My parent’s 26th wedding anniversary.
The 2nd of the important dates I was “missing” due to WYD. I had emailed them just before things go really busy to wish them a happy day and to assure them I would be praying for them, which was special because it would be in the presence of the Holy Father. And maybe a few hundred thousand other people from around the world.
This was the day Pope Benedict XVI was to arrive in Sydney, officially welcomed by the many pilgrims from every land and nation who had also, not long before, flown Down Under. The truth is that our dear Pontiff had arrived 4 days earlier but had taken that time to go on a personal retreat, preparing himself for what was to come. After all, the poor man is 81 and should be long retired! Instead he is leading the one of the world’s largest organizations and is regarded by over 1 billion people as the most important man on Earth. He’s got quite a heavy job for a man of 81 years!
After a chaotic catechesis session, one that ended with a river of tears, we made our way into the city on the train, a ride which I slept almost the entire way through. I just absolutely conked out! But I had to wake up quick because as we pulled into our stop just off Sydney Harbor, we were engulfed with pilgrims who completely filled the streets - all making their way to Barangaroo to welcome our leader, the Vicar of Christ. It took us quite some time to make our way over to the gates of the site, and since Cecilia, Rachel and I had been given VIP tickets, we had to make our way to the opposite side of Barangaroo to go through that gate. That was not an easy task.
Now just briefly, I’ll explain that having VIP tickets meant little more than receiving a chair to sit in (one of the thousands of white plastic chairs) and on the chair, at every single major event, there was always a green bag with the WYD logo on it containing a muesli (granola) bar, a bottle of water, and a clear plastic poncho. Every time. It wasn’t quite so exciting by the end of it.
So, back to the inconvenient feat of getting to “Gate 20”, the VIP gate. For this particular event it was in our advantage to be in that section because it was right on the water, and the Pope arrives by boat. So in and out of the other gates we went, hoping to find some sort of short cut, only to be turned around by a volunteer and pointed in some other direction. It took us FOREVER to get around to the right place, and by the time we did that, they were already unloading the boat….God watched out for us though, because late as we were, we arrived, perfectly positioned and timed to see the Pope get off the boat, and with my dinky little digital camera, I actually got some very good pictures of Pope Benedict! He gave us a wonderful greeting and we prayed with our dear Papa before he was whisked into the Pope-mobile through the streets of Sydney. I think at one point he was traveling at 60mph! It looked quite speedy on the screen.
We filed out of the venue on our way to Darling Harbor, hoping to grab a bit of the pilgrim food they had prepared for us, and maybe see a few things like the Vocations Expo. Just after we began moving towards the exit, a few Sisters of Life came walking past, and would you believe that one of them was the very Sister I had met at the March for Life in Washington DC in January! The only difference, a slight one, was that she had changed her name and the clothes she was wearing - just a month before WYD her postulant class took their habits! I was so delighted to see her, Sister Mary Theotokos, and in such a new light, in a new place. And of all God’s providence, to run into her randomly just after the Holy Father had arrived! Much to my astonishment, she remembered me as well as I remembered her, and I knew that it was our prayers that had kept each other united - she had told me with great sincerity she would pray for me, and I certainly meant it when I said I would pray for her as well on that cold January day. It was so exciting! She’s a beautiful nun - I can’t wait to see what God does through her gift of self to Him!
Now, I should mention a few things. One is that I was pleasantly surprised to find that part of the pilgrim lunch (every day) was a little package of Tim Tam fingers. Tim Tams are absolutely wonderful chocolate biscuits (cookies) which are not found anywhere else in the world, and my family knows how delicious they are because I brought a few packages home last year. Yes, they’re so good I sacrificed precious room and weight in my suitcases to export them to the US. Also part of the pilgrim lunch, but not quite as tasty (a close second, I’d say) were packages of Lamington’s, which are delightful squares of moist white cake, usually two layers with chocolate or vanilla icing in between, and coated with a chocolate, sort of thin coating and then covered in coconut. They’re really nice, actually, and there was a famous picture later in the paper of a nun just sinking her teeth into one - divine. At least they weren’t trying to force Vegemite on anyone. People would never return!
Also, to explain the process (because you may be wondering how it is one goes about feeding such a large number of people), pilgrims were to gather themselves in groups of six, and collect from each member of the group the meal ticket for the particular day and time at which they were eating, so lunch or dinner. The reason for this is that when the one person with six tickets got to the front of the line for food, he or she was given two bags, each containing six of the contents of the meal in them - It was actually quite efficient, really! I never had to wait very long for a meal at all.
As we made our way through Darling Harbor in quest of this pilgrim meal, we came across a few familiar faces, one of them being Sr. Mary Rachel. She is one of the three Dominican Sisters from Nashville who was working for WYD all year, and especially in my times of homesickness and confusion, she had been a very good friend. Always a bundle of joy and energy, and usually with a few funny phrases up her sleeve, it was wonderful to come upon her that day! We were even graced with her presence for our evening meal, and she then accompanied us into the Vocations Expo, where we were separated - it was quite busy in there!
And so you are probably wondering WHAT the Vocations Expo is. Well, at this particular WYD and at only one other before (in Toronto) they held a large exhibit in the convention center consisting of rows and rows of booths, set up by quite a few of the religious orders from all over the world, each one passing out materials on their congregation and displaying much of the information any curious discerner could ask for. Essentially, it was a place for all those young adults searching for life’s calling - could it be the Augustinians, or maybe the Missionaries of God’s Love? What about the Dominicans or the Sisters of Life? Maybe the Missionaries of Charity, or the Little Sisters of the Poor? If I’m called to marriage, what is Theology of the Body? How does Natural Family Planning work? If I’m remembering the numbers correctly, each hour 5,000 people came in and out of the Vocations Expo, said the Vocations director of the Archdiocese of Sydney, who obviously helped coordinate and run the site. It was a huge success and was one of my highlights of WYD! And that wasn’t just because each booth loaded up passers-by with nothing short of a small bag of goodies to take home. One booth had a cappuccino machine! Pretty good way to advertise ;)
On that Thursday night I actually spent a few hours in there, and that was only in one spot. I talked with a few seminarians from the US for quite a while, just about life in general, and their take on everything from WYD so far, to Sydney, to being in the seminary, to what it means to answer God’s call. We even prayed together (imagine that!). Conveniently across from the US Diocesan priests booth was the Dominican’s from Nashville, and since a few of them have been her just as long as I have, with many more coming in for WYD, I knew a few of the ladies there, so I spoke with them for a while, just chatting about the week so far, really. And then I kept running into people I knew who were walking through that area, so it wasn’t very easy to get away!
I did manage to sneak down to the one end of the expo though, because there was set up a “Coffee House” and throughout the week there were performances and interviews that took place on the stage. The time I managed to make my way there was during an interview with Sr. Bethany Madonna, a Sister of Life who, like my friend Sr. Mary Theotokos had just been given her habit and new name. It was really beautiful hearing her story, and then meeting her afterwards (she was good friends with the seminarian I have been talking to). So many interesting people I met in the span of a few hours, and all American! The place was teeming with the good people of the USA, and I was quite happy about that! I tried to soak it up because I knew that within a week they would all be gone, snuggled back into their corner of the Land of the Free, at which time I would have to resign once more to the Aussie traditions. It was glorious because for one week, I could shout that I was American from the rooftops without anyone thinking that was strange, or a novelty, or being annoyed with my patriotism. There were thousands of others just like me!!
Once more we made our way home, and to tell you the truth, this the part of the day I remembered least, probably because I was so tired by that point. Arriving at home and settling into bed, I prayed for the strength to get through one more catechesis session, quite happy that the next day would bring an end to all that stress.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
Checking my planner the week before WYD, I noticed that I would miss a few important occasions amidst the chaos of Catholicism. This day, July 16th, brought the 21st birthday of a very good, long-time friend. So on opposite sides of the world - in very different manners, I’m sure - the two of us celebrated.
However, my day did not begin with celebration. Arising at 5:15am to catch a 6am bus is certainly not cause for a party. In the cold darkness, before the sun’s rays warmed the land, we trudged through our routines, usually dashing out of the house with sleep still in our eyes, trying not to believe we were awake at such an hour. Using public transport, the team had to make it into the city in time to catch a train, which would take us out to the Western Suburbs (we live in the East) by 7:30am in order to be ready for an 8:30am start to catechesis. This, we did for three mornings. It felt like we did it for a month.
Upon arriving at our venue, we had to set up our sound equipment, check the mics, speakers, video clips, go through some of the music, rehearse the dramas, hear a briefing on the morning, and finally pray before the pilgrims began flowing in.
More like trickle, actually. They could begin arriving at 8:30am, but never was anyone there earlier than 8:45am on any given morning. More often than not, that was a blessing, because we weren’t always ready to go at 8:30!
Once the pilgrims began coming in, we began singing songs to keep them entertained until the official catechesis started. I may or may not have mentioned that I was the music coordinator for our site, and I have to tell you, it was the most stressful thing I have ever done! And I’ve done some pretty stressful things…
It was my job to make sure the musicians had all the music they needed, decide which songs to play when, based on a number of factors including audience response, timing, tone of the song, tone of the day, theme of the day, the bishop’s request, and what I could actually sing, since I was also the main singer. Talk about stretching my abilities!
Overall, I am told the music went well, under the circumstances, and as one pilgrim in our group put it: “They will remember the music from catechesis.” However, in my opinion, it was arguably the worst part of the 3 hour sessions we put together, and there may be a number of reasons for that. The story was that that music team had put quite a lot of work in, some more than others, but our preparation didn’t come together, and we performed on different levels. One day our organ player, a guitar player, and two of our singers left or weren’t there to begin with, and another day it became apparent that some of the songs had been pushed around the musicians, so that each one thought the other was prepared to play it. On the last day, we had two separate groups come up and ask if we needed help. Gratefully, yet not without embarrassment, we accepted their offers. I felt like the hours and hours I had spent trying so hard to make this a success all came to nothing, but at the end of the day, I just offered it all up in prayer, and knew that if I was doing that, giving my all for the greater glory of God, I couldn’t go too wrong. Even though by earthen standards it felt like nothing went right.
The set up of catechesis for all three days was like this: we sang some songs as the pilgrims entered, and around 9am, whether they were all there or not, we began by introducing ourselves and the theme of the day (which was set by WYD). We had morning prayer including praise and worship, and then we performed a short skit followed by a short talk and a brief testimony. One day we showed a video we had made. Then we introduced the Bishop for the day (specific to our site…there were almost 300 sites and about 700 Bishops rotating between them over the 3 days!). He gave a talk, allowed time for question and answer, and then while the church and clergy were prepared for Mass, we sang a few more songs or taught the Mass parts that we were using. An hour later, at the conclusion of Mass, the pilgrims were sent on their way to collect lunch and head into the city for the whatever events were on the agenda for the day.
That was usually the point where I broke down in tears of relief and humiliation - relief that the hardest part of the day was over and humiliation that it had gone so terribly. Or so I thought. I guess that was partly because we didn’t get much sleep during the week, and partly because it was such an exhausting task in the first place, magnified 10 times in conjunction with the rest of the event. I’m sure some good came out of it for someone. When people ask me how my WYD was, I usually say that it was full of extreme highs and extreme lows. For me the catechesis sessions were extreme lows, but because that was the case, I knew the rest of the day had to be better!
Better they always were. Following day 1 of catechesis, the team together made our way to the suburb the Capuchin friars live in to perform our infamous JESUS chant at their forum. Among the other performers was Gary Pinto, who co-wrote the WYD theme song, “Receive the Power.” I’ve met Gary a few times, and not only is he a very talented singer/song writer, he is also a humble and strongly devout Catholic. It was great to see him again during WYD, and just after he performed we were invited up to do our thing.
Straight after we were finished, we had to again make a move, this time for the coast. Traveling out to Bondi, Sydney’s most famous beach, we were to again perform the JESUS chant, but this time along side a very famous rapping priest from the Bronx - Fr. Stan Fortuna! He is part of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and has made lots of recordings and music videos, building up quite a reputation! I’d heard of Fr. Stan, but never dreamed I would get to meet the man, or perform with him! Me, rapping? Haha Not quite.
It was fun being backstage of this big concert, fittingly called “Come to the Water”, and the weather was absolutely perfect for such an event. The sunset was once again beautiful, casting a pink glow on the eastern horizon. That’s the cool thing about living on the east coast. We never see the sun itself set, but we see the effects in the way the sky changes color. It’s like it seeps around from the west to the east, so we get a little peek at what the western sky must be ablaze with!
Meeting Fr. Stan was an interesting experience. The poor man was coming to this, his third concert of the day, and I’m sure all he really wanted to do was plop down somewhere to rest his head. After our meeting/preview with him (no one had told him he was to share 5 minutes of his performance with us - uhoh!) we said a few prayers for him, because I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to give of yourself so fully so many times throughout such a crazy week! I spoke with him a little, mostly just small talk, hoping my American accent and warm smile would bring some sort of peace to his heart, even if just for a few seconds. He was a very kind man, I could see that instantly. I wish I had been able to speak with him more - I’m sure he has a most beautiful story!
Now, before I get the part where I was “rapping” in front of a few thousand people, I must tell you about the most exciting part of my entire WYD week. Believe it or not, it was not the 5 minutes I was on stage. We had to wait for about an hour and a half before Fr. Stan’s performance began, and as I was peering at the schedule for the evening, I noticed that just after Fr. Stan performed a certain MATT MAHER would be performing!!!!!!! This means a few things: a. I would most certainly get to see him in concert, b. he would potentially be backstage at some point before that which would mean that c. there was a slight chance I would catch a personal glimpse of him. Or possibly get close enough to even meet him. O. my.
O….who is Matt Maher, you’re wondering? Well if you haven’t heard of him or heard me talk about him, he is a CATHOLIC singer/songwriter and let me tell you, I have never been more proud to be a Catholic and never felt more alive in my faith than when I am listening to this man’s songs. His music is contemporary with good tunes, and the lyrics are completely and 100% Catholic - he sings about transubstantiation, for Pete’s sake! And Mary! He set contemporary music to the Magnifcat. WOW. He’s just absolutely brilliant.
Now my attraction to this man is purely because of his music - I certainly am not reverting to my teeny-bopper days of wishfully imagining I would meet him and we’d fall in love and get married. I was just excited because who doesn’t want to meet someone (who isn’t the Pope) who inspires them to live their faith more fully?
So imagine my star-struck surprise when TWO hours before he was set to perform, (I didn’t expect him to show up quite so early!) voices in hushed tones began saying that Matt Maher was there. Our backstage area was not actually that big (I don’t know what you’re imagining) and it was outside, which means anyone could see in or out, or get in or out for that matter (distract the security and you’re set!), so if Matt Maher was in the backstage area, he would definitely be passing within 10 feet of me. But instead, he passed within 1 foot of me and shook my hand, as with a cotton-mouth that forgot how to work I sloppily said “Hi, I’m Mithy” and attempted a smile, which was probably crooked, and would have gone well with my dazed eyes. I can’t BELIEVE I was so star-struck - he’s just a human being!!! Kicking myself for looking and sounding so stupid, I murmured to Rachel that I wondered if he would take a picture with me, and wow, what timing, but he was walking back through the area just after I said that, and Rachel, shameless Rachel, stopped him and asked for a picture! “Sure!” he said with a smile, wrapping his arm around her (even though she was holding the camera) and because she didn’t really care who he was or what he did (oh, just ask her how she felt after seeing his concert!), shrugged his arm off and said, “Not with me! With her!” Still freaking out and maybe a little weak in the knees (why, I still don’t know), I gimped over and positioned myself next to him, hoping for normalcy in my smile. “Thank you so much!” I stammered as he nodded and headed off to take care of his next order of business. I couldn’t believe that had just happened, and it was all I could do to keep myself from jumping up and down for joy! I was like the Cheshire cat for about the next hour because I couldn’t stop smiling! I was floating on cloud 9, and if WYD had ended right then and there, I’m not sure I would have cared too much. The picture turned out GREAT. I informed the CYS team that I would be sending it out as my Christmas card photo. Haha just kidding…
It was all a bit of a blur after that: just after Fr. Stan went up to perform, we were ushered to the side of the stage, and when he finished his first song, he called us up, and we were hurtled into spotlights in front of screaming (fans?) and after doing the JESUS chant 2 or 3 times (I can’t even remember how many!) we then waved our way back off, and while most of the team was just in such a state of excitement, I was in a bit of another daze, this one of confusion, wondering what I had just done and also feeling a bit silly - we were doing a rap, and I’m a white girl from Indiana. I doubt I fit the part. O well, time to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening!
Fr. Stan’s concert was great - you may have heard of him. He’s the one who sings, “Ain’t no party like a Catholic party!” It was fun watching him - and it was even more fun watching a few other Franciscans who had organized the concert, get on stage and dance like you never saw St. Francis dance! My dinky digital camera doesn’t record sound, but I took a video anyway, so if I can figure out how to upload that to the internet to share, I will post the link. Also, be watching for a link for my WYD photo album. Yes, it will have my picture with Matt Maher as the cover.
Speaking of Matt Maher, he followed Fr. Stan in the lineup of acts, and WOWZA, it was one of the highlights of my WYD. He is such an incredible performer, and that, I had no idea about. He knows how to get the crowd involved in his songs, and the best part is, he gets us all involved so we can pray while we sing along with him. He had us pointing at the sky, giving all praise to God, he had us singing in a universal language of “Lai. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai HEY!” That was the whole song! He led us in prayer, and we even sang a song that is usually only hear in Mass. How cool is that?! I was moved to tears, because it was so touching and so beautiful. Who knew a concert could do that? And all of it was for Jesus. For our faith. For the sacrafice He made and for what we believe. It really brought home what this WYD was all about, and embodied the experience that many had said they had in the past: in a crowd of thousands, God spoke to me, individually. He spoke directly to my heart. I guess when He does that, there are few emotions or responses that can justify our feelings, so tears usually have to do. It was just amazing.
At the end of his concert, I had a few friends coming up saying they understood why I loved Matt Maher so much, and I was glad to hear it because it’s more than likely God spoke to their hearts too during his show! Thankful for such a blessed time, a couple English girls and I (Rachel being one of them) went off to grab dinner at McDonald’s before making our way home.
Exhausted but o so happy, I floated off to a short sleep, trying to retain the joys of the day in my dreams.
However, my day did not begin with celebration. Arising at 5:15am to catch a 6am bus is certainly not cause for a party. In the cold darkness, before the sun’s rays warmed the land, we trudged through our routines, usually dashing out of the house with sleep still in our eyes, trying not to believe we were awake at such an hour. Using public transport, the team had to make it into the city in time to catch a train, which would take us out to the Western Suburbs (we live in the East) by 7:30am in order to be ready for an 8:30am start to catechesis. This, we did for three mornings. It felt like we did it for a month.
Upon arriving at our venue, we had to set up our sound equipment, check the mics, speakers, video clips, go through some of the music, rehearse the dramas, hear a briefing on the morning, and finally pray before the pilgrims began flowing in.
More like trickle, actually. They could begin arriving at 8:30am, but never was anyone there earlier than 8:45am on any given morning. More often than not, that was a blessing, because we weren’t always ready to go at 8:30!
Once the pilgrims began coming in, we began singing songs to keep them entertained until the official catechesis started. I may or may not have mentioned that I was the music coordinator for our site, and I have to tell you, it was the most stressful thing I have ever done! And I’ve done some pretty stressful things…
It was my job to make sure the musicians had all the music they needed, decide which songs to play when, based on a number of factors including audience response, timing, tone of the song, tone of the day, theme of the day, the bishop’s request, and what I could actually sing, since I was also the main singer. Talk about stretching my abilities!
Overall, I am told the music went well, under the circumstances, and as one pilgrim in our group put it: “They will remember the music from catechesis.” However, in my opinion, it was arguably the worst part of the 3 hour sessions we put together, and there may be a number of reasons for that. The story was that that music team had put quite a lot of work in, some more than others, but our preparation didn’t come together, and we performed on different levels. One day our organ player, a guitar player, and two of our singers left or weren’t there to begin with, and another day it became apparent that some of the songs had been pushed around the musicians, so that each one thought the other was prepared to play it. On the last day, we had two separate groups come up and ask if we needed help. Gratefully, yet not without embarrassment, we accepted their offers. I felt like the hours and hours I had spent trying so hard to make this a success all came to nothing, but at the end of the day, I just offered it all up in prayer, and knew that if I was doing that, giving my all for the greater glory of God, I couldn’t go too wrong. Even though by earthen standards it felt like nothing went right.
The set up of catechesis for all three days was like this: we sang some songs as the pilgrims entered, and around 9am, whether they were all there or not, we began by introducing ourselves and the theme of the day (which was set by WYD). We had morning prayer including praise and worship, and then we performed a short skit followed by a short talk and a brief testimony. One day we showed a video we had made. Then we introduced the Bishop for the day (specific to our site…there were almost 300 sites and about 700 Bishops rotating between them over the 3 days!). He gave a talk, allowed time for question and answer, and then while the church and clergy were prepared for Mass, we sang a few more songs or taught the Mass parts that we were using. An hour later, at the conclusion of Mass, the pilgrims were sent on their way to collect lunch and head into the city for the whatever events were on the agenda for the day.
That was usually the point where I broke down in tears of relief and humiliation - relief that the hardest part of the day was over and humiliation that it had gone so terribly. Or so I thought. I guess that was partly because we didn’t get much sleep during the week, and partly because it was such an exhausting task in the first place, magnified 10 times in conjunction with the rest of the event. I’m sure some good came out of it for someone. When people ask me how my WYD was, I usually say that it was full of extreme highs and extreme lows. For me the catechesis sessions were extreme lows, but because that was the case, I knew the rest of the day had to be better!
Better they always were. Following day 1 of catechesis, the team together made our way to the suburb the Capuchin friars live in to perform our infamous JESUS chant at their forum. Among the other performers was Gary Pinto, who co-wrote the WYD theme song, “Receive the Power.” I’ve met Gary a few times, and not only is he a very talented singer/song writer, he is also a humble and strongly devout Catholic. It was great to see him again during WYD, and just after he performed we were invited up to do our thing.
Straight after we were finished, we had to again make a move, this time for the coast. Traveling out to Bondi, Sydney’s most famous beach, we were to again perform the JESUS chant, but this time along side a very famous rapping priest from the Bronx - Fr. Stan Fortuna! He is part of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and has made lots of recordings and music videos, building up quite a reputation! I’d heard of Fr. Stan, but never dreamed I would get to meet the man, or perform with him! Me, rapping? Haha Not quite.
It was fun being backstage of this big concert, fittingly called “Come to the Water”, and the weather was absolutely perfect for such an event. The sunset was once again beautiful, casting a pink glow on the eastern horizon. That’s the cool thing about living on the east coast. We never see the sun itself set, but we see the effects in the way the sky changes color. It’s like it seeps around from the west to the east, so we get a little peek at what the western sky must be ablaze with!
Meeting Fr. Stan was an interesting experience. The poor man was coming to this, his third concert of the day, and I’m sure all he really wanted to do was plop down somewhere to rest his head. After our meeting/preview with him (no one had told him he was to share 5 minutes of his performance with us - uhoh!) we said a few prayers for him, because I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to give of yourself so fully so many times throughout such a crazy week! I spoke with him a little, mostly just small talk, hoping my American accent and warm smile would bring some sort of peace to his heart, even if just for a few seconds. He was a very kind man, I could see that instantly. I wish I had been able to speak with him more - I’m sure he has a most beautiful story!
Now, before I get the part where I was “rapping” in front of a few thousand people, I must tell you about the most exciting part of my entire WYD week. Believe it or not, it was not the 5 minutes I was on stage. We had to wait for about an hour and a half before Fr. Stan’s performance began, and as I was peering at the schedule for the evening, I noticed that just after Fr. Stan performed a certain MATT MAHER would be performing!!!!!!! This means a few things: a. I would most certainly get to see him in concert, b. he would potentially be backstage at some point before that which would mean that c. there was a slight chance I would catch a personal glimpse of him. Or possibly get close enough to even meet him. O. my.
O….who is Matt Maher, you’re wondering? Well if you haven’t heard of him or heard me talk about him, he is a CATHOLIC singer/songwriter and let me tell you, I have never been more proud to be a Catholic and never felt more alive in my faith than when I am listening to this man’s songs. His music is contemporary with good tunes, and the lyrics are completely and 100% Catholic - he sings about transubstantiation, for Pete’s sake! And Mary! He set contemporary music to the Magnifcat. WOW. He’s just absolutely brilliant.
Now my attraction to this man is purely because of his music - I certainly am not reverting to my teeny-bopper days of wishfully imagining I would meet him and we’d fall in love and get married. I was just excited because who doesn’t want to meet someone (who isn’t the Pope) who inspires them to live their faith more fully?
So imagine my star-struck surprise when TWO hours before he was set to perform, (I didn’t expect him to show up quite so early!) voices in hushed tones began saying that Matt Maher was there. Our backstage area was not actually that big (I don’t know what you’re imagining) and it was outside, which means anyone could see in or out, or get in or out for that matter (distract the security and you’re set!), so if Matt Maher was in the backstage area, he would definitely be passing within 10 feet of me. But instead, he passed within 1 foot of me and shook my hand, as with a cotton-mouth that forgot how to work I sloppily said “Hi, I’m Mithy” and attempted a smile, which was probably crooked, and would have gone well with my dazed eyes. I can’t BELIEVE I was so star-struck - he’s just a human being!!! Kicking myself for looking and sounding so stupid, I murmured to Rachel that I wondered if he would take a picture with me, and wow, what timing, but he was walking back through the area just after I said that, and Rachel, shameless Rachel, stopped him and asked for a picture! “Sure!” he said with a smile, wrapping his arm around her (even though she was holding the camera) and because she didn’t really care who he was or what he did (oh, just ask her how she felt after seeing his concert!), shrugged his arm off and said, “Not with me! With her!” Still freaking out and maybe a little weak in the knees (why, I still don’t know), I gimped over and positioned myself next to him, hoping for normalcy in my smile. “Thank you so much!” I stammered as he nodded and headed off to take care of his next order of business. I couldn’t believe that had just happened, and it was all I could do to keep myself from jumping up and down for joy! I was like the Cheshire cat for about the next hour because I couldn’t stop smiling! I was floating on cloud 9, and if WYD had ended right then and there, I’m not sure I would have cared too much. The picture turned out GREAT. I informed the CYS team that I would be sending it out as my Christmas card photo. Haha just kidding…
It was all a bit of a blur after that: just after Fr. Stan went up to perform, we were ushered to the side of the stage, and when he finished his first song, he called us up, and we were hurtled into spotlights in front of screaming (fans?) and after doing the JESUS chant 2 or 3 times (I can’t even remember how many!) we then waved our way back off, and while most of the team was just in such a state of excitement, I was in a bit of another daze, this one of confusion, wondering what I had just done and also feeling a bit silly - we were doing a rap, and I’m a white girl from Indiana. I doubt I fit the part. O well, time to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening!
Fr. Stan’s concert was great - you may have heard of him. He’s the one who sings, “Ain’t no party like a Catholic party!” It was fun watching him - and it was even more fun watching a few other Franciscans who had organized the concert, get on stage and dance like you never saw St. Francis dance! My dinky digital camera doesn’t record sound, but I took a video anyway, so if I can figure out how to upload that to the internet to share, I will post the link. Also, be watching for a link for my WYD photo album. Yes, it will have my picture with Matt Maher as the cover.
Speaking of Matt Maher, he followed Fr. Stan in the lineup of acts, and WOWZA, it was one of the highlights of my WYD. He is such an incredible performer, and that, I had no idea about. He knows how to get the crowd involved in his songs, and the best part is, he gets us all involved so we can pray while we sing along with him. He had us pointing at the sky, giving all praise to God, he had us singing in a universal language of “Lai. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai HEY!” That was the whole song! He led us in prayer, and we even sang a song that is usually only hear in Mass. How cool is that?! I was moved to tears, because it was so touching and so beautiful. Who knew a concert could do that? And all of it was for Jesus. For our faith. For the sacrafice He made and for what we believe. It really brought home what this WYD was all about, and embodied the experience that many had said they had in the past: in a crowd of thousands, God spoke to me, individually. He spoke directly to my heart. I guess when He does that, there are few emotions or responses that can justify our feelings, so tears usually have to do. It was just amazing.
At the end of his concert, I had a few friends coming up saying they understood why I loved Matt Maher so much, and I was glad to hear it because it’s more than likely God spoke to their hearts too during his show! Thankful for such a blessed time, a couple English girls and I (Rachel being one of them) went off to grab dinner at McDonald’s before making our way home.
Exhausted but o so happy, I floated off to a short sleep, trying to retain the joys of the day in my dreams.
TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2008
World Youth Day was upon us!
Early that morning we rose to dress, pack, and leave, half of us traveling to our catechesis site to drop off our equipment, the rest of us heading to the city to get our accreditation and sit in on a few briefings for our various volunteer activities for the week. As we made our way to Darling Harbor through the city streets, and then walked along the water, I couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the amount of people that had suddenly descended upon Sydney. Where had they all come from? The answer to that question is not simple, because every group we passed was from a different corner of the world, and with over 150 countries represented at the event, I feel we probably covered every corner!
I knew that among the crowds would be a large group of 90 pilgrims from Indianapolis, and I desperately wanted to find this gathering of familiar faces. Fr. Jonathon Meyer, leader of the group, had passed on his Australian mobile number to me before leaving the States, but as I tried it a few times after I knew he would be in the country, I was disappointed with no answer - the phone wasn’t working! It was a blessing, really, because it forced me to rely on the Divine Providence of God to come across the group, but I certainly was doing everything in my power to search for them. I was constantly scanning the crowds of people looking for an American flag, a tall, skinny priest…anything to give hope of Hoosiers!
As we made our way through the convention center, the four of us girls who had agreed to pick up the accreditation ran into several people we knew along the way. I continuously found it amazing throughout the week how many friends I saw! I guess it’s because I live here and we’ve been working on this event for quite some time so we’ve met lots of the organizers, which means I know more than the average pilgrim, but still, it was so interesting!
We had a bit of time to kill so we just plopped down near the door of the auditorium we would soon need to enter for our briefing. I just sat there staring off into space, thinking about nothing and everything, and would you guess who walked right by me?
Fr. Meyer!
I couldn’t believe the incredible Providence of it - God had answered my prayers, and much sooner and easier than I thought! I was so ecstatic. It turned out the group from Indy was also animating a catechesis site (this just in) and Fr. Meyer was waiting for the briefing as well, which was lovely because it gave us a little chance to catch up. He explained the problem with the mobile phone, and wasn’t sure when it would be working. He outlined the group’s plan for the day, though, so when I had the chance I was hoping to head the same places they would possibly be to providentially bump into them again! It just so happens that was unnecessary though, because after parting with Fr. Meyer and then leaving the convention center an hour or two later after another briefing, I saw I had a missed call and voicemail from his mobile number! Guess he got it working…
Listening to the message, it wasn’t Fr. Meyer, though. It was Ben Syberg, an old friend from high school!
The story of Ben is that after bumping into him in January while I was home and explaining the new path my life was taking, he decided he was going to do everything he could to get to WYD himself! I hadn’t heard, though, whether he was able to make it or not, so one of the reasons I wanted to find the Indy group was to answer that question. No need! Ben’s message confirmed he was indeed in Sydney and calling him back I found out their exact location, which I promptly made my way to. I almost tackled him when I saw him! It was so exciting to see an old friend after such a long time, and in a foreign country at WYD! It was amazing to hear how hard he had worked to get there. Ben is in the seminary, so he employed some good letter writing skills (asking for donations) and the power of prayer to help him on his journey. I haven’t spoken to him since he returned, but it was pretty clear God wanted him to be there for a reason. I wonder if he was able to realize what that reason was!
There were a few others I knew among the group as well: Chrissy Beiriger, one of Jenny’s good friends and classmates, Peter Jansen, another old friend’s brother, and Katie Berger, a youth minister I was around a lot in high school. I met a few new people as well.
I hung around with them for a little while - by this time we were in Barangaroo, which is where the Opening Mass was being held. In fact, Barangaroo was a place (that looked very much like it used to be a parking lot?) on the Northeast side of Darling Harbor, created specifically for some of the large events of WYD. Among those events were the opening Mass, the Papal arrival, and the Stations of the Cross followed by a concert. I’d like to know how many people it was estimated this place could hold, because it ended up being completely packed and then some for the Opening Mass. As you can imagine, it was a HUGE amount of space. Just that morning in one of our briefings, one of the WYD staff had told us it took her 17 minutes to walk across it empty…I had no idea how long it was going to take walking across it packed with people.
This is something I was thinking about though, and the reason for that is this: I needed to sit in the VIP area for the Opening Mass because I was given a very special privilege. I was among 40 people who received the Eucharist from His Eminence George Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney and the main celebrant of the opening mass of WYD 2008. There were well over 200,000 people there and I went up on stage in front of all of them to receive the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ! O, it was exhilarating! However, the exhilaration began long before the Mass even started. I had NO idea how to even get to this VIP area! Luckily I crossed paths with the director of the Sydney Uni chaplaincy, who also was looking for this allusive entrance. Together we found the general area, but got split up a bit on the way through the gate - there were quite a few people, and it just so happens the International Liturgy Team (ILT) was also walking through at that same time! A bit of chaos, really! However, it turned out lovely because I got to have a quick chat with the American representative on the ILT, and see a few friends I had made the night before at the countdown (also part of the ILT). Once I got through to the VIP seating area, even though I showed the lady at the entrance my ticket saying that I was to be receiving Communion from the Cardinal, she told me to just sit anywhere. Anywhere being on one of the maybe 2,000 white chairs set up for all VIPs. As I walked in just behind was another girl in the same situation - she too was receiving Communion from Cardinal Pell and as we sat down, quite far from the stage, we wondered how he would know we were among the 40 people if we were sitting in the middle of a bunch of other people? It was puzzling, but we began chatting anyway, assuming somehow it would all work out.
She told me her name was Jacquii and it was really loving talking with her - she was very agreeable and as it turns out, she was on her way to the States shortly after WYD to do her last year of uni there! She flew out on August 7, and is studying at Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. On an exciting side note, she emailed me a bit after WYD and was asking about sororities - she said she’d really like to be part of one while she is in the States! And guess which one she is looking at? TriDelta! I’m still anxiously awaiting the results of her recruitment week. More on that later.
Anyway: I only knew of one other person who would be among those chosen for this special honor, and just 10 minutes after Jacquii and I sat down, Yvette found us. Yvey, as we affectionately call her, works at Mary MacKillop Place - a beautiful lady with a jolly disposition and a strong faith. It was really nice to have a conversation with her while we were waiting for the Mass to begin. Jacquii, Yvey and I quite enjoyed ourselves, making the most of a confusing situation.
As the three of us sat amidst the thousands of white chairs, Penitito, who was volunteering for WYD and lives at the CYS house, came walking by and stopped suddenly upon seeing us. “Aren’t you receiving Communion from the Cardinal?” he asked me. Well, yes. “You’re supposed to be sitting up there!“ he said, pointing towards the front…
right…..
“Follow me.”
Before we knew what was going on, we were whisked away from the white plastic chairs and sailed past the rows and rows of them, until leaving that area, we sailed still farther up towards the stage until we were finally plopped in the back row of a small section just at the base of the massive stage. As we attempted to resettle, now with less than 5 minutes to the beginning of Mass, we three looked at each other in astonishment, wondering how it had happened that we had ended up in such a wrong place, and thankful that in the nick of time, someone had noticed the error and corrected it. I began to imagine what would have happened if Penni hadn’t come by when he did, and as my thoughts turned to the sad possibilities, they were abruptly cut off as the gathering song began to play and the clergy began to process by. I knew we had been very blessed.
It was a beautiful Mass. The setting was incredible, and it was only the beginning. As I said, Barangaroo was located on Darling Harbor, but what I didn’t mention is that this point is where Darling Harbor meets Sydney Harbor, and it is right on the edge of the beautiful city of Sydney. Throughout the Mass, aerial shots were shown on the screen, and it was stunning: 300,000 people, both inside and outside the gates of Barangaroo, had packed this area by the water, with the skyline standing perfect guard in the background. The light was brilliant - the setting sun cast a pink, orange, and faint yellow glow across the blue sky, and the week they said would be overcast with rain and cool temperatures was warm and clear in defiance. Even Mother Nature was bowing with humility to the God who created her.
It was hard to tell, but I think there was a hush over that large crowd throughout the Mass. Those people gathered are serious about their faith - so to have such a massive sea of humanity turned with uplifted hearts towards a celebration of sacrifice and thanksgiving is incredible and a true witness to the Catholic faith. The homily was spectacular as well - it was clear that the poor Cardinal, after being bombarded with negative media the week before the event, was in much better spirits now that his vision of having a WYD in his archdiocese was playing out and that it was going off with such a bang. I was able to speak to him just briefly after the Mass and he had a new glow about him - it was wonderful to see him so happy!
When it came time for us to begin our procession towards the stage to receive the Eucharist, I was covered in goosebumps - I was so cold, so nervous, so excited. Yvey and I walked next to each other, both trying to stop shaking! It was such a special moment, such a special privilege, and I was amazed that it was given to ME! How beautiful to begin the week in such a way. Yvette and I were close to tears as we walked back to our seats - such a breathtaking experience!
We were directed to exit the stage and walk through its belly on our way back, and as we did we passed quite a few crew members, the good people who were keeping the Mass running on a technical level, and I was a bit surprised to see three of them crowded around a laptop watching a movie! They had NO idea what I had just gone through, why these people were walking past them, what it meant to be at such an event, where all these people had gathered from, Who they were in the Holy Presence of! If only they had been watching - what God might have done to change their hearts! I prayed that at some point throughout the week He would reveal Himself to them. I can’t imagine the crew of a WYD being so unaffected, despite their religious status!
As the Mass ended, I was filled with that peace we are to take forth, and there was much celebration as WYD had finally begun! Mingling with a few others who were in the same seating area (the one closest to the stage…not our former place among the sea of chairs) we climbed on to a platform to take a look at all the people around the venue, flying flags from every corner of the world. We were very slow to leave as we wanted to soak it all in, and meeting up with Beth, a good friend who had given a testimony in the lead-up to the Mass, we began chattering about our experiences and the days that were to come. Before we knew it, we had walked out of Barangaroo, and only 20 minutes later did we realize what a mistake that was! It only seemed like most people had left the venue because our little area was cleared, but there was a concert going on and dinner was being served within the fences and no one was allowed back in until everyone else had left. Basically, no one was allowed back in. Beth and I wondered around for quite a while, going this way and that, sharing a granola bar for dinner, and finally plopping down on the curb of some side street just outside Barangaroo, not really knowing what to do or where to go.
We decided to walk towards the streams of people leaving the grounds, and taking our place among them, made our way to Darling Harbor where she stumbled upon her pilgrim group, and I coincidentally met one of Alana’s friends from Texas. TALK ABOUT right place, right time! He had just gotten to Sydney that morning but didn’t know how to contact Alana - see, waving an American flag can come in handy!
Together we met up with Alana, who took us back to the temporary apartment of some WYD volunteers - right on the edge of beautiful Darling Harbor. From their balcony we watched the beautiful display of fireworks set off from Barangaroo to celebrate the official start of WYD.
Humbled and content with the blessings the opening had bestowed, I made my way home and went straight to sleep, preparing myself for both the challenges, pandemonium, and peace that lay ahead.
Early that morning we rose to dress, pack, and leave, half of us traveling to our catechesis site to drop off our equipment, the rest of us heading to the city to get our accreditation and sit in on a few briefings for our various volunteer activities for the week. As we made our way to Darling Harbor through the city streets, and then walked along the water, I couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the amount of people that had suddenly descended upon Sydney. Where had they all come from? The answer to that question is not simple, because every group we passed was from a different corner of the world, and with over 150 countries represented at the event, I feel we probably covered every corner!
I knew that among the crowds would be a large group of 90 pilgrims from Indianapolis, and I desperately wanted to find this gathering of familiar faces. Fr. Jonathon Meyer, leader of the group, had passed on his Australian mobile number to me before leaving the States, but as I tried it a few times after I knew he would be in the country, I was disappointed with no answer - the phone wasn’t working! It was a blessing, really, because it forced me to rely on the Divine Providence of God to come across the group, but I certainly was doing everything in my power to search for them. I was constantly scanning the crowds of people looking for an American flag, a tall, skinny priest…anything to give hope of Hoosiers!
As we made our way through the convention center, the four of us girls who had agreed to pick up the accreditation ran into several people we knew along the way. I continuously found it amazing throughout the week how many friends I saw! I guess it’s because I live here and we’ve been working on this event for quite some time so we’ve met lots of the organizers, which means I know more than the average pilgrim, but still, it was so interesting!
We had a bit of time to kill so we just plopped down near the door of the auditorium we would soon need to enter for our briefing. I just sat there staring off into space, thinking about nothing and everything, and would you guess who walked right by me?
Fr. Meyer!
I couldn’t believe the incredible Providence of it - God had answered my prayers, and much sooner and easier than I thought! I was so ecstatic. It turned out the group from Indy was also animating a catechesis site (this just in) and Fr. Meyer was waiting for the briefing as well, which was lovely because it gave us a little chance to catch up. He explained the problem with the mobile phone, and wasn’t sure when it would be working. He outlined the group’s plan for the day, though, so when I had the chance I was hoping to head the same places they would possibly be to providentially bump into them again! It just so happens that was unnecessary though, because after parting with Fr. Meyer and then leaving the convention center an hour or two later after another briefing, I saw I had a missed call and voicemail from his mobile number! Guess he got it working…
Listening to the message, it wasn’t Fr. Meyer, though. It was Ben Syberg, an old friend from high school!
The story of Ben is that after bumping into him in January while I was home and explaining the new path my life was taking, he decided he was going to do everything he could to get to WYD himself! I hadn’t heard, though, whether he was able to make it or not, so one of the reasons I wanted to find the Indy group was to answer that question. No need! Ben’s message confirmed he was indeed in Sydney and calling him back I found out their exact location, which I promptly made my way to. I almost tackled him when I saw him! It was so exciting to see an old friend after such a long time, and in a foreign country at WYD! It was amazing to hear how hard he had worked to get there. Ben is in the seminary, so he employed some good letter writing skills (asking for donations) and the power of prayer to help him on his journey. I haven’t spoken to him since he returned, but it was pretty clear God wanted him to be there for a reason. I wonder if he was able to realize what that reason was!
There were a few others I knew among the group as well: Chrissy Beiriger, one of Jenny’s good friends and classmates, Peter Jansen, another old friend’s brother, and Katie Berger, a youth minister I was around a lot in high school. I met a few new people as well.
I hung around with them for a little while - by this time we were in Barangaroo, which is where the Opening Mass was being held. In fact, Barangaroo was a place (that looked very much like it used to be a parking lot?) on the Northeast side of Darling Harbor, created specifically for some of the large events of WYD. Among those events were the opening Mass, the Papal arrival, and the Stations of the Cross followed by a concert. I’d like to know how many people it was estimated this place could hold, because it ended up being completely packed and then some for the Opening Mass. As you can imagine, it was a HUGE amount of space. Just that morning in one of our briefings, one of the WYD staff had told us it took her 17 minutes to walk across it empty…I had no idea how long it was going to take walking across it packed with people.
This is something I was thinking about though, and the reason for that is this: I needed to sit in the VIP area for the Opening Mass because I was given a very special privilege. I was among 40 people who received the Eucharist from His Eminence George Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney and the main celebrant of the opening mass of WYD 2008. There were well over 200,000 people there and I went up on stage in front of all of them to receive the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ! O, it was exhilarating! However, the exhilaration began long before the Mass even started. I had NO idea how to even get to this VIP area! Luckily I crossed paths with the director of the Sydney Uni chaplaincy, who also was looking for this allusive entrance. Together we found the general area, but got split up a bit on the way through the gate - there were quite a few people, and it just so happens the International Liturgy Team (ILT) was also walking through at that same time! A bit of chaos, really! However, it turned out lovely because I got to have a quick chat with the American representative on the ILT, and see a few friends I had made the night before at the countdown (also part of the ILT). Once I got through to the VIP seating area, even though I showed the lady at the entrance my ticket saying that I was to be receiving Communion from the Cardinal, she told me to just sit anywhere. Anywhere being on one of the maybe 2,000 white chairs set up for all VIPs. As I walked in just behind was another girl in the same situation - she too was receiving Communion from Cardinal Pell and as we sat down, quite far from the stage, we wondered how he would know we were among the 40 people if we were sitting in the middle of a bunch of other people? It was puzzling, but we began chatting anyway, assuming somehow it would all work out.
She told me her name was Jacquii and it was really loving talking with her - she was very agreeable and as it turns out, she was on her way to the States shortly after WYD to do her last year of uni there! She flew out on August 7, and is studying at Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. On an exciting side note, she emailed me a bit after WYD and was asking about sororities - she said she’d really like to be part of one while she is in the States! And guess which one she is looking at? TriDelta! I’m still anxiously awaiting the results of her recruitment week. More on that later.
Anyway: I only knew of one other person who would be among those chosen for this special honor, and just 10 minutes after Jacquii and I sat down, Yvette found us. Yvey, as we affectionately call her, works at Mary MacKillop Place - a beautiful lady with a jolly disposition and a strong faith. It was really nice to have a conversation with her while we were waiting for the Mass to begin. Jacquii, Yvey and I quite enjoyed ourselves, making the most of a confusing situation.
As the three of us sat amidst the thousands of white chairs, Penitito, who was volunteering for WYD and lives at the CYS house, came walking by and stopped suddenly upon seeing us. “Aren’t you receiving Communion from the Cardinal?” he asked me. Well, yes. “You’re supposed to be sitting up there!“ he said, pointing towards the front…
right…..
“Follow me.”
Before we knew what was going on, we were whisked away from the white plastic chairs and sailed past the rows and rows of them, until leaving that area, we sailed still farther up towards the stage until we were finally plopped in the back row of a small section just at the base of the massive stage. As we attempted to resettle, now with less than 5 minutes to the beginning of Mass, we three looked at each other in astonishment, wondering how it had happened that we had ended up in such a wrong place, and thankful that in the nick of time, someone had noticed the error and corrected it. I began to imagine what would have happened if Penni hadn’t come by when he did, and as my thoughts turned to the sad possibilities, they were abruptly cut off as the gathering song began to play and the clergy began to process by. I knew we had been very blessed.
It was a beautiful Mass. The setting was incredible, and it was only the beginning. As I said, Barangaroo was located on Darling Harbor, but what I didn’t mention is that this point is where Darling Harbor meets Sydney Harbor, and it is right on the edge of the beautiful city of Sydney. Throughout the Mass, aerial shots were shown on the screen, and it was stunning: 300,000 people, both inside and outside the gates of Barangaroo, had packed this area by the water, with the skyline standing perfect guard in the background. The light was brilliant - the setting sun cast a pink, orange, and faint yellow glow across the blue sky, and the week they said would be overcast with rain and cool temperatures was warm and clear in defiance. Even Mother Nature was bowing with humility to the God who created her.
It was hard to tell, but I think there was a hush over that large crowd throughout the Mass. Those people gathered are serious about their faith - so to have such a massive sea of humanity turned with uplifted hearts towards a celebration of sacrifice and thanksgiving is incredible and a true witness to the Catholic faith. The homily was spectacular as well - it was clear that the poor Cardinal, after being bombarded with negative media the week before the event, was in much better spirits now that his vision of having a WYD in his archdiocese was playing out and that it was going off with such a bang. I was able to speak to him just briefly after the Mass and he had a new glow about him - it was wonderful to see him so happy!
When it came time for us to begin our procession towards the stage to receive the Eucharist, I was covered in goosebumps - I was so cold, so nervous, so excited. Yvey and I walked next to each other, both trying to stop shaking! It was such a special moment, such a special privilege, and I was amazed that it was given to ME! How beautiful to begin the week in such a way. Yvette and I were close to tears as we walked back to our seats - such a breathtaking experience!
We were directed to exit the stage and walk through its belly on our way back, and as we did we passed quite a few crew members, the good people who were keeping the Mass running on a technical level, and I was a bit surprised to see three of them crowded around a laptop watching a movie! They had NO idea what I had just gone through, why these people were walking past them, what it meant to be at such an event, where all these people had gathered from, Who they were in the Holy Presence of! If only they had been watching - what God might have done to change their hearts! I prayed that at some point throughout the week He would reveal Himself to them. I can’t imagine the crew of a WYD being so unaffected, despite their religious status!
As the Mass ended, I was filled with that peace we are to take forth, and there was much celebration as WYD had finally begun! Mingling with a few others who were in the same seating area (the one closest to the stage…not our former place among the sea of chairs) we climbed on to a platform to take a look at all the people around the venue, flying flags from every corner of the world. We were very slow to leave as we wanted to soak it all in, and meeting up with Beth, a good friend who had given a testimony in the lead-up to the Mass, we began chattering about our experiences and the days that were to come. Before we knew it, we had walked out of Barangaroo, and only 20 minutes later did we realize what a mistake that was! It only seemed like most people had left the venue because our little area was cleared, but there was a concert going on and dinner was being served within the fences and no one was allowed back in until everyone else had left. Basically, no one was allowed back in. Beth and I wondered around for quite a while, going this way and that, sharing a granola bar for dinner, and finally plopping down on the curb of some side street just outside Barangaroo, not really knowing what to do or where to go.
We decided to walk towards the streams of people leaving the grounds, and taking our place among them, made our way to Darling Harbor where she stumbled upon her pilgrim group, and I coincidentally met one of Alana’s friends from Texas. TALK ABOUT right place, right time! He had just gotten to Sydney that morning but didn’t know how to contact Alana - see, waving an American flag can come in handy!
Together we met up with Alana, who took us back to the temporary apartment of some WYD volunteers - right on the edge of beautiful Darling Harbor. From their balcony we watched the beautiful display of fireworks set off from Barangaroo to celebrate the official start of WYD.
Humbled and content with the blessings the opening had bestowed, I made my way home and went straight to sleep, preparing myself for both the challenges, pandemonium, and peace that lay ahead.
MONDAY, July 14, 2008
WORLD YOUTH DAY
Each day was a new adventure, so we shall take this one day at a time…
That morning we were up and off fairly early in the morning, getting, for the first time to use our pilgrim passes which allowed us free public transportation (that sure was nice!). We set off to the city and as we rode on the bus, John Paul played his guitar and we sang songs, which I am pretty sure annoyed some of the bus riders. But let’s face it: we were just trying to break them in for the rest of the week!
The idea was to go to Circular Quay and join the Journey of the Cross and Icon there as it made its last leg of the trip through Sydney. However, we got there a bit late, and we didn’t actually know where we were going to meet up with it, but as soon as we got off the bus and walked around the corner, there was stream of people walking right down one of the middle streets of Sydney, and the Cross and Icon were right amidst them! It was perfect timing. As we walked down Pitt Street, around 12noon on a Monday, the office workers were lining the streets, looking out windows, standing in doorways, all filled with wonder, or scorn, or joy, or pride, or curiosity at the hundreds (maybe thousands) of international pilgrims who had already flooded the city and were now making such a ruckus about two pieces of wood and a picture. I saw one boy standing on a bench and jumping up and down waving at everyone who walked past: he looked like he could use a bit of Jesus in his life. I hope the week did something for him!
It was beautiful to see the smiles that began to light people’s faces - people who, for months had heard of this World Youth Day, this event which would make their daily commutes an inconvenience and keep them locked in their homes at night. I think it was at that point that many of our on-lookers began to see just what WYD was all about, and realized they didn’t actually mind so much.
O, and remember those rosaries I was making to hand out? I had them hanging out of my backpack because if I didn’t, how were they going to stay untangled? Well, on our little walk behind the Cross and Icon I was stopped by a reporter who interviewed me about them! I was mentioned in the paper that Wednesday as “the girl from Indianapolis”. Sweet!
We followed the cross to a park near Central Station where there was prayer, song, and veneration, and Rachel and I took off to meet the others over by St. Mary’s Cathedral. We walked all around the Cathedral, meandered through Hyde Park, and then walked down to Darling Harbor, in search of the team, but it was a bit hopeless with so many people milling around. I met a few Americans - that’s because I was proudly parading the streets with my mini-flag in hand. We also met a few boys from New Zealand…so many people and languages and countries everywhere! It was really exciting. And it was only Monday! WYD hadn’t even started!
We made our way home in time for a rehearsal for catechesis…what a stress that whole ordeal was. Not just the rehearsals but the actual days of catechesis themselves. I can honestly say that it was my worst and least favorite part of WYD, and that I would not willingly go through the process again. However, that is a matter not to mentioned much, and in as positive a manner as possible.
After all our agony over the music, etc., a few of us who had the energy (or just needed to get out of the house and away from the team…) went down to Hyde Park around 11:30, where a small gathering of people was waiting to see the WYD countdown clock change over to 0 days to go - it was so exciting! Quite a few of my friends were there, so it was a nice change to the pace of the evening, and just before midnight, we all counted down from 10, 9, 8... And at 12am, it changed from saying “1 day to go” to saying “G’day!” It was so unexpected, I just jumped for joy and screamed! WYD was finally here! All that we had been working for, all the effort we had put in was finally coming to its fulfillment, and what a better way to welcome it all than with Australia’s own welcoming phrase! For the rest of the week, the sign stood reading “G’day Pilgrims!” You know, when I first arrived here there were 366 days to go. What a sight to see that it was here!
Well, you would think I would end the day here by saying we went home and had a good night’s sleep before the real WYD began, but that is not how the day ended. In fact, much more was to happen before we would see the dawn of July 15th.
We made our way back to Central Station, wondering if we would be able to catch a bus home at that hour, and as we arrived and were greeted by a few others going our same way, the timetable read, to our dismay, that there were no more busses for the evening. Well, it wasn’t too much of a problem for us, since a few people had stayed at home: one of them could just come pick us up! No worries. Until…
Out of Central Station came a large group of Papua New Guineans, affectionately called the PNGs. There were about 30 of them in the group, and they too were heading out towards the Eastern Suburbs, where they were staying for the week, just one suburb away from ours! That meant they would need some alternative mode of transportation as well if the bus wasn’t coming…we looked at each other, the impossible solution crossing our minds, but all of us knowing it would have to be so: we would have to give them a ride, and that would take several trips. However a small miracle occurred - out of nowhere, a bus appeared…a bus we referred to as the “mystery bus” or the “ghost bus”. We thought everything was solved! However, the bus driver would not let all the pilgrims on with all their bags, so on went the pilgrims, but left on the curb were about 60 pieces of PNG luggage. Two trips later the luggage was delivered at their site of accommodation - could have been worse making those trips with people!
But speaking of people, you might be wondering what happened next, because see, the bus didn’t actually go to the exact location they were heading towards, just in the general vicinity. Rather than making them walk the distance, a few of people went with them and got them off just near our house, where we began using a few cars to shuttle them back to the church at which they were staying. By this point, it was about 2am. However, there was this new spirit keeping all of us awake - on this, I speak for myself, but I’m sure the others would agree. We had been very tired, exhausted really, and greatly looking forward to flopping into bed, but until those who were in need of a bed received one, we would not rest either.
It took a while, but around 3am, we were finally done with our transport, and so much were we filled with our 2nd winds that we stuck around for a few minutes to chat with the pilgrims. One of the pilgrims, when we had gotten in the car I was driving, had been wearing a little bush around his neck…it smelled a bit strange, and I wondered how he got it through customs, but there it was none the less. I asked a few questions about it, like what was it called, and if I could remember the big word he said, I would tell you. But the beautiful thing about it was, that whatever its significance for this man, at the end of the car ride, he took it off and offered to me. I wore it with pride for the rest of the night! Then, just before we left to finally go home, he came up and told me his name was Clement and asked me if he could have my address. There are a few beautiful things about this request, the main one being that I realized he wanted my address because there was no other mode of communication where he was from. All they can do is write and receive letters, and that probably isn’t the quickest of processes, either.
That made me think about something else though: these people, who had nothing but pen and paper to use to communicate with the world, had somehow made their way to Sydney, Australia to join the world in a celebrate of their faith. Some of them had probably saved for 3 years just to have enough for their airfare. I later read a newspaper article about the trouble these pilgrims had with their passports and visas, and then with flights to and from PNG, and that tells nothing of the trouble these poor people had getting around Australia, some of which I was a first-hand witness. Yet despite it all, their spirits were not dampened, and I‘m sure the experience they had is one they will remember for the rest of their lives: they will tell these stories for years to come. It was so special to see the simplicity and joy with which these people had come to WYD, and to be a small part of the their pilgrim experience was a true blessing for me.
As I snuggled into my bed that night, even though I knew only a few hours of sleep lay ahead of me, I was sure that any fatigue I would feel would be outweighed by the richness of such a night well spent. If this was the beginning, what treasures lay in store for the rest of the week!
Each day was a new adventure, so we shall take this one day at a time…
That morning we were up and off fairly early in the morning, getting, for the first time to use our pilgrim passes which allowed us free public transportation (that sure was nice!). We set off to the city and as we rode on the bus, John Paul played his guitar and we sang songs, which I am pretty sure annoyed some of the bus riders. But let’s face it: we were just trying to break them in for the rest of the week!
The idea was to go to Circular Quay and join the Journey of the Cross and Icon there as it made its last leg of the trip through Sydney. However, we got there a bit late, and we didn’t actually know where we were going to meet up with it, but as soon as we got off the bus and walked around the corner, there was stream of people walking right down one of the middle streets of Sydney, and the Cross and Icon were right amidst them! It was perfect timing. As we walked down Pitt Street, around 12noon on a Monday, the office workers were lining the streets, looking out windows, standing in doorways, all filled with wonder, or scorn, or joy, or pride, or curiosity at the hundreds (maybe thousands) of international pilgrims who had already flooded the city and were now making such a ruckus about two pieces of wood and a picture. I saw one boy standing on a bench and jumping up and down waving at everyone who walked past: he looked like he could use a bit of Jesus in his life. I hope the week did something for him!
It was beautiful to see the smiles that began to light people’s faces - people who, for months had heard of this World Youth Day, this event which would make their daily commutes an inconvenience and keep them locked in their homes at night. I think it was at that point that many of our on-lookers began to see just what WYD was all about, and realized they didn’t actually mind so much.
O, and remember those rosaries I was making to hand out? I had them hanging out of my backpack because if I didn’t, how were they going to stay untangled? Well, on our little walk behind the Cross and Icon I was stopped by a reporter who interviewed me about them! I was mentioned in the paper that Wednesday as “the girl from Indianapolis”. Sweet!
We followed the cross to a park near Central Station where there was prayer, song, and veneration, and Rachel and I took off to meet the others over by St. Mary’s Cathedral. We walked all around the Cathedral, meandered through Hyde Park, and then walked down to Darling Harbor, in search of the team, but it was a bit hopeless with so many people milling around. I met a few Americans - that’s because I was proudly parading the streets with my mini-flag in hand. We also met a few boys from New Zealand…so many people and languages and countries everywhere! It was really exciting. And it was only Monday! WYD hadn’t even started!
We made our way home in time for a rehearsal for catechesis…what a stress that whole ordeal was. Not just the rehearsals but the actual days of catechesis themselves. I can honestly say that it was my worst and least favorite part of WYD, and that I would not willingly go through the process again. However, that is a matter not to mentioned much, and in as positive a manner as possible.
After all our agony over the music, etc., a few of us who had the energy (or just needed to get out of the house and away from the team…) went down to Hyde Park around 11:30, where a small gathering of people was waiting to see the WYD countdown clock change over to 0 days to go - it was so exciting! Quite a few of my friends were there, so it was a nice change to the pace of the evening, and just before midnight, we all counted down from 10, 9, 8... And at 12am, it changed from saying “1 day to go” to saying “G’day!” It was so unexpected, I just jumped for joy and screamed! WYD was finally here! All that we had been working for, all the effort we had put in was finally coming to its fulfillment, and what a better way to welcome it all than with Australia’s own welcoming phrase! For the rest of the week, the sign stood reading “G’day Pilgrims!” You know, when I first arrived here there were 366 days to go. What a sight to see that it was here!
Well, you would think I would end the day here by saying we went home and had a good night’s sleep before the real WYD began, but that is not how the day ended. In fact, much more was to happen before we would see the dawn of July 15th.
We made our way back to Central Station, wondering if we would be able to catch a bus home at that hour, and as we arrived and were greeted by a few others going our same way, the timetable read, to our dismay, that there were no more busses for the evening. Well, it wasn’t too much of a problem for us, since a few people had stayed at home: one of them could just come pick us up! No worries. Until…
Out of Central Station came a large group of Papua New Guineans, affectionately called the PNGs. There were about 30 of them in the group, and they too were heading out towards the Eastern Suburbs, where they were staying for the week, just one suburb away from ours! That meant they would need some alternative mode of transportation as well if the bus wasn’t coming…we looked at each other, the impossible solution crossing our minds, but all of us knowing it would have to be so: we would have to give them a ride, and that would take several trips. However a small miracle occurred - out of nowhere, a bus appeared…a bus we referred to as the “mystery bus” or the “ghost bus”. We thought everything was solved! However, the bus driver would not let all the pilgrims on with all their bags, so on went the pilgrims, but left on the curb were about 60 pieces of PNG luggage. Two trips later the luggage was delivered at their site of accommodation - could have been worse making those trips with people!
But speaking of people, you might be wondering what happened next, because see, the bus didn’t actually go to the exact location they were heading towards, just in the general vicinity. Rather than making them walk the distance, a few of people went with them and got them off just near our house, where we began using a few cars to shuttle them back to the church at which they were staying. By this point, it was about 2am. However, there was this new spirit keeping all of us awake - on this, I speak for myself, but I’m sure the others would agree. We had been very tired, exhausted really, and greatly looking forward to flopping into bed, but until those who were in need of a bed received one, we would not rest either.
It took a while, but around 3am, we were finally done with our transport, and so much were we filled with our 2nd winds that we stuck around for a few minutes to chat with the pilgrims. One of the pilgrims, when we had gotten in the car I was driving, had been wearing a little bush around his neck…it smelled a bit strange, and I wondered how he got it through customs, but there it was none the less. I asked a few questions about it, like what was it called, and if I could remember the big word he said, I would tell you. But the beautiful thing about it was, that whatever its significance for this man, at the end of the car ride, he took it off and offered to me. I wore it with pride for the rest of the night! Then, just before we left to finally go home, he came up and told me his name was Clement and asked me if he could have my address. There are a few beautiful things about this request, the main one being that I realized he wanted my address because there was no other mode of communication where he was from. All they can do is write and receive letters, and that probably isn’t the quickest of processes, either.
That made me think about something else though: these people, who had nothing but pen and paper to use to communicate with the world, had somehow made their way to Sydney, Australia to join the world in a celebrate of their faith. Some of them had probably saved for 3 years just to have enough for their airfare. I later read a newspaper article about the trouble these pilgrims had with their passports and visas, and then with flights to and from PNG, and that tells nothing of the trouble these poor people had getting around Australia, some of which I was a first-hand witness. Yet despite it all, their spirits were not dampened, and I‘m sure the experience they had is one they will remember for the rest of their lives: they will tell these stories for years to come. It was so special to see the simplicity and joy with which these people had come to WYD, and to be a small part of the their pilgrim experience was a true blessing for me.
As I snuggled into my bed that night, even though I knew only a few hours of sleep lay ahead of me, I was sure that any fatigue I would feel would be outweighed by the richness of such a night well spent. If this was the beginning, what treasures lay in store for the rest of the week!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
LOCKDOWN
8 days to go before WYD, we began a period of time I like to call “lockdown.” See, the CYS house became somewhat like a well-furnished prison during that week. For three days I did not leave the house as I along with a few others, practiced and practiced and practiced for our catechesis site. The music needed so much preparation, I was really quite exasperated at the process! We spent the Wednesday traveling to our catechesis site (they let us out of the prison!) to check out the venue and rehearse a bit there to have a feel for the area.
Friday before WYD began, we again were let out of the house to see an unveiling at the Cathedral. It was absolutely stunning - the unveiling was of a painting called “Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians” I will post a picture of the art work, because words could never do it justice. The small crowd that had gathered for the event let out a collective sigh of astonishment and admiration for the lovely scene painted in honor of Mary, the Mother of God.
On Saturday, we were finally winding down the preparation and gearing up for the actual coming of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. I went that day and met up with Katie, who you may have heard me mention before - she went to Millikin, but we didn’t know each other until we both ended up in Sydney to study last year. She has returned Down Under to begin her post-graduate studies at the University of New South Wales, which isn’t too far from where I live! It was nice to catch up with her - seeing a familiar face is always a good thing!
That night our house began to fill with pilgrims as two Filipinos from Brisbane came to stay with us, along with Carrie, who is a new friend from Kansas City! Carrie and I had lots to talk about because she spent a year here in Australia traveling around on a NET team, so she could certainly relate to the various trials and tribulations I am going through. It was really nice to have someone say, “I understand, because I’ve been there.”
She stayed with us for a few days until her pilgrim group arrived from the States, so it was nice to have her around! I ran into her a couple times throughout WYD week (that’s the funny thing about it - there were 300,000 pilgrims milling around at any given time and I kept bumping into people I know! Providence made visible.) and I do hope I see her again in the States! We’ve decided to get together at some point to have ice cream. How far is KC from Indy? It wouldn’t be too far to drive for an ice cream date, would it?
We also got to greet about 120 pilgrims from Northwest Australia that day as well because they all stayed at St. Anthony’s Primary School, which is on the same grounds as our house. They were really lovely people, and most of them had never been to Sydney, had never been out of their part of the world, which is a remote and exotic part of the world from the sounds of it! Some of the group were from a place called Balgo, which is a 12 hour drive from any major point of civilization. Right smack in the middle of the desert they said. Can you imagine being out there! It would be neat to see, but would it really be neat to live there? It would be interesting, that’s for sure.
We spent Sunday at a Scalabrinian event, and even though an entire day of my life was consumed with selling WYD merchandise at their gathering, I have no idea who the Scalabrinians are or what it means to be one…there were lots of non-English speaking people there, though. Italians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Puerto Ricans, other South Americans….probably others I missed. It was quite a big event, but yeah, I’m still not sure what it was all about. There we were anyway.
Now in between all these things I was busily making rosary after rosary from twine, and then tagging them with a little card that said my name, and had my email. By the end of it I had about 50 and these I gave out throughout the week of WYD to people I met and made a connection with, in hopes that through it we would stay in touch. At this point, I’ve only heard of a couple people, but that’s ok, because even if I never hear from most of the people, at least I’ve given them a symbol of our faith, in hopes they will use it and better their relationship with God. The exchange of information is really secondary to that!
The next day, with 1 day to go before WYD began, our pilgrimage began…
Stay posted, the good part's too come!
Friday before WYD began, we again were let out of the house to see an unveiling at the Cathedral. It was absolutely stunning - the unveiling was of a painting called “Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians” I will post a picture of the art work, because words could never do it justice. The small crowd that had gathered for the event let out a collective sigh of astonishment and admiration for the lovely scene painted in honor of Mary, the Mother of God.
On Saturday, we were finally winding down the preparation and gearing up for the actual coming of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. I went that day and met up with Katie, who you may have heard me mention before - she went to Millikin, but we didn’t know each other until we both ended up in Sydney to study last year. She has returned Down Under to begin her post-graduate studies at the University of New South Wales, which isn’t too far from where I live! It was nice to catch up with her - seeing a familiar face is always a good thing!
That night our house began to fill with pilgrims as two Filipinos from Brisbane came to stay with us, along with Carrie, who is a new friend from Kansas City! Carrie and I had lots to talk about because she spent a year here in Australia traveling around on a NET team, so she could certainly relate to the various trials and tribulations I am going through. It was really nice to have someone say, “I understand, because I’ve been there.”
She stayed with us for a few days until her pilgrim group arrived from the States, so it was nice to have her around! I ran into her a couple times throughout WYD week (that’s the funny thing about it - there were 300,000 pilgrims milling around at any given time and I kept bumping into people I know! Providence made visible.) and I do hope I see her again in the States! We’ve decided to get together at some point to have ice cream. How far is KC from Indy? It wouldn’t be too far to drive for an ice cream date, would it?
We also got to greet about 120 pilgrims from Northwest Australia that day as well because they all stayed at St. Anthony’s Primary School, which is on the same grounds as our house. They were really lovely people, and most of them had never been to Sydney, had never been out of their part of the world, which is a remote and exotic part of the world from the sounds of it! Some of the group were from a place called Balgo, which is a 12 hour drive from any major point of civilization. Right smack in the middle of the desert they said. Can you imagine being out there! It would be neat to see, but would it really be neat to live there? It would be interesting, that’s for sure.
We spent Sunday at a Scalabrinian event, and even though an entire day of my life was consumed with selling WYD merchandise at their gathering, I have no idea who the Scalabrinians are or what it means to be one…there were lots of non-English speaking people there, though. Italians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Puerto Ricans, other South Americans….probably others I missed. It was quite a big event, but yeah, I’m still not sure what it was all about. There we were anyway.
Now in between all these things I was busily making rosary after rosary from twine, and then tagging them with a little card that said my name, and had my email. By the end of it I had about 50 and these I gave out throughout the week of WYD to people I met and made a connection with, in hopes that through it we would stay in touch. At this point, I’ve only heard of a couple people, but that’s ok, because even if I never hear from most of the people, at least I’ve given them a symbol of our faith, in hopes they will use it and better their relationship with God. The exchange of information is really secondary to that!
The next day, with 1 day to go before WYD began, our pilgrimage began…
Stay posted, the good part's too come!
the calm before the storm
It seems there was a little of nothing and a lot of everything in the weeks prior to WYD. In mid-June, with one week of retreats to go, I got to catch up with Sarah and friends for her birthday - we had dinner in Newtown, which is the area I lived in last year, and would you believe one of my old classmates from Sydney Uni walked right by the restaurant where we were eating! I was so excited: he was one of the few people who I actually knew from class. Because the University of Sydney is so big, and the classes are mostly lectures, it was hard to make friends. It’s funny though because I realized that even though it might be nice to see those old acquaintances every now and then, I probably won’t ever go out of my way to catch up with them. People come and go from our lives: only the ones that matter will remain. Those are the people who become like family.
One day, a spiritual director for the team, Fr. Rob Stewart, who is a Capuchin Friar (an order of St. Francis), took us to see The Abbey at Jambaroo, which is a convent for Benedictine nuns. We were shown a bit around the grounds and were introduced to their way of life. The interesting thing about these nuns is that they take the three vows that almost all religious take of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but they also take a fourth vow of stability - they stay in the same place, at that Abbey in Jambaroo, Australia, for their entire lives. It is a beautiful place they live - a place of great peace and serenity. They spend their time in prayer, and the intentions they have taken on are the intentions of the world. It’s quite a heavy task they have in their care, wouldn’t you say?!
We hosted the Capuchin Friars for dinner that evening, which was lovely, of course. Who doesn’t want holy men eating dinner with them? The boys on team are quite possibly going to join these holy men next year - they are looking at entering the Capuchin order, and will move down to Melbourne in January, I think, to begin the process.
The next evening we hosted another little dinner party, this time for our spiritual directors, of course Fr. Rob being one (I think he was just mooching off us for food!) and Fr. Michael de Stoop, who I thank for my introduction to CYS.
I was a bit exhausted after those two dinners, followed by two retreats, but to relax and rejuvenate, Sharon, Cecilia, and I went to the Blue Mountains for the weekend.
It was a nice weekend away. We spent that Friday night up at Sharon’s house in Katoomba, and then on Saturday, I met up with Jenelle and spent all day with her and her family. I hadn’t seen them since I was newly arrived in the country - almost one year before! I suppose there will always be changes to observe but on the whole they are still the lovely people I remember them being - and of course they were lovely hosts. I don’t get to see Jenelle too much but when we do catch up, we talk for hours! She called me a few weeks ago to break some big news to me: she and her boyfriend of 5 years are engaged! I was told to pencil in a trip back to Australia sometime in 2010. I’m on it.
On Sunday, I met back up with Cecilia and Sharon for Mass and then a lazy day rolling every which way around the mountain town of Katoomba, going on little bushwalks and stopping at a “cult café” about 3 times. “cult café” = a café started by a cult that serves really good and cheap food…no religious beliefs are forced or induced upon entry or purchase of meal items. Although there was some funny tasting Brazilian spice/energy supplement in some of the lattes. If I can remember what it was called I shall warn you to avoid it. It’s an acquired taste…
I suppose it was then that the calm before the storm enveloped us. Monday, June 23, brought a surprise Theology on Tap which was filmed and reported on by Ray Martin. WOW! (Yeah, I don’t know who Ray Martin is either…) We went out to a school to promote WYD and do the Jesus Chant….we got a bit sick of doing that thing, because that Thursday we spent the entire day traipsing all over Sydney performing it for a camera: one of the tech-savvy guys on the team was attempting to produce a video of our little demo from different angles at various famous points in the city. I’m not sure how the final product turned out, but the fact that we haven’t seen it leads me to believe it may or may not have gone so well.
We were also recruited to help stuff showbags for Mary MacKillop Place - I may have mentioned before that Mary MacKillop is currently in the process of canonization, and when that comes through she will be the first Australian saint. Her final resting place is a beautiful complex on the north side of Sydney Harbor, and this was one of the pilgrim destinations during WYD, so of course they needed to have plenty of merchandise packed and ready to sell!
The last Friday in June brought some very special dinner guests to the house: the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia from Nashville, Tennessee! Of course you’ve heard me talk about these women before, the beautiful, radiant women they are - it was so wonderful to have them over for dinner! Everyone really enjoyed the night. I gave Southern cooking my best shot by making oven-fried chicken, homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, homemade buttermilk biscuits, peas, green beans, and a big salad, and Leoni contributed by making a recipe we found called “Nashville Fudge Pie”, which was so yummy! It turned out pretty well…at least I should hope it did - I spent 4 hours in the kitchen! The dining room looked really lovely as well - Penitito decorated it with the flags from the house. There was of course an Australian flag, a Guatemalan flag, a Samoan flag, and an American flag, newly shipped in from Mom - o and I served the Reese’s and Hershey’s bars she sent as part of dessert as well! They stayed for night prayer with us, and as we sent them off, everyone was sighing with full tummies how great a night it had been. Then a bunch of us sat around and watched an American football movie - it was such a great night for all the US citizens in the house! (just me? Ok….I’m allowed to be selfish once in a while, right?)
We had catechesis training the following day (even though it was Saturday!) but we were given Sunday and Monday off, so I caught up with a few girlfriends, and spent the night at Jovina’s. Where else do I go when I need to get out? Monday was very relaxing as I spent half the day reading on the beach…even though it’s winter, the sun still shines bright! That night I went to a fundraiser called Taki Taki - it was a last effort to raise money for Tongan pilgrims to come to WYD. The night proved to be really fun! Trivia, prizes, videos, performers….one of the trivia questions was “How many stripes are on the US flag? 13 or 15?” About half the room, mind you, said 15 and were therefore eliminated. That was the half of the room that was not standing by me, haha
We jumped right back into our preparations, which included some stressful music rehearsals, and with only 14 days before the big event kicked off, I was both anxious and ready for it all to be over! From a volunteer side of things….
That Wednesday we took the evening to all sit down together and watch the final State of Origin game - you may remember my last experience with the sport of Rugby League, and the knowledge that was bestowed upon me - which means I did somewhat enjoy this display of manly power…but NSW lost, which means there were a lot of unhappy people in the room. It was reminiscent of the feelings after the 2007 Superbowl, as I sat among the people of Chicago. A sad day indeed.
The 3rd of July brought a very wonderful event held on the campus of Notre Dame which was entitled “Love and Life - Live it!” and you might imagine it was fittingly named as it was hosted by the Sisters of Life from the Bronx! They shared the evening with us, telling us about their charism, the work they do, and some beautiful stories from their ministry. It was a special evening because just the day before, the body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian man who is also on the road to sainthood, was present in St. Benedict’s Church, which is at ND. He was one of the WYD patrons, and it was a beautiful and marvelous thing to have his very incorruptible body in our midst. The next day was his feast day, also a very special day in my own heart, the 4th of July, and attending his Mass, celebrated by the Cardinal, with his body on the side, it was all I could do to keep the tears welling up - his story is really incredible. We could all learn a lot from the example of Pier. Not to mention the fact that this man was quite attractive. Jovina reckons he’ll be the patron saint of good-looking people, haha!
So you might be wondering, besides attending a Mass in celebration of a dead, good-looking man, what else I occupied myself with on our nation’s independence day. Well that day was spent at a school which we do quite a few retreats for - it is an all girls high school, and that day was their school’s special celebration day (last day of term). They had a Mass, a few performances, a talent show, a beauty pageant, a really nice lunch, and of course, the reason we had to go, a little peek at the Jesus chant. We were in quite high demand for that!
I went from there to the Mass, and after Mass, as many Americans as we could gather went on the hunt for something American to eat for dinner. The little party included: the four Dominicans from Nashville, two Bazillian seminarians from Texas, Alana, myself, and Paul, who is from Paris. He just came because…because he wanted to. I think he’s a big fan of America. Well, and he lives in the same house as Alana, so that way they could go home together. Which, by the time we found somewhere to eat (we settled for pizza at a Turkish place) and then made our way to the train station, it was so late, and I was going to have to wait so long, alone, for a bus, I just went home with Alana and Paul as well! It was actually really nice spending time with them, and riding the train home with the Sisters as well. I was quite happy with the celebration!
Alana and I slugged around for most of that Saturday and then went down to the city, where the first physical signs of the approaching WYD were beginning to appear. The WYD superstore, located in Hyde Park and aptly titled “WYD on HYDE” opened on Saturday, July 5th, and so Alana and I took a bit of a gander around the store, only to be slightly disappointed with the somewhat strange range of apparel the company must have thought would sell. In the end, some of it did and some of it didn’t. Just as I suspected. It was exciting anyway to finally see a huge tent go up in Hyde Park, the center of Sydney, as the approaching WYD drew near.
For me, WYD began to sink in the next day. I met Jovi for coffee before Mass and as we walked into the Cathedral, we were stopped in our tracks by the heavenly sight of 47 Sisters of Life in perfect rows, kneeling in prayer. How special it was to see so many beautiful women, adorned in habits of blue and white, filling the pews of St. Mary’s. The Cardinal, who celebrated the Mass that morning, was certainly happy to see them - he only mentioned them three times during the celebration! Afterwards they filled the front steps as picture after picture was snapped of these faithful women. It was quite a sight to see.
After parting with a few friends and spending time with a few others in the WYD store, I got a call from the Dominican Sisters asking if I’d like to meet up with them, as two more Sisters had also arrived that day, on the same plan as the Sisters of Life! What a place the airport was to be! After a bit of discussing and planning, I found myself on a ferry over to Manly to meet the Dominicans for lunch and a stroll around the beach. Then I headed back to the city with them and exhausted, parted ways and went home to sleep. We had another big week ahead, and it wasn’t even WYD yet.
Stay posted, there’s more to come!
One day, a spiritual director for the team, Fr. Rob Stewart, who is a Capuchin Friar (an order of St. Francis), took us to see The Abbey at Jambaroo, which is a convent for Benedictine nuns. We were shown a bit around the grounds and were introduced to their way of life. The interesting thing about these nuns is that they take the three vows that almost all religious take of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but they also take a fourth vow of stability - they stay in the same place, at that Abbey in Jambaroo, Australia, for their entire lives. It is a beautiful place they live - a place of great peace and serenity. They spend their time in prayer, and the intentions they have taken on are the intentions of the world. It’s quite a heavy task they have in their care, wouldn’t you say?!
We hosted the Capuchin Friars for dinner that evening, which was lovely, of course. Who doesn’t want holy men eating dinner with them? The boys on team are quite possibly going to join these holy men next year - they are looking at entering the Capuchin order, and will move down to Melbourne in January, I think, to begin the process.
The next evening we hosted another little dinner party, this time for our spiritual directors, of course Fr. Rob being one (I think he was just mooching off us for food!) and Fr. Michael de Stoop, who I thank for my introduction to CYS.
I was a bit exhausted after those two dinners, followed by two retreats, but to relax and rejuvenate, Sharon, Cecilia, and I went to the Blue Mountains for the weekend.
It was a nice weekend away. We spent that Friday night up at Sharon’s house in Katoomba, and then on Saturday, I met up with Jenelle and spent all day with her and her family. I hadn’t seen them since I was newly arrived in the country - almost one year before! I suppose there will always be changes to observe but on the whole they are still the lovely people I remember them being - and of course they were lovely hosts. I don’t get to see Jenelle too much but when we do catch up, we talk for hours! She called me a few weeks ago to break some big news to me: she and her boyfriend of 5 years are engaged! I was told to pencil in a trip back to Australia sometime in 2010. I’m on it.
On Sunday, I met back up with Cecilia and Sharon for Mass and then a lazy day rolling every which way around the mountain town of Katoomba, going on little bushwalks and stopping at a “cult café” about 3 times. “cult café” = a café started by a cult that serves really good and cheap food…no religious beliefs are forced or induced upon entry or purchase of meal items. Although there was some funny tasting Brazilian spice/energy supplement in some of the lattes. If I can remember what it was called I shall warn you to avoid it. It’s an acquired taste…
I suppose it was then that the calm before the storm enveloped us. Monday, June 23, brought a surprise Theology on Tap which was filmed and reported on by Ray Martin. WOW! (Yeah, I don’t know who Ray Martin is either…) We went out to a school to promote WYD and do the Jesus Chant….we got a bit sick of doing that thing, because that Thursday we spent the entire day traipsing all over Sydney performing it for a camera: one of the tech-savvy guys on the team was attempting to produce a video of our little demo from different angles at various famous points in the city. I’m not sure how the final product turned out, but the fact that we haven’t seen it leads me to believe it may or may not have gone so well.
We were also recruited to help stuff showbags for Mary MacKillop Place - I may have mentioned before that Mary MacKillop is currently in the process of canonization, and when that comes through she will be the first Australian saint. Her final resting place is a beautiful complex on the north side of Sydney Harbor, and this was one of the pilgrim destinations during WYD, so of course they needed to have plenty of merchandise packed and ready to sell!
The last Friday in June brought some very special dinner guests to the house: the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia from Nashville, Tennessee! Of course you’ve heard me talk about these women before, the beautiful, radiant women they are - it was so wonderful to have them over for dinner! Everyone really enjoyed the night. I gave Southern cooking my best shot by making oven-fried chicken, homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, homemade buttermilk biscuits, peas, green beans, and a big salad, and Leoni contributed by making a recipe we found called “Nashville Fudge Pie”, which was so yummy! It turned out pretty well…at least I should hope it did - I spent 4 hours in the kitchen! The dining room looked really lovely as well - Penitito decorated it with the flags from the house. There was of course an Australian flag, a Guatemalan flag, a Samoan flag, and an American flag, newly shipped in from Mom - o and I served the Reese’s and Hershey’s bars she sent as part of dessert as well! They stayed for night prayer with us, and as we sent them off, everyone was sighing with full tummies how great a night it had been. Then a bunch of us sat around and watched an American football movie - it was such a great night for all the US citizens in the house! (just me? Ok….I’m allowed to be selfish once in a while, right?)
We had catechesis training the following day (even though it was Saturday!) but we were given Sunday and Monday off, so I caught up with a few girlfriends, and spent the night at Jovina’s. Where else do I go when I need to get out? Monday was very relaxing as I spent half the day reading on the beach…even though it’s winter, the sun still shines bright! That night I went to a fundraiser called Taki Taki - it was a last effort to raise money for Tongan pilgrims to come to WYD. The night proved to be really fun! Trivia, prizes, videos, performers….one of the trivia questions was “How many stripes are on the US flag? 13 or 15?” About half the room, mind you, said 15 and were therefore eliminated. That was the half of the room that was not standing by me, haha
We jumped right back into our preparations, which included some stressful music rehearsals, and with only 14 days before the big event kicked off, I was both anxious and ready for it all to be over! From a volunteer side of things….
That Wednesday we took the evening to all sit down together and watch the final State of Origin game - you may remember my last experience with the sport of Rugby League, and the knowledge that was bestowed upon me - which means I did somewhat enjoy this display of manly power…but NSW lost, which means there were a lot of unhappy people in the room. It was reminiscent of the feelings after the 2007 Superbowl, as I sat among the people of Chicago. A sad day indeed.
The 3rd of July brought a very wonderful event held on the campus of Notre Dame which was entitled “Love and Life - Live it!” and you might imagine it was fittingly named as it was hosted by the Sisters of Life from the Bronx! They shared the evening with us, telling us about their charism, the work they do, and some beautiful stories from their ministry. It was a special evening because just the day before, the body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian man who is also on the road to sainthood, was present in St. Benedict’s Church, which is at ND. He was one of the WYD patrons, and it was a beautiful and marvelous thing to have his very incorruptible body in our midst. The next day was his feast day, also a very special day in my own heart, the 4th of July, and attending his Mass, celebrated by the Cardinal, with his body on the side, it was all I could do to keep the tears welling up - his story is really incredible. We could all learn a lot from the example of Pier. Not to mention the fact that this man was quite attractive. Jovina reckons he’ll be the patron saint of good-looking people, haha!
So you might be wondering, besides attending a Mass in celebration of a dead, good-looking man, what else I occupied myself with on our nation’s independence day. Well that day was spent at a school which we do quite a few retreats for - it is an all girls high school, and that day was their school’s special celebration day (last day of term). They had a Mass, a few performances, a talent show, a beauty pageant, a really nice lunch, and of course, the reason we had to go, a little peek at the Jesus chant. We were in quite high demand for that!
I went from there to the Mass, and after Mass, as many Americans as we could gather went on the hunt for something American to eat for dinner. The little party included: the four Dominicans from Nashville, two Bazillian seminarians from Texas, Alana, myself, and Paul, who is from Paris. He just came because…because he wanted to. I think he’s a big fan of America. Well, and he lives in the same house as Alana, so that way they could go home together. Which, by the time we found somewhere to eat (we settled for pizza at a Turkish place) and then made our way to the train station, it was so late, and I was going to have to wait so long, alone, for a bus, I just went home with Alana and Paul as well! It was actually really nice spending time with them, and riding the train home with the Sisters as well. I was quite happy with the celebration!
Alana and I slugged around for most of that Saturday and then went down to the city, where the first physical signs of the approaching WYD were beginning to appear. The WYD superstore, located in Hyde Park and aptly titled “WYD on HYDE” opened on Saturday, July 5th, and so Alana and I took a bit of a gander around the store, only to be slightly disappointed with the somewhat strange range of apparel the company must have thought would sell. In the end, some of it did and some of it didn’t. Just as I suspected. It was exciting anyway to finally see a huge tent go up in Hyde Park, the center of Sydney, as the approaching WYD drew near.
For me, WYD began to sink in the next day. I met Jovi for coffee before Mass and as we walked into the Cathedral, we were stopped in our tracks by the heavenly sight of 47 Sisters of Life in perfect rows, kneeling in prayer. How special it was to see so many beautiful women, adorned in habits of blue and white, filling the pews of St. Mary’s. The Cardinal, who celebrated the Mass that morning, was certainly happy to see them - he only mentioned them three times during the celebration! Afterwards they filled the front steps as picture after picture was snapped of these faithful women. It was quite a sight to see.
After parting with a few friends and spending time with a few others in the WYD store, I got a call from the Dominican Sisters asking if I’d like to meet up with them, as two more Sisters had also arrived that day, on the same plan as the Sisters of Life! What a place the airport was to be! After a bit of discussing and planning, I found myself on a ferry over to Manly to meet the Dominicans for lunch and a stroll around the beach. Then I headed back to the city with them and exhausted, parted ways and went home to sleep. We had another big week ahead, and it wasn’t even WYD yet.
Stay posted, there’s more to come!
and we're back
After such a busy two months, I am finally beginning to wind down! I apologize if anyone has missed my regular updates: It shouldn’t be so long between exchanges over the next few months - our schedule isn’t nearly as hectic!
I should start by bringing you straight up to date on my current visa status, because today, August 16th, it expired! It was a bit scary for a while: we didn’t think I would get an extension, but one finally came through. I was granted a 28-day bridging visa while the real visa is sorted out. So as of right now, according to immigration, I may stay in the country until mid-September, but there shouldn’t be too much of a problem for me to stay until the end of the year. “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents under the tree!…”
I’ll post a series of blogs after this one chronicling the lead up to WYD, the week of WYD, and what’s been happening post WYD. It certainly set Sydney on fire!
Also, I will try to find a good site for web photo albums: I know there were some troubles with the last link I posted for photos. When I get that sorted, I will also post instructions on how to view them. Hopefully it will be simpler than the last one!
Stay posted, there's more to come!
I should start by bringing you straight up to date on my current visa status, because today, August 16th, it expired! It was a bit scary for a while: we didn’t think I would get an extension, but one finally came through. I was granted a 28-day bridging visa while the real visa is sorted out. So as of right now, according to immigration, I may stay in the country until mid-September, but there shouldn’t be too much of a problem for me to stay until the end of the year. “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents under the tree!…”
I’ll post a series of blogs after this one chronicling the lead up to WYD, the week of WYD, and what’s been happening post WYD. It certainly set Sydney on fire!
Also, I will try to find a good site for web photo albums: I know there were some troubles with the last link I posted for photos. When I get that sorted, I will also post instructions on how to view them. Hopefully it will be simpler than the last one!
Stay posted, there's more to come!
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