Miami

South Florida Young Adults Heading to Cuba for Pope's Visit

Some South Florida young adults will be joining hundreds of other South Florida faithful, as they head to Cuba for the Papal Visit.

A group of 189 will make the pilgrimage from the Archdiocese of Miami on Saturday. Within that group, there is a smaller group who will meet with a Cuban youth ministry to learn from each other.

There's a special service they'll be attending together with Pope Francis, and might even get the chance to ask the Pope questions.

"The Holy Father is the successor of Peter here on earth. To actually see the person who has been bestowed with the blessing of leading our church, there's really no other person you can compare it to," said Rosemarie Banich, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Banich is leading the small group of eight, heading from Miami to Cuba.

"They're going to be able to return to Miami and be able to share what they've seen there and really spread the news of how exciting the young church is in Cuba," Banich said.

One of the youngest in Banich's group is Nova Southeastern University grad student Melissa Guarino.

When she heard Pope Francis was visiting just 90-miles from the U.S., she was one of the first on the list. Not super religious growing up, she found her deeper faith during college and is in awe of the pontiff.

"He's been able to bring a lot of people who've fallen away from the church back to the church. It would definitely be a dream of mine to see the Pope, but I haven't actually thought it would be an opportunity," Guarino said.

For Guarino, the trip to Cuba is more than just seeing the Pope, it's about a deeper understanding of the Cuban catholic culture, in a country by most accounts is falling a part at the seams.

"I'm excited to meet young adults who are catholic and have grown up in that environment where it hasn't been easy for them and learn from them," Guarino said.

She'll get the chance to share the faith experience with a young adult ministry from Cuba. Saturday they'll attend the main service and then a second, smaller one, in which the Pope may engage in questions and answers.

The group's accommodations will not be not luxurious. In fact, they may not have running water. But they said it's a small price to pay and it's an adventure.

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