Home again

And so we come to the end of our pilgrimage. The last week in Italy has flown by in comparison with our time in Spain. The good thing for us is that we have been on our own because all the other groups from Parramatta returned to Sydney from Spain. We have become our own family as we discussed in the early days prior to leaving Australia.

Our last day was a bit free form. Most of us breakfasted together the we wandered down to the Basilica of St Francis for 9am Mass. The Mass was in a side chapel of the Basilica. Following this we wandered around the Basilica - it has been constructed around the original chapel built by St. Francis. Amazing doesn't quite cover it, but the last thing I expected when i walked through the cathedral doors was a chapel, complete with roof, altar and paintings in the ceiling. The original chapel of St. Francis sits directly below the dome of the cathedral. There were many side chapels and altars each one as inspiring as the last. We then went around to the legendary rose garden and on to the obligatory souvenir shop.

I forget to mention yesterday that the old area of Assisi is carved out of the side of a mountain. Our journey yesterday involved us being transported up and down the mountain in a series of taxis. It was all very James Bondish and I'm sure that our driver was related to Mario Andredretti (google that gen y), the 8 of us in the taxi had never prayed so intently. Obviously we survived, but I would not wish to have that experience again.

I'm not sure how much I wrote about the nature of pilgrimage in earlier blogs but it is not a holiday, or as I said when our group first came together, a Contiki tour. Pilgrimage is about the journey, being open to the experience, accepting change and returning home as a changed person. Our little family of 27 have certainly embraced the concept. We journeyed together, shared our experiences - exhilarating and otherwise, shared our meals, our accommodation, our stories and our life' s journey. We have all embraced the notion of pilgrimage and Bishop Fisher's challenge to return changed people. I guess all that remains is to see what we do to make that change live.

So, as we journey toward the airport in Rome this will probably be my last entry, until I doctor some of the pages from home to add some photos. It has been for me, as I'm sure it has for all of us, a journey of mixed emotions, but I have been most fortunate to be able to share my time with our group. Love you guys, you're awesome. Thank you for making my job easy and for sharing yourselves with me. A special thanks to our group leaders, Ben, Chris, Darwin, Mary E, Shelby and Steve, and our spiritual guide Fr. Suresh. And to the rest of our family (in no particular order): Michael, Shelwin, Annabelle, Andrew, Dani, Jon, Luke, Hazel, Sr. Rachel, Tom, Jack, Mary G, Sherwin, Fr. Luan, Mel, Stefan, Bishop Jarrett, Falenga, Julie and Claire thanks for being open to the experience of the pilgrimage and bringing something special of you to our journey. In a little while we will farewell Fr. Suresh, Annabelle and Chris, while the rest of us head for Sydney. Actually, Hazel slipped away quietly in Dubai to spend some time with her sister. We hope that she has a wonderful visit and a safe trip home in a week or so. Our group of 28 is now 22 as our pilgrimage comes to an end and and we return home.

I know Bishop Anthony has meetings scheduled so that we don't lose the momentum and the spirit we have developed over the last few weeks, so it's not really goodbye, it's see you later. It's time for us step up as evagelisers and to live our faith and share it with others.

God bless.

See you in Rio.

Joking, I'm too old to do this again.

But maybe you guys need to consider what role you will play in two years time, we have learned much together that will be of value when planning future pilgrimages.

Adios amigos.

Assisi - part 2

I thought I'd begin this entry with a cultural question: what is it with showers in Europe? In Caceres, in Madrid, in Rome and now in Assisi the showers are barely big enough to turn around in. And if there is a shower curtain it degenerates into a macabre dance of the seven veils. There is no way Psycho could have been filmed here (google it gen y). I was thinking about it the day when we were still in Madrid and I happened to be having a shower at the time and I had to step out of the shower to change my mind. Now at 163cm (save the short jokes peeps I've heard them all before) and 67kg, I can hardly be described as a big person and I have found the showers difficult to negotiate. Sympathy to those bigger than me ... and that's everyone. Lol. I got in first with the joke.

We had Mass scheduled for 8am so it was a reasonably early start again. Thankfully the hotel kitchen accommodated us an opened half an hour earlier than usual. Once again Mass was a special occasion. This time in a semi-underground Chapel at the Basilica of St. Francis (sorry about the misspelling of Basilica previously, if I can summon the energy I will return to earlier entries to correct it). Fr Suresh reminded us of the early Christians and the affinity we have with them through experiences such as this, although we have not had to make the sacrifices they did for their faith. It has been amazing traveling with our own spiritual coordinator, Mass was possible just about anytime.

I know I've talked about the history previously, but trying to put time into perspective has been challenging. The churches we visited today were all built in medieval times, around the year 1200+. The white history of Australia pales in comparison, although our indigenous history stretches back much further.

After Mass we went on a guided tour of the Basilica of St. Francis. The reliefs inside were mostly painted by Giotto and told the story of St. Francis. They were wonderful. Sadly, Fr. Luan left us at this point to return to Rome. For the remainder of the day we visited San Damiano and a Franciscan monastery and the fort above Assisi. I know these descriptions have become shorthand but, we are all suffering from Cathedral overload. Each one has been an awing experience and there is truly nothing to compare to in Australia and whatever words I have are inadequate to describe them.

Then lunch and our second only free afternoon in almost three weeks. Our group splintered into smaller groups and wandered the streets of Assisi searching for presents for our loved ones back home. As is usual for me, I went search of an extra suitcase in which to pack all my presents. It was a relaxing afternoon and we returned to the hotel for our last dinner together as a group.

Post dinner Fr. Suresh invited the group to attend a discussion on relationship. After the talk and the long day we had had, most of us retired reasonably early. Tomorrow will be generally spent making our way to the airport to commence the long journey home.

Assisi - a quiet time after Rome

We had a very relaxed beginning to the day and didn't get underway until after 9am. We farewelled Bishop Jarrett as he was not joining us on the final leg of our pilgrimage.

The itinerary for the next few days was a bit sketchy so after brief discussion with our guide Marco, I carefully side stepped any decision making by referring him to Fr. Luan. Assisi is Fr. Luan's spiritual heartland and he knows the area well. Between the two of them they came up with some interesting side trips. It should prove to be most interesting and I'm sure it will add to the spiritual dimension of our journey. 

The bus drive through Umbria was beautiful. The hills were so green, a big change from the sun baked brown fields of Spain. The hill sides were covered by grape vines, sunflowers waiting to be harvested and olive trees. One similarity between Spain and Italy is the proliferation of solar panels. They are everywhere, in the fields, on top of houses, over garages, anywhere they can catch the sun. Our own beautiful country is just as sunny so it makes me wonder why we haven't opted for such sustainable energy measures. I guess the political imperative hasn't really been there, but we have an obligation to ensure that our stewardship of the land ensures we can pass it on to our children, just as our indigenous brothers and sisters did for thousands of years before we arrived. I'm sure St. Francis of Assisi would agree.

Our first stop on our Francescan pilgrimage was in the hills where St. Francis met the wolf. We were there for lunch not to meet wolves and what a place. A swimming pool! Very welcome on such a hot day. Then lunch: melon and proscuito, homemade pasta, meat and coffee and dessert. The best coffee so far. Marco made an excellent choice.

After lunch we had Mass in a chapel in the Bascilica of St. Clare. Another beautiful church although much of the painting inside has been removed or has been plastered over because of it's deterioration. The only area fully covered was the ceiling above the altar. There was no photography allowed inside. I discovered this via an angry nun after I snapped a picture of the crucifix (which I alter deleted because it was burred). We then picked up a new guide and went downstairs into St. Clare's crypt.

Assisi is a beautiful town high in the hills and contains many religious shops and there were a number of people dressed in period costume - including a barefoot St. Francis. It is a welcome change to the hustle and bustle of crowded Rome. We were heading for the Cathedral of St. Francis when one of our group realized a camera had been left behind. Re-tracing our steps, camera and owner were re-united at the Bascilica. The moral of the story: if you are going to lose something, do it in a church, that way it will be returned. We decided to leave the Cathedral for tomorrow and headed for our hotel and dinner.

After dinner most of the group headed back up the hill to Assisi for coffee and gelato. A few of us stayed behind, some to do Uni work, me to complete today's blog entry.

Rome - day 3 and goodbye

At the risk of being repetitive, Rome -WOW!

Wednesday had us out of bed early, although not as early as our departure from Madrid, because we had an 8am Mass scheduled at St. Peter's Bascilica. It would appear that early is the only time to go to St Peter's because by lunch time the crowd was huge and our guides told us that this is not the peak period because many Romans are away on holiday.

Despite being awed by the Basilicas that we saw the previous day, St Peter's was on another level completely. Once again, I'll get some pictures up when I return home next week because it is just so difficult to describe. You really need to see it to take it all in and by this time some of us were suffering from brain overload. While we waiting for our Mass time we wandered the Basilica taking photos. There were altars and side chapels everywhere you looked. And in keeping with the other churches we had been into, not a centimetre of the ceiling was left unpainted. While I was marveling at the dome above the altar canopy, Fr Luan told me that for about 5 Euro you could climb to the top. Much cheaper than the Harbour Bridge climb. It was a pity we didn't have time. The view would have excellent.

At 8am we were ushered down stairs for Mass. I didn't count the number of chapels down there, but the movement in and out Mass was precision clockwork. What a shame these people weren't involved in the organization of WYD. Traveling with a Bishop, 2 priests, a deacon and 2 seminarians meant there was no shortage of people to preside over our own private service. Each Mass was special and this was no different. Another underground Mass, not as deep as the catacombs, but near the Papal crypts. Special, just doesn't quite describe it.

Toward the end of Mass we were joined by a seriously ancient local man. We were alerted to his arrival by the scraping of his crutches on the marble floor. He made his way unsteadily down the few stairs, squeezed into the back row between two of the boys and was assisted to communion. Just prior to our Mass finishing he rose unsteadily to his feet and after a few attempts was assisted up the stairs to the corridor. As we were leaving we noticed he had joined the Mass in the next Chapel.

Following Mass we made a quick trip to the Papal crypt. We had limited time there because we were due at the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel in a few minutes. I left the group as they were heading to the museum because one of our pilgrims had left a wallet behind at St. Paul's the pervious day and it had been handed in, contents intact. A taxi to St. Paul's and back and then we joined the queue to get back into St. Peter's for our guided tour. By this time the crowd was huge and the line for admission snaked its way across the piazza. 30 minutes later we sitting in the shade waiting for our group to emerge from the museum. Having a guide explain some of the artwork and provide the history of some of the features made the second visit inside St. Peter's all the more interesting.

After lunch it was a visit to a 'religious artifact' shop. The owner had very kindly allowed us to store our bags there prior to our tour of the museum, courtesy of the Bishop, and he was certainly repaid by the amount of money we spent. Thankfully, we have a 30kg allowance on the way home and some of us have already purchased an extra bag. I will be when we reach Assisi.

We have been away from home for 2 weeks and this afternoon was our first 'free' afternoon. We dispersed across Rome in small groups. Some went shopping, some sightseeing, my group did both and we wandered back to the hotel over a 3 hour period, shopping and sightseeing en route.

Dinner was followed by a tour of Rome by night. We visited the usual tourist spots including the Trevi Fountain and the colosseum.

It is difficult to assimilate all that we have seen experienced over the last 3 days. The history, well part of the history, of our faith was on display for all to see. No doubt this has had an impact on us all in different ways. Time will tell how we bring this back to enrich our own lives in Australia.

Tomorrow we travel to Assisi, which according to our experienced travelers will be a change of pace from Rome and the highlight of Italy.

Rome Day 1

Ahh, an air conditioned room, a shower that I can turn around in and a comfortable bed. Rome has it all and I haven't even left the hotel.

Breakfast, morning prayer and the bus at 8. Well a little bit later, we had to rouse some sleeping pilgrims for our first full day in Rome. First stop the catacombs. Sorry for being repetitive but, amazing, beautiful, what an experience. To walk through the catacombs and hear a little of the history is one thing, to have mass in one of the underground chapels is another experience all together.

Perhaps the word chapel is over used. There is a chapel here at the hotel and it is magnificently beautiful and opulent. The chapel in which we had Mass this morning had a dirt floor and walls of rock and it was carved out of the volcanic ash about 15 metres underground. It was used in the early days of Christianity for worship safe from persecution. There was an altar in the space but it could barely contain all 28 of us. I couldn't help but think of Bisop Fisher's words about us returning to Parramatta changed people. How could we be anything but changed after such an experience? To have Mass in the catacombs! Awesome. To gain an understanding of what the early Christians went through simply to worship as a community was unforgettable.

After that we visited four Basilicas (not sure of the plural), that of St. Paul, St. Mary Major, St. John and Santa Croce. Each one was fantastic and over awing. I'm sorry there are no pictures but consistent Internet access is still proving elusive, so I'll add when them when I return to Sydney next week. The paintings on the ceilings ... words can't do them justice, incredible depictions of events from our Christian past. And magnificent statues and altars. Every church drew an 'ah' from the people in our group. There is nothing in my experience to compare to this, even the Cathedrals in England don't rate in comparison. It is easy to imagine ourselves as evagelisers and witnesses to the faith when we are surrounded by such a rich tradition of Christianity. Time will tell whether we can live up to Bishop Fisher's challenge.

Time for bed. We have an early start tomorrow, a private Mass at St Peter's Basilica.

Madrid to Rome

A budget airline is a budget airline is a budget airline. So, no-one should be surprised that Vueling Air left behind a whole container of luggage. 7 of our people were effected and fortunately we had 4 hours to wait for our connecting flight to Rome, so the bags and their owners were re-united within a couple of hours.

The concept of checking your bags with the airline was also, well, different. We arrived at Madrid airport and it was already packed at 5am. Our guide spoke to the Vueling official and they told us to line up at a particular desk, which we did. About 4 people had their bags checked and then the man behind the counter got up and walked away. We asked the person at the next counter if he would return. A shrug and 'I don't know' was the response. Once again we relied on our Spanish speaking pilgrim, Andrew, to hassle the locals. I don't know what he said but within 5 minutes another person arrived to check our bags. Again, she didn't last long and another 5 or so people made it through before she disappeared. Ah, Spain! So beautiful and so frustrating. Another agonizing wait, boarding time was getting closer, the lines were getting longer and then finally another person who saw us all through. Relief!

The flight was fine to Barcelona because after a 3:30 am start everyone slept. The same can't be said for the flight to Rome. We sat on the tarmac for what seemed like years while they went through 'safety checks'. It sounded like they couldn't get the engines to turn over to us. The flight was a rock and roll event through the sky and landing in Rome was most welcome.

The drive to Domus Australia was amazing. The buildings, the history, the streets where the early fathers of our church walked. The next few days promised to be a fantastic experience. The hotel is beautiful and the chapel is breath taking. It was once owned by the Marist Fathers until it was given its new life. And the rooms are air conditioned! Goodbye heat. It was hot in Spain, did I mention that before?

Mass, dinner, gelato, sleep. The perfect end to our first day in Rome. Tomorrow promises so much.

Madrid - the missing entry

Between our arrival in Madrid and the disappointment around the Papal Mass life fell into a routine - well, for a few days. Tuesday was, of course the opening ceremony and the opening Mass. Wednesday to Friday became breakfast, catechesis, cultural events, dinner and eventually sleep. Oh, yeah, did I mention that one of our group had lunch with the Pope? Now that was different.

Catechesis was organized with the usual level of efficiency that we had come to expect and accepted. Despite this, every day we hoped for better. On the Wednesday we heard Bishop Dolan of New York speak. His talk focused on the theme of WYD. He was supported by an American youth group who presented a role play. They were also responsible for the singing. It was a little bit too evangelical for me and quite a way removed from my usual Sunday worship, but pilgrimage is all about experience. I felt like a fish out of water but our group enjoyed themselves and there was much discussion about the Bishop's message. There were a multitude of religious and cultural events each afternoon and we organized ourselves into smaller groups to focus on our interests.

The second day's catechesis was a marked contrast to the previous day. To begin with there were seats for everyone! Now that was unusual. The theme for the day was focused on challenges faced by young people today and was delivered by Bishop Joel (didn't get his last name) from the Philipines. Again the flavor was slightly evangelical and the group were engaged and talk afterwards was positive. I thought it was a bit light-on and not particularly challenging, I have been involved in more in-depth formation at a senior school retreat - but, I hardly qualify as 'youth' so maybe I'm being too critical. The point, after all, is to challenge and stimulate and the young people with us had been both challenged and stimulated judging by the discussion.

Friday was the stand out day, not just because our own Claire Brown (Glenbrook Parish) went off to lunch with the Pope with 11 other young people from around the world, but because catechesis that day was conducted by our own Bishop Fisher of Parramatta Diocese. While Claire and her dad met at the designated hotel we made the journey across the city to the beautiful Carmelite church of Saints Teresa and Jose where Bish Fish, as the kids have named him, delivered his catechesis session. Now, I may be biased, but Bishop Fisher left the other Bishops in the shade. His talk was engaging and challenging, and he answered questions from the floor for over 30 minutes. And the questions weren't easy either. The Bishop's talk was on our role as evangelists for the church, an important and recurring theme of his. It is all about how we witness and live our faith. He reminded us that we would return home as changed people and asked us to reflect on how we would respond to that change.

While we were being inspired by the Bishop, Claire and her father, Steve, were wending their way to the hotel for Claire to dine with Pope Benedict. In true James Bond fashion, the hotel was a meeting point and Claire was whisked away by bus to the real meeting place. Steve was left in the hotel foyer not knowing where Claire was going or when she would return. She did return safely with the multitude of Rosary beads that we had sent with her to have blessed and also with a couple of presents from Pope Benedict. I'm not sure what the media coverage has been like at home, but the pictures of the gifts have been plastered all over the papers in Spain. For the record there was a beautiful commerative medal and a Rosary. Every time Claire is asked about her experience her face lights up. Clearly this has been a most special meeting for her and one that will live with her forever.

So, all in all it was the sort of week you'd expect during WYD festivities. Oh, and the riots.
On two separate occasions a group of people tried to disrupt the WYD events, both times they caused problems in the major tourist area of Sol. Some of our pilgrims were caught up in the protest and while it wasn't a pleasant experience, they returned unharmed and I'm sure they will use the experience to become stronger people. And the rioters? They were so out numbered by happy pilgrims they were almost insignificant.

Ben - e - dicto. And so the chants continue.

Adios Madrid

OK, the astute readers amongst you will realize that there should be another entry between this one and the first Madrid entry. I will get to it, but, lack of Internet access and the immediacy of the experience from the last two days demands my attention. The missing Madrid entry will be creatively titled, 'Madrid, the missing entry'. Watch this space.

And so to the Vigil, sleep over and Papal Mass.

I have tried to maintain a positive outlook on things in the spirit of pilgrimage. This has been a little easier because the young people with whom I'm traveling are gold. They are positive, strong in their faith and embracing every experience, no matter how poorly organised. However, the sleep-over last night was a debacle and this was exacerbated by the weather.

The temperature hit 40 yesterday. Did I mention it is hot over here? The heat is constant and energy sapping, with the only respite being early morning and evening. The evening culture in Spain and the siesta is to allow people to cope with the weather.

Anyway, the sleep over festivities officially commenced at 4:30pm, so we sent an advance force to secure our area so that we might stagger the arrival of the other pilgrims. There are over 300 pilgrims from the Parramatta Diocese and we didn't want them all to fry in the afternoon sun. So about 30 or 40 of us brave souls set out in the blistering heat. I have applied more sun screen this week than I have in the last 10 years. We arrived at our ticketed area, F4 after a trip on the metro and a walk of around 2kms, plus the 1km walk from the entry gate to our area. It was hot, already crowded and the area was dusty but we set our boundaries and settled into guarding our zone and keeping out those who wanted to usurp our land. This became more difficult as the afternoon wore on. The temperature climbed, tempers frayed and the love and peace and friendly chanting was forgotten, but only for a moment.

We lost some skirmishes and conceded ground to the Brazilians, the French and eventually to some Croatians and even people from the Sydney Diocese. After 2 hours or so the call came through, the next group was coming through the gate. 30 minutes later they had still not arrived, so I phoned. They were within sight of us in the unticketed area, despite the fact that they had tickets. The gates were closed! The gates were closed and were not going to be reopened and people with tickets were locked into an area with almost no facilities and water was scarce. Did I mention it was 40 degrees?

How could this happen? Well, they had underestimated the number of pilgrims that could fit into each area because we were in the last section and we had plenty of people who had tickets for areas closer to the front. Secondly, it appeared that no-one was checking tickets on the way in. It was a free for all.

And despite all of this, the young people maintained their sense of humour and rationalized the difficulties because this was a special moment, the Pope would be here soon.

There was too little water. The lines for the water were not controlled and it was survival of the fittest. And as for the toilets ... No, you don't really want to know.

Then the cloud cover came. Hallelujah, relief at last. But the rest of our party would not be joining us. They were locked into the non ticketed area. We gave some more space to pilgrims who were fortunate enough to make it through the gate. The spirit of camaraderie returned and so did the chants, this time for the Pope.

The cloud cover got heavier, water arrived, hallelujah again, the fire trucks drove around spraying the crowd ... blessed relief. The chanting continued. The sky got darker and the Pope arrived for the Vigil.

The Vigil began. The wind picked up, the lightning and thunder began and then the rain. People huddled under umbrellas and sleeping bags, whatever they had. The storm, although reasonably short lived, maybe 15 minutes was terrifying. The wind actually destroyed some of the communion tents. All I could think of was the hundreds of thousands of people in front of us. What would happen if the panicked? It was a very dangerous situation. Eventually most of our group decided to get out and return to the safety of the Uni.

We tried to get through the closest exit point, but it had been closed and was cut off by riot police, so we trudged the kilometre back to the other entrance. What did we find? An open gate, no security and pilgrims still streaming in, many without tickets. This was happening while thousands of pilgrims with tickets were corralled in an other area. Words fail me, not often, but this time! Unbelievable doesn't quite capture the moment.

It hadn't rained in Madrid in August for 8 years until last night. Were we surprised? Not really, too many other things had gone wrong for us to expect things to go smoothly. If not for the good humour of the crowd there could have been a catastrophic end to the evening.

We gathered for breakfast the next morning and swapped tales of the previous night. It turned out that of our 300 pilgrims, about 30 had decided to brave the conditions and stay for the Papal Mass in the morning.

At breakfast I was able to announce to our group that Bishop Fisher had heard of our plight and had arranged to say Mass for us at 3pm. The Bishop opened our Mass by telling us that he would use the book from the Papal Mass and even read us the Pope's homily, but in English. Awesome.

The Mass was a wonderful celebration of all that we have experienced this week, the highs and the lows. And of course, the young people of the Parramatta Diocese embraced the situation with their usual positive, spirit filled enthusiasm. Bishop Fisher challenged us to return home changed people, ready to embrace evangelisation and make saints of all the Catholics in the Diocese. Well, that was the starting point. The chanting returned, go Bishop, go Bishop ... The Bishop paused for photos, blessed Rosary beads, chatted with pilgrims and declared that he would join them at the football (soccer) match that night.

At that moment all the negatives of the week seemed insignificant. Bishop Fisher saved the day and received a standing ovation from his pilgrims. Go Bishop, go Bishop, go go go ....

Madrid

Go Jesus, go Jesus, go Jesus, go, go, go.
That's just one of the chants ringing out across Madrid. You hear it on the street, in the metro, in McDonalds, anywhere there are pilgrims ... and they are everywhere. The number of visitors to Madrid has been severely underestimated as Spanish people from all over the country join the pilgrims. It is a real party atmosphere, much like it was for WYD in Sydney or for the 2000 Olympics. Groups of pilgrims sporting national colours singing and chanting at other groups. The shout, where are you from? is common.

And just about everyone is happy. Yes there was a bit of trouble with a few protestors at Sol the other night, but in the big picture of open friendship, it did not rate. It received more coverage at home than it did here and we were only a few kms away.

As I indicated at the close of the last post we have had some sickness issues with lack of hydration, exposure to sun and lack of sleep. As a result, I missed the opening gathering for all Australians here in Madrid and the opening Mass that evening.

There have been organizational challenges and the weather, (did I mention it was hot?) has certainly played its part. The sun is blisteringly hot and there is precious little shade. However, none of that has diminished the excitement, enthusiasm or enjoyment of the pilgrims. Despite the inherent difficulties the pilgrims are approaching everything in a positive manner because this is a pilgrimage, not a holiday, and in part that means sacrifice.

I have a lot more to write about, but I think I'll divide Madrid into sections. But, before I go, one remarkable thing I have found is that it doesn't matter how many times you explain to someone you don't speak their language, they will still speak to you in a rapid, animated fashion. We all do it.

Adios, for now.

And then ...

a rest day!! Well almost. We had the day to spend with our host family, which meant we could sleep in. It might not get dark till 10ish but it doesn't get light till around 7, something I am not adjusting to.

After a leisurely breakfast we walked up to the old part of Caceres again for some more sightseeing. Although the Spain is very strongly Catholic, this has not always been and we visited an Arabic house/museum. We went to Mass at the pro Cathedral of Santa Maria and then returned home before visiting the lookout prior to the farewell dinner with all the host families. All of the pilgrims across Coria-Caceres came together in the evening. This culminated in a youth festival that finished at 1am. Sleep? Missed out again.

Our final day in Caceres was spent celebrating Mass with the Local Bishop at a basketball stadium. It was very hot, again, and many of the pilgrims started to show the effects of the heat and lack of sleep. The medicos were kept very busy. After lunch, a 4 hour bus trip to our university accommodation in Madrid.

Fatima 2

Hola. Sorry I've taken so long to get back to the blog. Internet connection over here is a little flaky.

Fatima was quite an amazing experience, an expression I'll probably overuse in the next few weeks. I have taken too many pictures to post and the iPad is not cooperating anyway. Whatever pictures have been posted have been done at home by my darling daughter Caitee.

We visited Fatima on August 13, 94 years to the day of one of the apparitions of Our Lady to the children. Want the history? Try the official site http://fatima.org or for a brief overview Wikipedia is ok.

The first thing you notice, aside from the statue of the crucifix is the large square and the people doing penance dragging themselves, or walking on their knees toward the Chapel. We eventually situated our group half way down the square near the statue. By the time Mass commenced the square was full. Someone estimated around 80,000 people. Mass went for 3 hours. The procession of the Priests and the statue of Mary was a sight to behold. At the offertory, many people came forward with offers of gifts - bags of grain, that will be distributed to the poor.

The Cathedral was beautiful, as would be expected. It too, was crowded with pilgrims and there was a significant queue to see inside.

We concluded the day with an 'international Rosary'. There five different languages used and all members of the congregation reply in their own language.

Although it was humbling to see the faith and devotion of many people at Fatima, I find such large scale worship challenging. Maybe I'm getting too old, but I prefer the quiet and reverence associated with a Chapel or Church. But, I never have been a fan of crowds. Our pilgrims loved the day and many were moved by their experience.

Then we trundles back to our coach for the 4 hour drive home.

Fatima

Sorry people this will be brief because I really need some sleep. We have be going from early morning to 1am since we arrived. The average temperature is around 36 and the heat is draining. For the trip to Fatima today we were up before 5am and it's now getting on for 1am. So, the Fatima experience will have to wait for mañana. I've also downloaded about 150 photos so I'll try and put a few of them up as well.

Location:Calle de Sierpes,Caceres,Spain

Coria and Caceres

Hi again,
Finally we made Spain. 24 hours in planes and then a 3 hour bus trip to Coria from Madrid. The WYD experience really came alive, in Dubai airport of all places. There we met Australian pilgrims from WA, Qld and Wagga Wagga in NSW. The Australian flags and groups of young people sitting praying really brought home the theme for WYD, "planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith". It may not be trendy for young people to declare their faith publicly, well that is the media image, but the young people on pilgrimage to WYD haven't paid any attention to that stereotype. Their faith is well planted and is being built up with each experience and it is clear that they are the new wave of evangelists the Church seeks.

From Madrid airport we journeyed to the cathedral at Coria to celebrate mass with pilgrims from Spain, France, Malawi and another group from Parramatta. Following this our two groups were re-mixed and assigned for home stay. I accompanied a group to Caceres about 70km from Coria. After the welcome celebration we were taken home by our hosts. Such wonderful hospitality! Although it may take some time for us to get used to the late nights. Dinner is served around 10pm. The siesta, however, we have agreed is something we should bring home.

The next day after a prayer service, we toured the original fort-city of Caceres, now world heritage listed. The European history of Australia looks insignificant next to Cathedrals
built in medieval times. It was fascinating to hear the stories about the churches and their history with the saints whose name they carry. Tomorrow we travel to Portugal to visit Fatima. That is sure to be a wonderful experience. And really that's what pilgrimage is about, being open to the experience.

I'll post again as soon as possible. I'm having some Internet connection drama.

Location:Calle de Sierpes,Caceres,Spain

Today is the day

 Hola!

Finally I'm packed and ready to go so I am writing this from home and not the airport. We fly out at 9:10 this evening. There are still some questions to be answered about travel vouchers for our group but that will now have to wait until Spain. The Spanish attitude seems to be a little more relaxed than ours. Maybe that's a good thing. If you remember WYD in Cologne you will recall things didn't quite to plan with the organisation. The transport system certainly struggled.

Sydney worked a treat but relied heavily on the Parishes and the generous parishioners before WYD week and schools and school staff during the WYD festivities. But that's what makes it all a success, to be generous with your time and ability and to be open to the experience. Certainly I will be relying on the generosity of the locals of Caceres as I am being billeted there as a part of the Days in the Diocese.

I have had some communication with Bishop fisher's group in the Holy Land. An amazing experience! Each pilrgim group has their own official blog which can be accessed through the www.parra.catholic.org.au and click on the WYD button and then on the right hand side of the blue tool bar is the WYD Blog button. Click there and you can follow the progress and the experiences of each of the four groups from Parramatta Diocese.

Next blog will be from Spain, unless I get bored during our stop over in Dubai.

Adios.

Not long now

The commissioning Mass at the Cathedral was a wonderful celebration and you could feel the excitement of the pilgrims. The Bishop's homily was, as usual, challenging us to live our faith. That's what WYD is all about really. The Bishop also spoke about the places his pilgrimage group would be visiting in the Holy Land, among the many highlights Mass on the sea of Galilee. The Holy Land has never been on my list of places to visit because of all the unrest, but how exciting it would be to see all those places we hear about in Mass every weekend.

We had our last meeting on Wednesday night and two of the Parramatta groups flew out the next day.  I spoke with the two students who are members of Bishop Anthony's pilgrimage and are representing Gilroy. They were excited about what was ahead and also a little apprehensive. The remaining two groups, including mine, fly out next Wednesday, I guess my next entry will be from the airport or from Madrid.