COLOGNE, Germany — When Pope Benedict XVI arrives here on Thursday, Aug. 18, organizers expect that 800,000 people from around the world will come to see him.

The 20th World Youth Day celebration will be the Pope's first trip outside of Italy, as well as his first trip home since succeeding Pope John Paul II. The youth, many of whom will be traveling away from home for the first time, feel the sacrifices they've made in getting to Germany will be spiritually well worth it.

The idea to attend World Youth Day first hit 17-year-old Trista Rassier of Clearwater, Minn., at her confirmation last year at St. Luke's Church. It was there that St. Paul and Minneapolis Auxiliary Bishop Richard Pates asked the group if they were going to World Youth Day, singling out Rassier.

“He pointed me out,” said Rassier. “I said I didn't know if I would have enough money. He told me I should just go.”

By the time confirmation rolled around this year Rassier still wasn't registered to attend. While serving as her friend's confirmation sponsor, Bishop Pates again asked Rassier if she was going.

“I told him there weren't any spots available,” Rassier said. “He told me, ‘Don't worry, I'll get it worked out.'”

The next day, she had a call from the bishop's office securing a spot for her with a pilgrimage group from the Catholic Aid Association, a St. Paul-based fraternal benefit organization.

Rassier hasn't had much time to raise the necessary funds to attend. She's spent much of her spring and summer raising funds for the trip. Her family has also pitched in, using their alpaca ranch as a way to help finance the trip.

This spring, the Rassiers held a raffle, offering other alpaca owners the opportunity for a free breeding to one of the family's herd sires. That resulted in approximately $400 toward the total cost of $2,800.

On July 24, they held a golf tournament and steak dinner benefit to meet Trista's remaining expenses.

“Trista's been soliciting for door prizes for a silent auction. She's made flyers, and advertised in local newspapers,” said Terry Rassier, Trista's father.

Bishop Pates also helped out. When the bishop came to the church for confirmation, St. Luke's gave him a stipend. Rather than accepting the money, the bishop told the Church to use the money for any youth that needed help getting to World Youth Day.

In 2000, Kim Burke of Cincinnati coordinated a group of youth from St. Gertrude's Church to attend World Youth Day in Rome. Three years ago, he did the same thing for 69 youths at World Youth Day in Toronto. This year, he is once again the WYD coordinator.

“World Youth Days are, to a person, life-changing,” said Burke. “The types of changes that youth experience are all rooted in their Catholic faith. They differ, but all revolve around an increase in the intensity of their love for Jesus.”

Burke was especially touched by something he witnessed at the papal welcoming ceremony in Toronto. As Pope John Paul's automobile snaked through the immense crowd, youth pressed against the fence that marked the roadway hoping to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father.

“The group grew and moved along with him. The youth gathered around him like a beehive as he passed through several hundred thousand youth,” said Burke. Burke fully expected his own group to do likewise.

“I expected to be chasing down youth who were following the Pope,” said Burke.

Instead, as Pope John Paul passed, youth in Burke's group immediately gathered in groups of seven and eight, sitting on the hot asphalt to pray.

“I had never seen anything like that in terms of their response to the Pope,” said Burke. “It was very moving to see the youth reacting in this fashion.”

According to figures provided by Christel Sonnekalb with the World Youth Day communication's office in Cologne, 391,000 pilgrims are currently registered for the event. Of that number, more than 60,000 youth and at least 75 bishops from the U.S. and Canada plan to attend World Youth Day. At press time, more than 830 U.S. groups had signed up, representing nearly all the states and 81% of U.S. dioceses and eparchies.

Sonnekalb said that there are more registrants for the diocesan Days of Encounter, the week prior to World Youth Day, than ever before, with 120,000 registered. At least 5,000 youth from the U.S. will participate in the Days of Encounter — an opportunity for pilgrims to stay with local host families to learn about the local culture and Church.

One of the largest U.S. contingents attending World Youth Day will be from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Organizers expect that more than 1,000 Los Angeles youth and their chaperones will attend.

Structured like a mini-Easter, World Youth Day follows a more-or-less set format. However, Pope Benedict XVI has already made some changes to the format for Cologne. This year's events will be held not only in Cologne, but also in the nearby German cities of Bonn and Düsseldorf. World Youth Day also will have more of an ecumenical flavor, with catechesis sessions and other events being held in several Lutheran Churches. In addition, Pope Benedict has added a separate meeting specifically with seminarians in attendance on Aug. 19. He also plans to visit a synagogue and to meet with Muslim and civic leaders while in Cologne.

According to World Youth Day spokesmen, more than 70% of the registered participants are European — including 90,000 Italians and 70,000 Germans. Americans represent approximately 16% of the attendees, with 5% from Asia, 4% from Latin America and 2.5% from Asia.

Burke, of Cincinnati, said that he has witnessed the sacrifices that his pilgrims have made to go to Cologne. They've done everything from car washes to selling handmade blankets to collecting used cellular telephones for re-use to raise money.

“It's not a vacation; it's a pilgrimage,” said Burke. “The rewards that they get will not be something they can hold in their hand, but something they hold in their heart.”

One family that has made tremendous sacrifices to send their children to World Youth Day is the Bissonnette family of Cincinnati. Three of the family's 10 children will be attending the event: Emily, a senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville; Christopher, a sophomore at Steubenville; and Patrick, a home-educated high school junior. Emily and Christopher attended World Youth Day in Toronto.

“When we came back from Toronto we couldn't say enough about how valuable the experience was,” said Emily. “I remember standing in the field after the papal Mass in Toronto and thinking, ‘I want to be in Cologne, Germany.'”

Bissonnette said it's a sacrifice not only for each of them, but also for her parents.

“We've never been further from home than Toronto,” she said. “It's difficult for them to have three of us leaving the country for a week.”

In addition to paying for her tuition, Emily has been working two jobs to help pay for the trip. While she's disappointed that she won't be able to see Pope John Paul II again, she's excited to “to be among the first people to be present to see our new Holy Father.”

Bissonnette's brother, Patrick, has been doing lawn care and other odd jobs to help pay his way. In addition, his youth group at St. Gertrude's has helped raise about one-third of the $2,600 total.

“I look forward to seeing the Pope and meeting the various people around the world who are my age and are Catholic,” said Patrick.

“You have to sleep outside, and there is the rain and the heat, and not knowing the language when you're trying to communicate with others,” said Emily.

“I don't look at the sacrifices because the whole experience is worthwhile and meaningful,” she said. “Even those things that appear to be bumps in the road just add to the experience and make it mean even more.”

Tim Drake is based in St. Joseph, Minnesota. He will be reporting from World Youth Day in Cologne.