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.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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