Wednesday July 9, 2008

This afternoon we put on our pilgrim walking shoes and headed out for a Journey with the WYD Cross & Icon, which have been traveling around Australia for the past year. These last 15 days before World Youth Day it has been going from place to place in Sydney and its environs. The team facilitating the walk is made up of staff and volunteers from different countries and regions of Australia. Providence arranged for us to arrive just as they prepared to remove the cross from the truck in which it travels. Several Little Sisters and novices helped to bring the case out of the truck and to unpack the cross and place it in the stand where it would remain for about ½ hour until the walk began. Next to come out of the truck was the icon of Our Lady, which was placed in a stand next to the cross.

After picture taking near the cross and time to greet the other pilgrims in the group, JCI team member Bernadette invited us to spend a few minutes in quiet prayer. We were about 50 people in all. The icon went back into the truck just before 2:30, and our walk began. We learned that they don’t carry the icon on the walk because it is much more awkward to carry than the cross. At the beginning of the walk we prayed the Rosary, then spent the rest of the time in spontaneous singing and faith sharing with one another. Our journey took us mainly through residential areas, giving us the chance to pray for the residents of all the homes we passed. Some people waited for us to pass by, and some who just happened to see us came up to venerate the cross. We tried to greet everyone we saw, to make them a part of this journey with us. The catch phrase of the Cross & Icon journey has been: In carrying the cross, you learn that it’s actually the cross that carries you. This cross that we carried today is actually quite heavy. It is smooth and polished & we shared its weight. How much heavier must have been the cross of Jesus, rough and splintered and carried only by him.

We had a police escort for the entire route, which ended at a parish church. Clouds kept moving in as the afternoon progressed, but we didn’t feel the first drops of rain until we had arrived at the end of our journey. The parishioners at Our Lady, Help of Christians had gathered to welcome the cross & icon, and would later be taking it to a nearby Anglican church for an ecumenical service. It was beautiful to see them gathered in silent prayer. At the end of the afternoon we learned that we had walked 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). None of us would have guessed it was that long, proof that the more we help one another carry our crosses, the easier it is on us all. God bless.

Tuesday July 8, 2008

No big adventures or outings today, but a very good experience here at home. Tristan, our parish coordinator for WYD, came to give a session to the novices on how to best profit of WYD, and one of our number joined in to see what she could learn. Jeanne Jugan said we’re novices all our lives, right? Tristan has been working on WYD for over a year, and plans to enter the seminary next year.

During the past year the parish community, including the home and novitiate here, has been working to raise money to bring young people from the Pacific Islands to WYD. Tristan told us today that the money raised is bringing 200 pilgrims from Kiribati, Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea. Staying at the parish during WYD will be pilgrims from Cameroon, France, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Zealand, the United States and Papua New Guinea. The parish will also be a WYD catechetical site, which will host approximately 800 young people for each of the three catechetical sessions during the week.

Tristan’s presentation, called “Get the Most Out of WYD”, gave us a glimpse into what is planned for the pilgrims of the parish, and tips on how to best profit of the events of the week. Since there are over 500 youth festival events to choose from, he recommended choosing one for the afternoon and one for the evening, so as to avoid losing time trying to get from one thing to another, and possibly missing out on everything in the meantime.

The backpack which every pilgrim will receive contains very practical things, like a raincoat and thermal blanket, spiritual helps like a copy of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and fun things, like a temporary tattoo of the WYD logo. Tristan explained how the main days of WYD week will play out, with a morning catechetical session, concluding with lunch, and time in the afternoon for youth festival events. He spoke about the meal service, which is done in groups of six. That means that you are supposed to link up with five other people and one of them goes up to get the food for all six of you. This is done to ensure that no pilgrim eats alone, and also to give a chance to share a meal with people outside of your “group” from other countries or languages.

This informative session will be repeated on Friday night at the parish after the weekly holy hour. The Little Sisters and novices have been faithfully attending this holy hour during the past year. We are blessed to be part of a parish which is taking such an active interest in WYD, and look forward to joining up with them next week. God bless.

Monday July 7, 2008

Last night our little group split up, 2 to the novitiate for supper and 2 to Mass and a catechesis session at St. Mary’s Cathedral downtown. Bishop Julian Porteous and Mark Schembri led the catechesis, entitled “yMe?” The bishop began by asking the young people why they had come to WYD. The answers ranged from the more superficial, “To see the Popemobile,” to the profound, “Coming together to experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Bishop Porteous reminded the young people that we are all stones of the church, bound together in the profound unity of our common faith. Mark Schembri shared this reflection:when asked what was the most profound experience of the first year of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI said it was the silencing of 1 million young people when the he gave benediction at WYD in Cologne. Mark also related that young people have said that before 2005 they went to WYD to “see” John Paul II, but they are coming to WYD now to “hear” Pope Benedict.

We became real “tourists” for a few hours this morning, when a volunteer took us out on the town. We drove past a couple of nearby beaches, stopping at the most popular one, then headed into the city to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) headquarters, where our guide works as Chief of Staff. Arriving just in time for the 12:00 news, we had the chance to go into the control room for the duration of the broadcast. Very interesting for us “journalists”! ABC has a whole team covering WYD, and we met one of the senior reporters. After lunch in the cafeteria of the building, we left for a visit to Lady Macquarie’s Chair, which offers a beautiful view of Sydney Harbor. This “chair” is actually a seat carved out of rock. When Governor Macquarie & his wife came to Sydney in the early 1800s she was extremely homesick for England, and would go down to this point to watch for British boats that might be coming into the harbor. The Governor arranged to have this seat carved out for her, and it is one of the best views of the harbor.

A quick drive past the entrance to the Opera House, a stop to purchase postcards, and we were on our way home to another cultural event. Sr. Katalina Siena, a Tongan Little Sister, and her family came to the home this afternoon to sing and do some dances for the Residents and us. What a treat! Each one wore a light blue outfit with white flowers on it, and for the dances one of the girls changed into a more traditional Island outfit. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it, and the performers did, too!

That’s our adventures for the day. Know that we carry you one and all with us everywhere we go. God bless.