PHILADELPHIA – Three members of the Philadelphia branch of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization attended the papal liturgy in Philadelphia on September 27. They opted to wear their Plast scout uniforms for the special occasion. Below they share a little about their experience.
Olesyk Firko, 18, a senior in high school, said:
“Zachar Firko, Markian Shust and I ventured from a local train station at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning to see the pope and take part in his Liturgy. Even though we waited in line for two and a half hours, we still had a great time. We met new people, from Levittown, Pa., to Austin, Texas. Everyone was kind, offering us food, drinks and conversation to pass the time. When we finally entered the gates to the Ben Franklin Parkway (where the mass was being held), every security guard, police officer, state trooper, National Guard members were nice enough to direct us toward our seating. At some points we were even escorted through mobs of people.
“As we stood waiting for the liturgy to start, we had tons of news reporters approach us. These reporters ranged from small-town Catholic television to mainstream Italian news stations. I believe it was the plastovyi odnostriy (Plast uniform) that captured their attention. We were the only uniformed scouts and that made for interesting conversation. We told them all about Plast – Ukrainian scouting. The experience of giving interviews was surreal and exciting, and I would not mind doing it again.
Zachar Firko, 15, a sophomore in high school added: “It was neat all the attention our plastovyi odnostriy brought us. Representing Plast and Ukraine was a great honor – especially at a time when the pope was in town.”