moved by it," he said, adding that it has been a breath of fresh air. 

Overall, he thinks the trip will encourage more young parishioners to participate. "I think it will be a jolt of electricity into the youth program," he said. 

Hanson said a prayerful dismissal was said two Sundays ago. The parish will welcome them back during Mass on Sunday, and the pastor is planning on holding a gathering so that those on the trip can share their experiences directly with other parishioners one week from Sunday.