Yesterday, 177 youth, chaperones, seminarians and priests boarded 5 flights to Frankfurt, Germany. Upon crossing the Atlantic ocean and arriving safely in Europe Thursday morning, we boarded 4busses and travelled to Rudesheim, where we celebrated Holy Mass at St. James. This church which was first built in the medieval ages, partially destroyed in World War II, and rebuilt in the 1950’s. After grabbing a quick lunch at some local restaurants, we boarded a tour boat and spent 2 hours touring the beautiful Rhine River. This part of Germany is richly painted with vineyards, small villages, churches, and castles. Once the tour was over, we split up into the 4 busses again and took a three hour drive north to the Netherlands. There, in the cities of Roermond and Sittard, all OYM participants were showered with snacks and welcomes and introduced to their host families. Finally, some 24 hours (and maybe 2-4 hours sleep) later, each was transported to the homes of their host families for a nice meal, good conversation, and much needed rest!