MAGE, Brazil, July 20, 2013—The universal, magnetic experience of God appeared to cross language and culture boundaries when a spontaneous worship led by ECY Philippines delegates on morning of July 18 amazed other international pilgrims staying in the same pre-World Youth Day host community.
“‘Yung worship kanina was really overwhelming. The Lord is really speaking, the Lord is really talking to us. ‘Yung mga taga-Venezuela, taga-Panama, taga-Brazil, umiiyak at thankful sila, sinasabi nila, ‘In Brazil, we don’t have anything like this.’” Jose Villa, who led the worship, said in an interview.
Language, not a hindrance
The CFC-Youth for Family and Life (CFC-YFL) sub-group decided to have worship, a charismatic form of prayer with songs and vocal praising, while waiting for the bus that would bring the delegates to the decanato for a whole day activity.
Initially, only the 48 Filipino pilgrims staying at the community of Parroquia Nossa Senhora da Guia participated in the worship that lasted for 15 minutes.
At the end of the worship, most of the other pilgrims from Venezuela, Panama, including Brazilian pre-WYD parish volunteers joined in despite not understanding English.
Very Emotional
“It was very emotional because even the brothers and sisters who were not able to understand [English]…They realized it was a prayer, na amaze sila, (they were amazed),” Teny Mardo, an CFC – SFL pilgrim proficient in Spanish, said in an interview.
According to Mardo, who was able to talk to several pilgrims in their native Spanish language, several pilgrims had already approached her to say that they observed and were touched by how the Filipino pilgrims close their eyes in sincere prayer with some even crying.
One hundred seventy three pilgrims from ECY – Philippines, the official WYD delegation of the country, are participating in the Semana Missionaria (Missionary Week) in three different parishes in the Diocese of Petropolis, almost an hour’s drive from Rio de Janeiro. [Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz]
