By Angelica Escarsa

It was a blessing to be at this year's WYD, my third, after Manila in 1995 and Rome in 2000.

Angie (rightmost) with friends

One of the highlights of this year must be the vigil on Saturday night, 20 August, in Marianfeld, where all the delegates from different parts of the world gathered together for a night of prayer and music. There was something about the vigil that amazed me and really touched me. I was so overwhelmed by the fact that on that very night, despite the cold and the inconvenience of staying outdoor and unsheltered, so many young people came together for a common purpose and goal and that was to celebrate our Christian faith with our Pope through singing and praying. This was a great opportunity for every young person to be open and enthusiastic, a moment where there were no inhibitions but only inspiration, in expressing our Catholic faith in many ways.

One thing I did that very night, which I’d done before in Manila and in Rome, was to take a walk around 3 in the morning when everyone was lying on the ground sleeping. I felt so connected to each one of them. And as I walked along I prayed for them. I might not have met all of those people but through prayer I made myself connected and united with them. And that was the beauty of WYD for me, the chance to be with other young people in prayer and be able to pray for them. I prayed that we as Christians will find more strength and confidence in our faith through the inspiration coming from celebrating the Eucharist.