"To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of greatness!
"
- Benedict XVI
Meet the pilgrims
Oxford Oratory Pilgrims
Fr Daniel Seward of the Oxford Oratory leads this group of young pilgrims from Oxford and the North East together with Fr Alexander Sherbrooke of St Patrick's Soho Square and the Saint Patrick's Evangelisation School.
These 53 young people are out in Australia for a month, during which they travel from London to Singapore, from Singapore to Alice Springs. From there they go to Melbourne for the Days in the Diocese before heading to St Peter's Surry Hill, Sydney to see the Pope and take part in World Youth Day. Once the events in Sydney have reached their end, the group will head to the Marian Valley shrine for a retreat before returning home on July 27. Teresa Caldecott, who finished Durham University this summer, will be writing about the group's encounters. Her sister Rosie will be taking photographs.
Kingston Deanery Pilgrims
Fr Dominic Allain leads this group with young people from his parish of St Pius X and neighbouring parishes in the Kingston Deanery. Readers of the Catholic Herald will have met Simonne and Josh Rodrigues, James Howe and Kurt Barragan, four of the 33 members of the group. If all goes well, they will also be sending the occasional message from Oz as they experience World Youth Day.
Brentwood Pilgrims
Matt Kirrane, Frances O'Leary and Gareth Talbot are only three members of the enthusiastic gang of Fr Dominic Howarth's Brentwood Catholic Youth Service. They will be keeping the folks back home up to date about their experiences in the Diocese and in Sydney. Sections of their blog will appear on the Catholic Herald World Youth Day blog.
Thursday 24th July - Sunday 27th July
Fun and farewells on the Gold Coast:
After our two days of retreat (some of which was silent) we headed off to Seaworld, despite the pouring rain (a direct answer to our prayer for Australia's severe drought) and spent the day marvelling at the beautiful aquariums and a lucky few even getting to stroke some dolphins. Several of the boys went on the rollercoaster over 20 times and, needless to say, felt rather queasy as a result. Our last day in Australia was spent at Surfer's Paradise in Brisbane, where most of us went to see the new Batman film, 'The Dark Knight' before putting on our swimming things and experiencing the mighty waves that give the beach its name. These two days were the only real days of holiday that we had had all month, and even on these days we had Mass and prayed the rosary on the coach. These things became habit and helped us to gain strength, daily, from Our Lord.
The flight home (adding up to over 20 hours in all) was spectacular in itself, as the skies were clear for most of the way which made travelling at night almost like travelling through space, constellations of light above and below us. Tearful farewells at the airport brought our journey together finally to an end, but over the course of that month friendships were formed that will not be broken, and I know that we will continue our journey together in prayer as we each try to live out the commission we have received
World Youth Day 2008 - Sophie Caldecott reports
Monday 21st July - Wednesday 23rd July
Marian Valley Retreat:
After a flight to Brisbane we had a coach journey to the beautiful Marian Valley where we would be staying until our return home. Beginning our pilgrimage in the quiet of the outback, we were ending it with a two day retreat in the peace of the Australian rainforest. It was a wonderful chance to meditate on our experiences throughout the trip, and to really listen hard to what God had been saying to us on our journeys. We were staying in cabins and tents near the monastery of St Paul, the first hermit, and Fr Greg Jordan (possibly the only exorcist in Australia!) led us in a series of spiritual exercises that helped us to unpack all we had been learning on our pilgrimage. The nights were full of strange noises, some of which we were told were made by koala bears, and walking to breakfast in the morning we encountered some extremely friendly kookaburra birds. After two weeks in the cities it felt good to be surrounded by the peace of the natural world again. Fr Jordan helped us to see that by reaching a deep interior knowledge of our sin, which is an act of rebellion against God, we could begin to truly and genuinely give ourselves to Him in repentance, accepting His healing embrace.
World Youth Day 2008 - Sophie Caldecott reports
Wednesday 16th July - Sunday 20th July
Sydney - 'you shall receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you':
On Wednesday morning we had catechesis in St Peter's church, and heard the testimony of a Missionary of Charity Sister, amongst others. We were encouraged by the Philippine Bishop who was giving the catechesis to look for the very real presence of the Holy Spirit in our day-to-day lives, relying completely on the transformative power of the Spirit and praying for strength to live boldly for Christ. In his sermon at Mass the Bishop dwelt on the necessity of prayer, focusing on the fact that we must pray even (and especially) when we do not feel like praying, because it is then that we are most under attack.
That afternoon we went to the Vocations Expo, a large hall full of different stalls advertising various vocations to the priesthood, religious life, youth ministry and teaching roles, as well as married life. It was rather overwhelming to meet so many people from all different vocational backgrounds, and we left a couple of hours later with lots of leaflets and wristbands and the overall impression that a lot of prayer would, indeed, be needed to help us discern our vocations! We made our way to Bondi beach for some relaxation and music by the waves, catching the famous Fr Stan performing his Jesus rap: 'There aint not party like a Holy Ghost party... the youth, the youth, the youth is on fire - we don't trust the devil cos the devil is a liar!' That evening three members of our group were in the final of a debating competition (the first year of the Papal Plate), held in the great hall of Sydney University. The contestants felt unexpectedly at home in the building that looked very much like an Oxford college, however whilst they debated valiantly they lost to the team from Campion College, Australia. We consoled ourselves with the thought that the World Youth Day Papal Plate debate couldn't really be won by the team speaking in favour of the motion 'God is dead'!
Thursday saw the arrival of the Pope and his journey through the huge and highly enthusiastic crowds gathered to welcome him to Sydney. Our group set up camp early in the afternoon in Domain, the city's Botanic Gardens, and we had a great spot right next to the road which Pope Benedict would drive along in his popemobile. Waiting for the Pope the crowds milled around on the grass, talking to people from different countries, exchanging souvenirs and playing games in the miraculous winter sunshine. After the Pope finally drove past us, beaming at the cheering crowds, a huge flock of bats suddenly rose up in the darkening evening sky from the surrounding trees; it was as if the forces of darkness were stirring up in protest against that frail looking disciple of Christ dressed in white.
Throughout the week adoration was being held in a room in the Sydney Opera House, and after greeting the Pope some of our group went to pray before Our Lord in the silence at the heart of the city. After the noise and movement of the crowds it was particularly meaningful just to kneel there in the dim stillness and give our hearts completely to Him.
The next day, on Friday, our group watched the Stations of the Cross acted out in the harbour, which was a moving meditation on Christ's Passion and death, as well as being an incredible witness to the city of Sydney as the streets became crammed with people watching on the big screens around the city. In the evening a group of us went to Christopher West's talk in a large hall with thousands of other pilgrims. The talk was entitled 'male and female, He redeemed them - finding sexual redemption in a pornographic world', and in it he unpacked some of the material in John Paul II's 'Theology of the Body'. As someone who had already studied John Paul II's TOB quite a bit, I wasn't quite prepared for just how swept away I would be by this talk. This talk was a real turning point, a life-changing experience for many people, myself included, and I left feeling deeply changed and convicted of my mission to bring people out of the darkness of broken relationships and the confusion of their deep wounds to the wedding banquet of God's love, to the love that satisfies our deep hunger and secret aching desires. Christopher West's talk made me realise on a deeper level than I had ever realised before that the Church's teaching on sexuality is profoundly beautiful and, above all, realistic. The questions that every young person's heart whispers, often in sorrow and distress, find answers in this teaching.
On Saturday, after Mass and lunch we set off on the walk to Randwick racecourse, joining the stream of pilgrims carrying their various flags and banners fluttering in the light breeze. Once we had finally found a spot to set up camp (our designated area having been taken by another group already) we proceeded to relax and listen to the various musical performances and testimonies on the big stage being relayed on screens across the racecourse. John Pridmore's testimony was incredibly moving, as he explained the story of how he found God after living a life of crime in simple, direct and utterly genuine words. After Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament the Vigil had truly begun - this is what we had come all the way from the other side of the world for. The adoration tent was open all night, and getting up in the middle of the night to go and adore our Saviour reminded me of the part in C. S. Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' where Lucy and Susan wake up and leave their tent to go and walk with Aslan. One of the most strikingly beautiful things of the entire week, however, was surely the sight of a priest in every section of that vast space, milling with people, his head bent listening to the confession of young person after young person, coming to pour their hearts out before God, seeking a fresh start in living for Him.
Having survived the cold but mercifully dry night, we woke and prepared for the climax of our entire pilgrimage to this, the great Southland of the Holy Spirit, the Papal Mass. This was, without a doubt the largest Mass I had ever been to, but I was surprised at how well balanced the liturgy was, being both reverent and accessible, an impressive feat in a time of such clashing liturgical styles. Back at St Peter's that evening we had a farewell party with the Trinidadians who had also been staying in the parish, and we sang and danced to some of their traditional songs before they left, enjoying the experience of another Catholic culture for the last time before we left Sydney.
World Youth Day 2008 – Photos from Sydney
Monday 21 July
World Youth Day: a picture diary
Rosie and Teresa Caldecott have been hard at work and sent some pilgrim's-eye photos from the last couple of days of World Youth Day. They've seen a lot in the last few days including pilgrims handing out free hugs and American pilgrims dressed in their national costume:
World Youth Day 2008 - Kurt Barragan reports
Monday 21 July
Final Mass and farewells, Randwick Racecourse, Sydney:
This final update is a bit late because we were all SO incredibly tired on our return from Randwick. We survived the night---just--despite plunging temperatures. The warmest place on the racecourse was the Adoration tent: the body heat of so many pilgrims continuing their vigil of prayer drove out the bitter cold.
The concluding Mass was, of course, fantastic. A line from Cardinal Pell's opening remarks struck a chord with several members of our group: "One mission is worth a thousand opportunities". The Holy Father took this theme up in his homily which urged us to become Christ's witnesses in the world. After we had received Holy Communion there was the most amazing collective silence as hundreds of thousands made their personal thanksgiving.
Leaving Randwick was no easy matter - such a huge body of people moves slowly and chaotically. The WYD volunteers and Australian police did the fantastic job we have become accustomed to throughout our time here. As we walked, an out-of-service bus pulled up beside us and offered to drive us home. He did the same for another couple of groups asking only for a photo with the happy pilgrims. The joy of WYD is infectious!
It's time to head home tomorrow and then the real legacy of WYD08 begins. We have been commissioned as Christ's witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit. It's an exciting mission; please pray that we may all be faithful to it.
World Youth Day 2008 - Kurt Barragan reports
Saturday 19 July
The Papal Vigil, Randwick Racecourse, Sydney:
The night vigil with the Holy Father has just concluded and, as we shiver through an Australian winter's night under the stars, our hearts are full of memories.
The candles - an ocean of burning lights in the hands of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims - set the racecourse aglow.
Adoration - people falling to their knees around the course and the most exquisite silence as we encountered Jesus, the One we really came to meet.
The Holy Father's message - that only by being transformed from within by the Holy Spirit will we be truly alive.
Right now, pilgrims are wrapping up against the bitter cold full of anticipation for tomorrow's Mass.
World Youth Day 2008 - Kurt Barragan reports
Saturday 19 July
A lost sheep joins the flock, Randwick Racecourse, Sydney:
"Hey, English people, would you like to try some Vegemite?" It's the sort of question that you have to expect in a World Youth Day host city. For the record, I thought it tasted just like Marmite. For this week, at least, the usual reserve of stressed commuting is replaced with an infectious joy and friendless. Pilgrims and local residents have joined together to create the most beautiful atmosphere of fellowship and celebration.
We've arrived at Randwick Racecourse after a walk through Sydney (stopping at a Coptic Orthodox parish who kindly offered us tea!). Our group has gained an honourary member - Dawn, a teacher from Ohio. She travelled to WYD alone and met some of our group when they asked directions to their catechesis site. Since then, she has joined us for the major events and is with us onRandwick. "I was so lonely," she says, but now she's part of our pilgrimage family. We've even given her a Southwark Youth Service T-shirt. This really sums up the WYD spirit.
World Youth Day 2008 - Kurt Barragan reports
Thursday 17 July
Official Papal Boat-a-cade, Barangaroo, Sydney:
We're standing at Barangaroo again soaking up the atmosphere now that
Pope Benedict's arrival ceremony has concluded. It's been a day of anticipation packed with catechesis, Holy Mass and the journey to the venue. Security was tight but the carnival atmosphere endured and we were soon in place to watch (on a big screen) the Pope board his cruise ship.
Soon, his boat was with us and we were able to catch our first excited glimpses of the Holy Father. After standing and waving to the enormous crowds, he boarded the Pope-mobile and swept through the excited crowds. At the end of the short welcoming liturgy, we all joined in the singing of the World Youth Day theme, its call to "receive the power from the Holy Spirit...to be a light unto the world" now engraved on a hundred thousand hearts. On the big screens, the Holy Father seemed visibly moved.
We're thinking about finding some food now - all this cheering burns plenty of calories.
Earlier today:
During the morning we gathered in a downtown Sydney parish church for catechesis with Bishop Gerald Holohan of Bunbury WA. He spoke about the
Holy Spirit and gave advice about discerning His voice. After Mass, we made our way to Darling Harbour where more events were underway.
There's a huge vocations expo - one person was amazed that you could have "a whole careers fair" on vocations (including priesthood, religious life, marriage and consecrated single life). In one large hall, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and ranks of priests were on hand to hear confessions. A bunch of us decided to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation and spend some time in adoration. Once again, we experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Sydney is awash with life right now - as our pilgrim group makes its way through the streets. We are constantly serenaded by the friendly sounding of horns from enthusiastic locals.
World Youth Day 2008 - Kurt Barragan reports
Thursday 10 July - Tuesday 15 July
Opening Mass, Sydney and Days in the Diocese:
Well, we've arrived in Sydney and WYD is now well and truly underway.
After a gruelling 20+ hours of air travel and a further couple in a bus, we arrived last week in the diocese of Maitland -Newcastle where we spent a few days staying with local families, getting involved with community service projects and worshipping with parish communities.
For those few days our host families welcomed us into their own lives as well as their country. As the time for our departure approached, we heard moving testimonies about how our presence had touched the local communities. At Sunday Mass one host told us that he had received back tenfold what he had offered to visiting pilgrims. Soon we were loading our things onto another bus as Sydney beckoned.
As we walked to Barangaroo - the site of yesterday's Opening Mass - we were plunged into an ocean of singing, clapping, flag-waving and badge-swapping pilgrims from around the world. The crowds inched their way towards the venue with warmth and exuberance. The crowd seemed enormous when we filed into our assigned locations and secured a patch of ground for our group but we hadn't seen anything yet! By the time Mass was underway, about 150,000 pilgrims had assembled.
We were greeted by the Australian Prime Minister, whose speech of welcome went far beyond the platitudes required by protocol. He spoke of WYD as a celebration of faith and life. He recalled the tremendous contribution that Christianity has made in the world and insisted that there is no contradiction between faith and reason. We were dumbfounded - he really seemed to get it. Oh, and he said "G'day" too.
The Mass was incredibly moving. We were all struck by the attitude of attentiveness and recollection in the crowd. The party atmosphere of our gathering yielded naturally to prayer and worship. Cardinal Pell addressed his homily especially to any who felt like "lost sheep" and assured us all of Christ's loving care. Echoing Ezekiel's vision of
the valley of dry bones, he invoked the Holy Spirit to bring new life to us all.
As the Consecration approached, pilgrims knelt on the hard concrete, praying intensely. As we moved to receive Holy Communion, Dana's "We are one Body" was sung and we became a living icon of the universality of the Church. Tears seemed to flow freely as pilgrims were overcome by the power of the occasion. There was no doubt about it - the Holy Spirit was at work.
World Youth Day 2008 – Sophie Caldecott reports
Monday 14 July - Tuesday 15 July
Hello Sydney:
We finally arrived in Sydney on Monday afternoon to glorious clear blue skies and another BBQ after Mass in St Peter's parish before being allocated new hosts for the coming week. The next day we began to get a feel for the exciting and incredibly hectic city, walking about in streets crowded with pilgrims carrying flags from all over the world. Street corners and squares were full of people singing and dancing, greeting strangers as if they were long lost friends.
The Opening Mass was held in the large open space next to the docks, in Barangaroo, with huge crowds of brightly coloured, friendly pilgrims gathering hours before the Mass began to eat in the sunshine and listen to previous World Youth Day testimonies showing on the large screens around Barangaroo. Cardinal Pell, the celebrant, encouraged us to be open to the Holy Spirit as well as warning us that the Gospel forces us to make a choice, that no one can remain neutral in their response to it. With the glow of the city and the fluttering flags all around us we knelt before our God and praised him, praying for greater faith and for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Whilst at a football match flags might be divisive symbols, here they only served to remind us of the universality of our faith.
World Youth Day 2008 – Sophie Caldecott reports
Thursday 10 July - Sunday 13 July
Melbourne, ‘Days in the Dioceses’ and Goodbyes:
Being English to our core we set off to find some tea after all the excitement of the Welcome Liturgy whilst the Zambians danced and the Italians chanted 'Iesus!' The next day was the Commissioning Mass in the Telstra Dome, a huge stadium in the centre of Melbourne where the Archbishop of Melbourne led a mass especially to pray for the pilgrims on their way to Sydney.
This huge scale celebration of the power of the Holy Spirit and the importance of young people's role as instruments of God in evangelisation was bound to be met with opposition, and so it should have come as no surprise when we encountered our first real attack from anti-Catholics on the way into mass.
Atheists with signs saying things like "Don't just believe, think!" stood outside on the bridge facing the crowd of Catholics on their way to Mass, and after a conversation with a couple of them it became clear that they were convinced that everyone who believes in God has either been indoctrinated from birth or is just very weak, both intellectually and emotionally. Several people from the group tried to start some friendly discussion, recommending John Paul II's 'Theology of the Body' to the people handing out condoms and holding signs saying things like "The Pope is wrong! Condoms save lives!" The encouragement and strength offered in the Mass, once we finally got in out of the cold evening, was needed by all.
On Saturday night St Patrick's, Surrey Hill, had organised a party for the pilgrims staying with host families from their parish, and so our group danced the night away with pilgrims from Switzerland, America and Hong Kong, as well as the Australian parishioners. The next day we were united for one last mass in St Patrick's, Melbourne, followed by a feast of a BBQ with almost every variety of cake that the large and generous parish could imagine. As the time came for us to leave tearful farewells began, one little girl having grown so attached to her family's pilgrims that she went to her room to cry when they left.
World Youth Day 2008 – Photos from Melbourne
Friday 11th July
Melbourne, ‘Days in the Dioceses’:
Rosie Caldecott sent some of the photos which she and others in the group have been taking. Her camera has been broken since Alice Springs but now it's all up and running smoothly. Some of her pictures have been put into the text to illustrate their adventures.
On Friday afternoon, a huge commissioning Mass took place in Melbourne's Telstra Dome and here are some of the photos:
World Youth Day 2008 – Sophie Caldecott reports
Monday 7th July – Thursday 10th July
Melbourne, ‘Days in the Dioceses’:
After almost a week in the outback it was a bit of a shock to suddenly find
ourselves in the vibrant city of Melbourne. Instead of the rusty-red
mountains that we had begun to get used to we were surrounded by glittering
sky-scrapers and busy streets. We had also left the warm weather and blue
skies behind us – for the first time it really came home to us that we were
on the other side of the world, and that it is winter here and not summer.
Upon arrival in the parish of St Patrick’s in Mentone, Melbourne, we were
divided up into groups and given a host family with whom we would be staying
for our week in Melbourne. Coming into the parish hall feeling tired and
dishevelled and more than a little dusty we felt rather like evacuee
children! Whilst it was sad to be separated from the rest of the group which
had grown so close over the past week, it was a new joy to get to know our
hosts and find such a warm welcome waiting for us. As one of the pilgrims,
Jeanine, put it, ‘the generosity and support that strangers show each other
on pilgrimage often exceeds expectations and helps us to realise that we are
not, in fact, strangers but truly brothers and sisters in Christ.’
During the next couple of days the group spent time with their hosts, being
reunited for daily mass, prayer and teaching at St Patrick’s, as well as
having the opportunity to explore Melbourne (which for many translated as
going shopping and hanging out in cafes!). On Wednesday the John Paul II
institute held a series of talks, one of which was given by Anna Krohn on
the philosopher Dietrich Von Hildebrand and the way that his philosophy of
phenomenology inspired John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’. Anna is an
incredibly engaging speaker and opened up new areas of the subject for us.
Hildebrand believed that all of human experience should be included in
philosophy, getting to the depths of the human soul in a way that feels
utterly right and true.
On Thursday the ‘Days in the Dioceses’ program started with the official
welcome liturgy in Melbourne’s Catholic cathedral, packed with pilgrims from
all over the world stopping in Melbourne before travelling on to Sydney for
World Youth Day.
The Welcome Liturgy for the pilgrims in Melbourne's cathedral
We were told that approximately 22, 000 young people from
all over the world would be passing through Melbourne, and walking around
the streets it was easy to believe. Pilgrims carrying their national flag
would walk past on the opposite side of the street and we’d shout out in
welcome to each other. Unfortunately there was a limited number of tickets
that we could get for the welcome liturgy, so only about 12 of our group
made it, but those of us that went came back buzzing. The atmosphere was
incredible, with barriers of language and race being crossed as people
gathered outside the church, dancing and singing and praising the Lord
together. The Archbishop of Melbourne (Archbishop Denis Hart) led the
service, and we sang hymns, prayed and read scripture together before
worshipping Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In his sermon the Archbishop
talked about the theme of World Youth Day this year – ‘You will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses’
(Acts 1:8), saying that ‘God’s personal love’ for each one of us ‘is so
strong and so perfect that it needs to be shared’. Jesus’ love ‘encircles
all the facets of our lives’, meaning that we can bring everything to him –
all our joys, our sorrows, the seemingly insignificant frustrations we may
face on our journeys to Sydney – everything. We are not doing our own work
but God’s, and He will not abandon us. As we sang World Youth Day’s ‘theme
song’ to close the service, stranger embracing stranger in love and joy, I
think we got a taste of what World Youth Day is all about, and what next
week in Sydney will be like.
‘Every nation, every tribe, come together to worship You.
In Your presence we delight, we will follow to the ends of the earth.
Chorus: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Receive the Power from the Holy Spirit!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Receive the Power to be a light unto the world!
As Your Spirit calls to rise we will answer and do Your Will.
We’ll forever testify of Your mercy and unfailing love. Chorus
Lamb of God, we worship You,
Holy One, we worship You,
Bread of Life, we worship You,
Emmanuel, we worship You. Repeat and then Chorus.’
Receive the Power by Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto.
World Youth Day 2008 – Sophie Caldecott reports
Wednesday 2nd July – Monday 7th July
The Australian adventure begins:
We arrived in Alice Springs, central Australia very jet-lagged after another
over-night flight, but the whole group quickly fell in love with the blue
skies and red earth of the outback. This was just how we had always imagined
Australia, with wild kangaroo, dusty roads and campfires. We stayed with
some old friends of Paul (our group leader), David and Sue Woods in their
retreat centre, ‘Campfire in the Heart’, and got the opportunity not only to
eat some roasted kangaroo tail but also to meet some of their Aboriginal
friends – really getting to know the ‘real’ Australia. As he welcomed us,
David pointed us to Hosea 2:14: ‘I will lead her into the desert and speak
to her heart’, a passage that we would all keep in mind as we spent the next
couple of days in the desert, trying to be open to the things that God was
whispering to our hearts. The patience of the Aboriginal people that we met
in the bush is something that we busy people from the West need to learn –
we were taught how in their culture everything has a season (just like in
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under heaven…’, ‘…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to
mourn and a time to dance…’), and how living in close harmony with the land
can help us to be more open to God. Watching the seasons change as things
slowly grow, waiting patiently for the rain helps us to fulfill God’s
command in Psalm 46 – ‘Be still and know that I am God’.
For the next couple of days we travelled by coach to Yulara where we slept
under the incredibly clear night sky in ‘swags’ (heavy canvas sleeping bags
that protect you from the cold and the ‘bush critters’!). For many this
experience was by far the best of the trip so far, and one that we will not
forget in a hurry. The days were sunny with clear blue skies and we enjoyed
walking around the incredible rock formations that looked like something
from the sets of Star Wars. Kata Tjuta, Walpa Gorge and Uluru (better known
as Ayer’s Rock) are all sacred places for the Aboriginal people, and so we
walked with a heightened awareness of the land and God’s purpose for it.
A group snapshot with Uluru in the background
We
watched the changing shades of red as the sun set and rose on Uluru, had our
daily mass near the campfire and fell asleep marvelling at the beauty of the
milky way and the shooting stars over head. The logo for World Youth Day
2008, the Southern Cross, shone over us in the night sky as we slept, a
beautiful reminder of why we were on this journey of faith. When it was time
for us to leave after two nights we all agreed that we wished we could have
stayed for longer; living simply in a place where nature dominates is
incredibly liberating, as we discovered. On the drive back to Alice Springs
we stopped the coach to watch the sunset over the seemingly endless bush
land. Whilst we admired the beautiful colours the setting sun was painting
the sky, some of the boys thought it would be a good idea to have a race,
the only problem being that they hadn’t seen the barbed wire fence cutting
across the land directly ahead. Two of the fastest boys ran straight into
the barbed wire, flipping right over and miraculously escaping with only a
few scratches and bruises. Once we were all sure they weren’t seriously hurt
the comedy of their accident provided much amusement for the remainder of
the journey.
Being back in Alice Springs for Sunday we went to the local parish church
for mass, at which we were very warmly welcomed by the locals. After
exploring the market and eating fresh mango and macadamia nuts in the
sunshine we had a barbeque lunch (including kangaroo sausages!) and some
free time before prayer and confession. After supper under the stars we sat
around the fire and listened to one of David’s Aboriginal friends, Margaret,
sing a song that she had written in Arrernte (one of the many Aboriginal
languages). The lyrics were about learning to accept that God forgives us
and makes us clean, particularly appropriate and moving after just having
had confession: ‘My God, wash me with your spirit; my life is good now.’
Fr Alexander Sherbrooke celebrating Mass
The
next day we had an early mass beneath the trees as the birds sang their
morning chorus, the dog sleeping nearby in the dust. In his sermon Fr
Alexander reminded us that as followers of Christ, having given our lives to
him, we are united with him in his persecution and suffering and must expect
this in our earthly lives. It is not only this journey but our whole lives
that are pilgrimages, as we fix our eyes on our heavenly home. As we left
our kind hosts David and Sue and the peaceful sanctuary in the desert we had
been blessed to spend time in, Paul pointed out that the currency of
pilgrimage (and, indeed, life) is not money but friendship. As we travel and
get to know people we can learn more and more to see Christ in them, and to
show them Christ in us.
World Youth Day 2008 – Sophie Caldecott reports
Monday 30th June – Tuesday 1st July
A few days spent in Singapore before going to Australia:
We felt really blessed to be able to have a couple of days to get to know a
new city, and thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of the tropical temperature,
extraordinarily clean streets and sky-scrapers that seemed to define
Singapore. It was exciting, if a little unnerving to discover that the death
penalty was in place in Singapore, and that chewing gum was banned
(punishable by heavy fines, and, sometimes caning!) Our guide, Andrew,
showed us the Family Life Society where he works and organised a couple of
introductory talks to give us an insight into the work that he and his
colleagues do there. John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’ being very much
at the heart of what they do there, we had a brief overview of our late
Pope’s teaching, as well as a presentation about the Pregnancy Crisis Centre
that they run there. The group was impressed with the passion and commitment
of the staff at FLS, and the work that they do to support families in every
situation, as well as pursuing the protection of vulnerable human life. As
one member of the group said, the way that their services are open to
everyone and are used by the Singapore government whilst at the same time
being rooted in prayer and a great love of Christ was particularly
inspiring.
On Monday afternoon we split into groups and had the opportunity
to walk around Chinatown and Little India, two very vibrant and interesting
parts of the city.
Fr Daniel Seward is singing to the elderly
On Tuesday the group saw another side of the city,
visiting three hospices for the elderly and performing various musical acts
and meeting the residents. Whilst we weren’t entirely sure how much English
they could understand, music transcends language barriers, and many of the
elderly seemed to enjoy having so many joyful, energetic young people
gathered around them. It was particularly poignant and strangely appropriate
for us to visit the aged as we set out on our pilgrimage to meet with the
Catholic ‘youth’ of the world, once again taking us out of our comfort zones
and challenging us more deeply to think about our role in the world,
carrying out Christ’s message to love and respect the dignity of the most
vulnerable members of society.
World Youth Day 2008 – Sophie Caldecott reports
Saturday 28th June – Sunday 29th June
The journey begins – London to Singapore:
After over a year of planning and preparation it seemed unreal to be finally
huddled in our pale blue World Youth Day hoodies at Heathrow airport, ready
at last to start our journey to Australia. Our group, being comprised of
‘youth’ from the age of 11 months (Isabella, our intrepid Australian
leader’s adorable daughter) to 31 years of age was roughly made up of three
groups – the group from the School of Evangelisation at St Patrick’s in
Soho, London, the group from the Oxford Oratory and the group from Durham in
the North of England. Whilst the first time that all 53 of us where together
was at check-in at Heathrow, everyone was aware that after a month of
travelling and living, praying and sleeping in close quarters we would get
to know each other pretty well. There isn’t really any room to be shy on a
12 hour plane journey, and by the time the group arrived in hot and humid
Singapore to discover we were sleeping in two large dormitories we felt like
we had truly begun to bond through the beginning of a rather epic journey.
In the first mass of the pilgrimage in Singapore’s St Theresa’s church
(where we were staying for a couple of days) Fr Alexander reminded us that
our physical journey echoes our spiritual journey, and that we would
certainly not go back home unchanged if we were open to the Holy Spirit and
the sanctifying work that He wants to do inside each one of us. Pilgrimage
is about being taken out of your comfort zones, throwing yourself onto the
mercy of God like St Paul and the Apostles as they travelled to be
strengthened by their brothers and sisters in faith and, in turn, to offer
strength and encouragement themselves.
General Post 10 July 2008
The Kingston Deanery pilgrims led by Fr Dominic Allain and the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service led by Fr Dominic Howarth left for Australia on July 8 to start their Days in the Diocese.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who is himself going out to Australia for WYD08, had a message for the Diocese of Westminster.
He said: : "I am delighted that the Diocese of Westminster will be taking part in the twenty-third World Youth Day, the theme of which is, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts1:8)."
"For those of you who are participating for the first time, you may be excited and possibly, a little nervous. But do know that as a diocesan family you will find great support and friendship along the way. It will be a great gift for us to be together and in communion with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI."
"The Holy Spirit will help us in Australia to rediscover our faith if it is lost, strengthen it if it has become weak, and help us to savour it as fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."
Nights under the stars in the Southern Hemisphere
After Singapore leaving Singapore on July 1, the pilgrims headed to Alice Springs before they embarked on an Outback tour.
Teresa Caldecott wrote from Alice Springs on July 6:
We have been out in the outback with no contact and even now I only have a brief moment to email... tomorrow we leave Alice Springs and the heart of ancient Australia for Melbourne and our Days in the Diocese. We have eaten and seen Kangaroos, explored Kata Tjuta and Uluru, learnt something of Aboriginal culture and mythology, and slept under the stars of the southern hemisphere. A good start to our time here we feel!
The Journey begins for the Oxford Oratory Pilgrims
Teresa Caldecott wrote from Singapore on July 1:
We are in the process of leaving Singapore. We fly to Alice Springs overnight, and head out into the outback sleeping under the stars by Uluru on Thursday.
So far we have had two packed days here in Singapore. We stayed at St Theresa's Parish where they have a huge beautiful white church. We have had three types of masses already- a high latin Mass for Sunday night for the feast of Ss Peter and Paul, with chant from four very talented locals, and then a low mass with our own singing (less beautiful but just as heartfelt), and an Old Rite mass at the chapel of a new Catholic school here called St Joseph's.
We have packed in sightseeing (Chinatown, Little India and shame of shames, malls), and also three performances of a small talent show we put together for three Hospices/Old people's homes.
This show included rousing Australian songs from our Ozzie group leader Paul and Fr Daniel singing Swann's terribly English classics (Mud mud glorious mud for example!). We also had a series of morning talks at the Family Institute (I have forgotton the precise name and I'm in a rush for the airplane leaves shortly...) on their work and Theology of the Body and on abortion (including a harrowing video).
All in all it has been packed and varied already!
A warm welcome from Oz
The young people at St Peter's Surry Hills in the Diocese of Sydney sent a welcome video to the Oxford Oratory Pilgrims who will be staying in their parish during the World Youth Days.
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