United Airlines employees wait by a departures monitor displaying a blue error screen, also known as the "Blue Screen of Death," inside Terminal C in Newark International Airport in New Jersey July 19, 2024, after United Airlines and other airlines grounded flights due to a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to CrowdStrike's "Falcon Sensor" software that crashed Microsoft Windows systems around the world. (OSV News photo/Bing Guan, Reuters)
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COLOGNE, Germany (OSV News) -- "Country roads, take me home. To the place I belong," rang out through the packed Eurowings check-in counter in Cologne July 19.
Leading the chorus were 28 American college students, a guitar-wielding priest and their faithful leaders, stranded in the airport as they tried to make their way to Rome.
The group was participating in the Catholic Worldview Fellowship, a monthlong, Catholic immersion program sponsored by Regnum Christi that exposes college students to Catholic culture in both northern Germany and Rome. Regnum Christi includes the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, the Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members from all walks of life.
As the group attempted to make their way to Rome for the second part of the program, they became the unfortunate victims of the widespread CrowdStrike tech outage that brought much of the world to a halt July 19.
Early that morning, Microsoft computers across the world crashed after cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike attempted to update its software. A swath of industries, from banks to airlines, felt the immediate impact as Microsoft systems collapsed.
The airline industry was hit particularly hard with FlightAware reporting over 5,000 flight cancellations worldwide.
For the Catholic Worldview Fellowship, their Eurowings flight to Rome was one of the 77 departures canceled by the airline.
But through it all, the resilient group of Americans maintained their positivity, making the most of the unexpected adventure. The students and staff's response to the challenge left an impression on Nathan Sullivan, director of operations and program director for the Catholic Worldview Fellowship, who masterminded the solutions to the logistical challenges.
"One of the things I love about the program is the unique diversity of both the staff and students," Sullivan said. "We already have such a gifted group of people who are passionate about the current needs of the culture that you throw them into an unusual situation like this, and they have the grace and confidence to respond accordingly."
"Our staff has complimentary gifts. We had logistical colleagues who were able to figure out how to get from point A to point B, while others can keep morale high, which was on full display during this adventure," Sullivan told OSV News.
As the day began, the students anticipated that they would be in Rome that afternoon. But upon arriving at the Cologne airport, they were met by a sea of people, all trying to check in for their flight. At first, the group just thought that it was a minor problem with the airport’s baggage check. But then they received news notifications one by one, realizing they were the victims of a global tech crisis.
"You have two options," Legionaries of Christ Father John Klein, who serves as a chaplain for the Catholic Worldview Fellowship, told the students. "You can either just sit there and let the negative things bounce around in your head over and over -- or you can choose to have an intentional attitude of trying to find the good in a situation and to take advantage of the good things in front of you."
"As Catholics we believe in God's providence and that he is always creating and making something new in a moment. We need to trust that God still has a plan and discover it in our ruined plan, and we discover something new," he said.Encouraged by their priest, who brought his guitar, students broke out in song.
"Since we had Father Klein, who knows how to play guitar, he was able to play a series of magnificent songs," said Connor Waymire, a fellow from Benedictine College.
"We were in public bringing joy to not only the fellows here, but also all other people who may have been struggling with flight delays," which is "a very worrisome time, and there's nothing better than a little Fergalicious to fix all our issues," Waymire said, referring to a song recorded by American singer, songwriter and rapper Fergie for her debut studio album.
Inspired by the music, the students quickly turned their disappointment to optimism.
"I have loved the optimism that our group has had," said Anna Fredette, a fellow who recently graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California. "These situations set people apart and show the type of people that you're with. It's good to be with a group of optimistic people. It's just a lot more fun than being with pessimistic people."
That optimism spread to the angst-ridden passengers crowding the Cologne terminal. As the group launched into “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and other American classics, foreign passengers joined in and many flocked to film the joy-filled Americans.
"Good music helps to lift the human spirit, when we are in a situation and somebody plays good, uplifting music, it reminds you that there is something more than the situation you are stuck in," Father Klein said. "When people start to sing along and you remember that there is a human connection, it breaks down tension and it unites a group."
After much waiting, the check-in lines finally started to move, but by that time, the flight to Rome had just departed and the second flight to Rome had been canceled.
The fellows kicked back in an airport cafe where they played games, and sang some new songs, while the group leaders drew up a new plan.
With airlines in upheaval as they tried to rebook passengers, the leaders decided to embark on a new adventure, an 18-hour train trek through Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
Yet even the prospect of a long journey beginning at 4:15 a.m. the next morning could not deter the students' attitudes, as they looked forward to a day of taking in European scenery, they said.
"When I heard we were taking a train, I just said to myself I have no control in this so if we are going to take a train, I am excited to see what happens and to enjoy every minute of it," said Victor Myrna, a fellow who studies at North Carolina State University.
"On an airplane, everybody looks in the same direction and there is not much looking out the window," Myrna said. "On a train though, you get to talk to people sitting across from you and are able to look out the window and just enjoy God's creation which has made the train trip very enjoyable."
The train ride, fellows of the program said, provided them an opportunity to embrace the vibrant community they have already formed and to go even deeper with the other students.
"Everybody here is down to have a conversation with anybody. It has been a highlight of the program,” said Fredette. "I think we're always itching to have really deep conversations, so today gave us a great opportunity to fulfill those desires as we had plenty of time to laugh and talk while on the trains."
Travel chaos has spiritual lessons, they concluded.
"Throughout our lives, we face adversity," Waymire said. "If we just have everything handed to us in the way that we wanted to, is that truly living life? Today has just shown me God's providence and the way he hands out gracious gifts. If he just gave us everything we wanted, there would be no need to pray."
- - - Jack Figge writes for OSV News from Kansas.