LAOAG CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- A delegate to the 1991 World Youth Day in Poland said being able to embrace and speak directly to Pope John Paul II was the most memorable moment in her ministry to young people.

Mary Geraldine Obra-Paderon, 40, was among more than 1 million pilgrims who attended World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations in Czestochowa, Poland. She was one of two youth leaders who read the young people's message to the late pope during the international event.

Since the pope launched the first annual WYD in 1984, international gatherings have been held every two or three years. The one being held this year in Australia began on July 15. Pope Benedict XVI, who arrived in Sydney on July 13 and is scheduled to celebrate the final Mass on July 20, set the WYD 2008 theme as: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8).

In late June, Obra-Paderon shared how the "rich" experiences she had with the Church and the Holy Father have nurtured her life and helped her become the person she is now.

Obra-Paderon graduated cum laude from Divine Word College of Laoag City, 340 kilometers north of Manila, in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in English. She refused "attractive" job offers from multinational companies in order to work as a volunteer in the Church youth ministry of Laoag diocese.

The former facilitator for the National Secretariat for Youth Apostolate of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines represented the country in the 1991 International Youth Forum in Poland.

Now married to a businessman with whom she is raising three sons, Obra-Paderon coordinates the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals. Between this and minding her meat shop, she helps in diocesan youth programs in Laoag.

The UCA News interview with Obra-Paderon follows:

UCA NEWS: Describe your encounter with Pope John Paul II.

MARY GERALDINE OBRA-PADERON: It was unbelievable! I remember praying at age 8 to see the pope in person. Instead, God gave me a chance to address Pope John Paul II on behalf of the youths of the world. This was too much a gift from God, and I felt honored.

It happened on August 15, 1991, at the Shrine of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, Poland. I stood nervously in front of more than 1.5 million WYD pilgrims. Though my chest was pounding, I felt overwhelmed by the presence of a multitude of men and women who came to a reunion prepared by the Lord. The atmosphere was festive yet solemn.

Pope John Paul II came in his popemobile. People chanted in different languages, yet I knew we were speaking in harmony with one voice to welcome the Holy Father.

I was supposed to read a message prepared by some members of the Vatican, but a yearning to speak from my heart prevailed. I delivered the practiced text for most part of my speech but at some point, I just became honest and bold.

After my address, I was supposed to approach the Holy Father, kneel and kiss his hand. To our surprise and to my heart's delight, the Holy Father walked to where I was standing, gave me a hug, and kissed my forehead. I was awed by his presence. He asked what country I was representing and though I struggled to answer Philippines, I was overwhelmed by the experience of a heaven on earth.

It was the highlight of my youth ministry.

How did you become active in youth ministry?

My introduction to Church ministry started with my father bringing me to St. William the Hermit Cathedral and the Carmelite Monastery in Laoag, where he was an active lay minister. I would tail him and enjoy being around priests and nuns. I eventually learned to visit our parish and the monastery on my own.

At 10, I would go to the Carmelites every Saturday and have long talks with a nun. She told me stories and gave me lots of homework. One Advent, she gave me a picture of Bethlehem, which I colored according to how I behaved each day. Black meant having done a bad deed while bright colors represented good deeds.

In my parish, I first served as a choir member of the Children of Mary group at age 12. Involvement in parish activities made me happy because of the many friends I gained. Volunteer work also gave me an extraordinary feeling.

The United Nations declared 1985 as the International Youth Year, about the same time when Pope John Paul II invited young people to celebrate WYD with him. The Diocese of Laoag started a youth ministry program where I got involved both on the diocesan and parish levels. I never missed any youth activity.

Soon, the diocese sent me to regional and national youth gatherings and formation programs. I also worked fulltime with the Society of Divine Word Youth Ministry.

It was fun, exciting and equally challenging.

What were some of the challenges you faced?

Youth ministry is a journey in itself. In any journey, there are crossroads, rough roads and dry areas.

As a young Church leader, I often found myself at the crossroads of making tough choices and decisions. At 15, having to choose between an outing with friends and a youth leadership training in the parish was hard. For young people, it is always important to belong, and at that time I felt left out, because I always chose the Church activities.

The biggest battle I had to face as a full-time youth minister was with my own idealistic picture of the Church. I realized the Church is also human; that the institution, along with religious people in difficult situations, is not perfect. At the young age of 21, I struggled with the rough road of Church bureaucracy and politics.

My share of dry areas came with several times of feeling burned out. At one point, youth ministry merely became a routine that I just had to do because I was already there.

In 1994, I was assigned with four male youth leaders to bring the Youth Jubilee Cross to all dioceses in the country for eight months. We were expected, during these visits, to prepare young people for the WYD in 1995 through formation programs, prayer vigils and forums. [Editor's note: Pope John Paul II went to Manila for the 1995 international WYD celebration there.] The first month was exciting because I got to see places I never saw and met new friends. However, I got bored in the third month with the daily processions, night vigils and youth festivals from one parish to another. I felt sick and exhausted.

What did you learn from these low points?

I learned to count on the Lord. It takes so much trust in God to live through crossroads, rough roads and dry lands. I realized youth ministry is not my own battle but a journey with God.

I also rediscovered the power of prayer. I could not have weathered the challenges and difficulties, the disappointments and disillusionment in my work in and with the Church, if not for prayer. In prayer I became strong and patient, discerning and trusting.

I have also learned to love the Church more despite its imperfections. I realized my faith should not depend on the Church's imperfections but on my relationship with God. Some leave the Church when they get disillusioned, but I have chosen to stay and love my Church even more by sharing my gifts and charism with its people.

What can you say about remarks that youth are not so active in the Church today?

I can only speak of youth ministry involvement the way I experienced it and the way I see it now. It is easy to say that we had a more active youth ministry during our time than what the youths have now, but it is not fair. One will always claim to have been more active because of the level of commitment one has given.

On the other hand, it is also not easy to quantify involvement because we have different ways of expressing it. What I would like to believe is every generation will always have committed and dedicated young people in the Church ministry.

Maybe we just had less distractions during our time. We did not have a lot of media influence as the young people now do. Today's computer mania alone can just grab young people away from life's essentials. Let us just say youth involvement in Church ministry was more manageable during our time than now.

The Church has to address this concern. Youth involvement emanates from the love and solid foundation the Church provides them. They have to feel they belong before they get involved.

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