The transforming power of New York in the life of some Italian Youth
By Fr. Michael Davitti, SX
On Wed. August 12th, a group of 22 Youth from Florence, Italy, visited the Xaverian community of Wayne, NJ. They were coming from Columbus, Ohio, where they had been hosted by Central Ohio Technical College. During their stay, they met Senator Jay Hottinger, who inspired them with the history, technology and artistic accomplishment of that community.
New York was the last part of their trip which had been devised as a full immersion experience with the American people and culture. The meeting with our community gave them possibility to sort out and share their various feelings and experiences.
All agreed in saying that it had been an unique experience: when they first arrived in New York, they were convinced that it was just another big concrete jungle, like any of the big cities in Europe. But, within a few minutes, they were caught-up in its magic and totally charmed by the city’s life style and its sights.
The “Big Apple” gave them a burst of extraordinary energy, as though they had always lived there. Its crowds made them realize that being anonymous is not such a bad thing: because no one knows you, no one cares for who you are, they don’t judge you and accept you for who you are.
Being such a diverse population gives this city an innate capacity to accept all kinds of people and their diversities.
The city of Florence is crowded by tourists of different nationalities, nevertheless the variety of races and cultures they met on the streets of the city, struck them deeply because they were not tourist but local people.
They noticed also how New Yorkers are constantly on the move. They never saw anyone or anything just standing here. They had the impression that the city is by itself on the move. The buzz or energy that enveloped them there compelled them to move on and be somewhere.
Ground Zero, on Lower Manhattan, proved to be for them a breathtaking and humbling experience: they realized that it was America’s most sacred ground. September 11, 2001, is in fact a day that remains indelibly etched in the hearts and minds of New Yorkers. What impressed them was the deep silence and solemnity of the place.
This experience of Sacredness, of stepping on a holy-ground, became the turning point of their tour, which at that moment became a pilgrimage.
The last place to be visited was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Midtown Manhattan. They could experienced for themselves how this holy place, is a spiritual haven of tranquility and renewal in the very heart of the city. They discovered how this church is not only the Center of Catholic life in the United States and also an iconic New York City and national landmark.
At the end of their trip, they came to realize that they entered USA as a tourists, and they were now exiting as pilgrims. They felt transformed: their knowledge of different cultures and people had been deepened, their faith strengthened and the bonds of their friendship tightened.
