TEXARKANA — More than a year ago, St. Edward youth director Sil Gomez returned from a youth ministers’ training conference with a dream: to take her youth group to the Holy Land. Her inspiration came to her after talking at the conference with members of the Catholic Pilgrim Company.
Gomez prayed that her dream would come true, telling the Lord, “God, if this is something you want me to put together, make it easy and affordable. Give us open doors. You make it happen.”
“I wanted the youth to experience something special,” she said. “Then they could come back and share their testimony with others.”
Kelli Nugent, director of faith formation at St. Edward in Texarkana
She learned from the travel company that travel is cheaper in the off-season and that she had to have a minimum of 15 people. She came home and got busy, determined to see her dream come true.
“I was able to get some families to sponsor the kids, and in turn, the youth did volunteer work,” Gomez said. “They helped with the spaghetti dinners the Knights of Columbus sponsored and helped serve other church meals as well. They also sold rosaries and sacred jewelry from a Catholic company. Seven pieces of Jim Shore crosses were donated and the youths raffled them off.”
Kelli Nugent, parish director of faith formation, said, “In about a year, Sil and the youths raised — and received donations of — nearly $30,000.”
Gomez’ dream became a reality. She took with her to the Holy Land eight youths, 10 other adults and pastor Father Paul Francis Worm, the group’s spiritual director. They were able to go at a perfect time when most of the youths were on spring break. The group left March 5 and returned March 15.
Nugent, who traveled with the group, said that as they visited Holy Land sites, Gomez, Father Worm or their guide would read the biblical passages that corresponded to each site. And Father Worm celebrated Mass for the group each day, either in a chapel or a large church.
As Nugent experienced the places where Jesus walked, she said she told him, “Lord, you were here. You walked on these stones, on this mountain …” Smiling, she said, “What an athletic person he was!”
One of the youths, Maria Leyva, 14, said she was impressed by walking the Via Dolorosa and “seeing the Stations of the Cross and original places where Jesus walked. I felt like Jesus was there.”
Misael Sanchez, a college student and a volunteer at St. Edward Outreach, said he was impressed with the beautiful churches, such as the parish church of St. John the Baptist in Ein Karem, and also “being where Jesus walked. It was unreal — a really good experience.”
Gomez said, “The trip was so huge that it will take the youth a while to truly process everything. It’s going to hit them when they get home and start talking to their families about it. Everyone was very moved and touched in their own way. The Holy Land is full of wonder, and I would recommend that everyone visit it at least once.”
