World Youth Day pilgrims start walk

THE first of thousands of colourfully dressed young people have set off on a three-hour pilgrimage through Sydney to Randwick Racecourse, where Pope Benedict XVI will conduct the final mass of the Catholic World Youth Day celebrations tomorrow.

Throughout the day, pilgrims will walk the 9km from North Sydney, through central Sydney and the eastern suburbs to Royal Randwick.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed at 2am (AEST) for only the third time in its history while roads in the city centre and 25 suburbs have also been closed for the pilgrimage.
The Pope will participate in a vigil this evening with the pilgrims, which will include a candlelight ceremony.
Many of the pilgrims will sleep over at the racecourse tonight ahead of tomorrow's final papal mass, which at least 300,000 people are expected to attend.
Braving the dark and the early morning cold, more than 1000 excited pilgrims left North Sydney at 6am (AEST).

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World Youth Day 2008

A Pilgrimage
World Youth Day 2008 is a pilgrimage initiated by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to gather young Christians from all over the world to take part in a common celebration of faith. People between 16 and 30 are invited. They will pour into Sydney from more than 120 countries. The Pope and around a million participants are expected.  They will be accompanied by bishops and cardinals from their home countries.
A Journey of Faith
It takes place over a number of days.  Its prime objective is to make the person of Jesus the centre of the faith and life of every young person so that He may be their constant point of reference and also the inspiration of every initiative and commitment for the education of the new generations.  The event aims to give young people an opportunity to rediscover their baptismal calling and the importance of the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation, and so discover a new apostolic zeal to witness more fully the Gospel in the modern world.

A Time of Christian Fellowship
Christians from around the world will come together in fellowship, to experience hospitality and the love of God.  Pilgrims are invited to attend lectures, discussions, debates on the Catholic Faith, take part in praise, worship, Mass, The Way of the Cross, Adoration, seek reconciliation, as well as attend social events, such as concerts and plays.  The event concludes with an overnight vigil and Papal Mass.

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World Youth Day pilgrims put soul into city

SYDNEY is teeming with young World Youth Day pilgrims, walking wide-eyed through St Mary's Cathedral, squeezing into the Mary McKillop memorial chapel, bouncing on to public transport and unrolling their sleeping bags in 400 schools and churches across the city.

The city breathes with hope and the expectation of a historic and life-changing religious experience.
The Pope arrives in the city tomorrow, and he will celebrate mass for as many as 500,000 people at Randwick racecourse, east of the CBD, next weekend - the high point of World Youth Day.
The exultation of being one of hundreds of thousands of like-minded pilgrims has gripped Americans Maggie Lawler, 17, and Lauren Wolf, 16. They have travelled thousands of kilometres from Sioux Falls in South Dakota to be a part of the first Australian World Youth Day.
"From what we heard from people who went to world youth days, it was a really life-changing experience," Ms Lawler said yesterday in Hyde Park, in the heart of the city.
"No matter how strong your faith was before, you're always getting something out of it."
Ms Wolf agreed. "I watched a DVD about World Youth Day, and I loved the people who were just cheering as the Pope walked in - everyone is so excited, there are so many people here. It's so amazing."
Despite persistent rumours of a shortfall in registrations, the Catholic Church says numbers are on track for the massive event, with 225,000 registered pilgrims expected - 125,000 from overseas and the balance from Australia.
Bishop Anthony Fisher said he expected World Youth Day to sweep everyone along in its wake, even those who threatened to protest. "When they see the bunch of lovely, happy, idealistic young people, I think they'll be swept along with that, and I don't think we'll see any trouble-making," he said yesterday, adding he expected the negative views of World Youth Day to dissipate.
"Pilgrims are saying, 'What's going on here? This is the most wonderful thing for your country and for your church, everyone should be happy, like we are'."
Project manager Andrew Murphy has been working at the racetrack since April, and "flat chat" since June 15 when the horses moved out. He has been in charge of a makeover that includes building 3184 toilets, laying 23km of water and sewerage pipe, setting up more than 200 confession, merchandising and catering tents and pitching 40km of fencing and crowd control barriers.
More than 300,000 pilgrims are expected to sleep overnight at Randwick next weekend, and remain on the track for the Pope's mass. The spillover numbers will stay at nearby Centennial Park.
"It's fantastic," said Mr Murphy. "Of course it's worth it."
Sydney has been readying itself for the event for months. NSW has laid on 16,500 extra bus services and 4000 extra train services through the week to allow for more than 825,000 additional passenger journeys.
Beginning in earnest next Thursday, World Youth Day will be co-ordinated by about 8000 volunteers. About 2000 priests, as well as 500 cardinals and bishops, will be in Sydney to celebrate with the Pope - all wearing vestments especially designed for the event.
But the real impetus of World Youth Day will be provided by the sheer numbers of young people.
"What is exciting is that you see big groups of people everywhere," Lauren said. "I loved John Paul II because I think he was so great for the youth, but I think Pope Benedict is good for bringing people back to the church. He is really a uniter."
Lauren said she hoped her Sydney experience would increase her faith. "I think we have a faith and we have a relationship with God, but World Youth Day will get us even closer," she said. She and Maggie were from a group of 46 pilgrims from South Dakota, all staying in a hostel in Sydney's south.
"I hope World Youth Day will answer some of our questions about what God and religion really means," Maggie said.
At Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral, young pilgrims from around the world prayed before the coffin of one of their own - 24-year-old Italian Pier Giorgio Frassati. His remains were brought to Australia for World Youth Day, and St Mary's Cathedral was decorated with banners illustrating the life of the young man who cared deeply about those less fortunate than himself.
Beatified in 1990, the Blessed Pier Giorgio is a patron of this World Youth Day. "Young people can relate to him as he was just aged 24," said Auggie Babbitt, a pilgrim from Texas.

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World Youth Day 2008 - Sophie Caldecott reports

Thursday 24th July - Sunday 27th July
Fun and farewells on the Gold Coast:

After our two days of retreat (some of which was silent) we headed off to Seaworld, despite the pouring rain (a direct answer to our prayer for Australia's severe drought) and spent the day marvelling at the beautiful aquariums and a lucky few even getting to stroke some dolphins. Several of the boys went on the rollercoaster over 20 times and, needless to say, felt rather queasy as a result. Our last day in Australia was spent at Surfer's Paradise in Brisbane, where most of us went to see the new Batman film, 'The Dark Knight' before putting on our swimming things and experiencing the mighty waves that give the beach its name. These two days were the only real days of holiday that we had had all month, and even on these days we had Mass and prayed the rosary on the coach. These things became habit and helped us to gain strength, daily, from Our Lord.

The flight home (adding up to over 20 hours in all) was spectacular in itself, as the skies were clear for most of the way which made travelling at night almost like travelling through space, constellations of light above and below us. Tearful farewells at the airport brought our journey together finally to an end, but over the course of that month friendships were formed that will not be broken, and I know that we will continue our journey together in prayer as we each try to live out the commission we have received

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Day Ten!

Today we began our walk at Dural Park. Here we were joined by the local Federal member Philip Ruddock and the Mayor. We were also blessed with the presence of Fr Dominic Murphy for our journey today. As we walked along the pathway we could see groups of people eagerly waiting to join us. The crowd started to get bigger and the passes by were all interested to know what was causing such excitement.

We headed towards Redfield College where we met up with more people who had come to see the Cross. The community gathered for some prayers and then a beautiful Mass was celebrated.

We processed the Cross and Icon into the school chapel and it remained there for overnight prayer with Adoration and Mass.

Annaliese









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World Youth Day pilgrims blog for nowwearetalking

Melbourne sisters Marlene and Melanie Fenech will be video blogging their journey before, during and after World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08).
Marlene is an 18 year old, currently studying Primary Education at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. Melanie is 21 years old, currently studying Architecture at Deakin University.
The sisters will be attending WYD with fellow members of the St Peter Chanel Parish Youth Group. Departing Melbourne on Monday 14th July, arriving home on Monday 21st July.
They will be recording daily video blogs on their Next G™ mobiles to share their journey with friends, family and nowwearetalking readers.
World Youth Day has hundreds of thousands of pilgrims traveling to Sydney this week, some for the very first time.

"It's an exciting time to be on the highways of Australia, we can’t wait to discover the common faith that we share with youth from around the world," said Marlene.
"We hope to make lifelong friendships with fellow pilgrims attending WYD08 from countries around the world."
"We can't wait to document our trip and experiences on video with our Telstra phones and our parents are thrilled they will be able to track our progress."

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Final thoughts: in pursuit of a saint

As 200,000 candles lit up Randwick racecourse on Saturday night, it occured to me that it was possible–likely, even–that future Saints were in our midst. Would not Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati have brought a cadre of youth from his hometown? Couldn’t you imagine a younger Blessed Mary McKillop among the joyful religious on the field?
I roamed the Southern Cross Precinct in view of meeting this future generation of WYD patrons. So to conclude my CNS blogging, here are three remarkable individuals who made an impact on me this past weekend.
Meet Craig AshbyIllitterate just seven years ago, this 21-year old Australian Aboriginal credits a parish priest with changing his life. Ashby had begged Fr. PJ O’Neill to send him to an exclusive boarding school (in part because he liked the uniforms). Though far from the outback where he had been raised by his grandmother, he thrived there and is now pursuing a teaching degree from Sydney University.

Ashby hasn’t forgotten those in his former position, however, as he has partnered with corporate donors to raise millions of dollars for boarding school scholarships. For his accomplishments, he was rewarded Saturday with an invitation to lunch with the Holy Father.
Meet Francine Bell“Hey pilgrim!” hollered a woman behind me on Sunday night. Turning around, I immediately recognized her to be Francine Bell, the soulful performer of “Amazing Grace” at Friday’s Stations of the Cross. She had spotted my orange WYD backpack and wanted to talk to a pilgrim from the crowd, as she had been confined all day to the stage area.

As we exchanged stories, I was surprised to learn that Bell was not Catholic, but Seventh Day Adventist. She explained that after seeing the WYD Cross on TV, she asked God whether she should somehow participate in the gathering. Sure enough, she received a call from WYD organizers the very next day. Bell is now thrilled to have witnessed a week of grace for her country.
Meet Anton AntonovDespite being fellow members of the International Liturgy Group, I only met Anton during the Saturday evening vigil. The gruff Russian is one of those men who remind you how easy it is to be a Catholic in North America.

Growing up in war-torn Chechnya, the constant military presence “was like toy soldiers” to a young boy. This innnocence was shattered the day Antonov witnessed a man destroyed by a rocket. For years he recalled the scene in terrible nightmares.
Now living in a safer region, Antonov has found healing for his dreams and, with zeal for Christ, has chosen the path of peace. Still, he speaks of the onoing challenges of the Catholic Church in Russia, where the Russian Orthodox Church continues to exert pressure against its expansion.

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Inane Comments from Australia's ABC News comparing Hillsong and Catholics.

Here's an interview (you may listen to it here) from ABC News, that "World Youth Day 'may entice youth back to church'

Notice the insensitive but correct comment from:

BOB PRITCHARD: And if you look at the Hillsong website on the other hand, it's contemporary, it's sophisticated, it's fun. It's all about training you for a life of significance and, you know, your life of significance keeps flashing up. It's all about you, it's not about God at all.

My comments on this:

First of all, Bob is correct that a website must be all about you. Specially if its trying to sell anything -- even faith.

However, to say "Its not about God at all" when describing Hillsong slaps Hillsong in the face to an extent.

There's also the small fact the there are practicing Catholics inside Hillsong Church.
There's also the small fact that Hillsong's membership is completely dwarfed by the Catholic Church world wide.

But yes, with regards to website design, of course most sites are better than the Vatican but not all sites Catholic is URL'd Vatican.VA. There's scores of All about You sites, like
http://www.Bosanchez.ph or even http://www.catholic.com. And of course who co uld forget the perhaps longest running Religious Video Podcast: Preacher In Blue Jeans. It's even probable that Bob hasn't even been to the Wordpressed glory of SQPN? These are all Catholics making a difference in the Internet. Let it not be said that the church who gave birth to almost all the renaissance art - doesn't know a thing about beautiful sites.

I think there needs to be proper perspective here.


The interview in whole:

(PM - Monday, 9 July , 2007 18:50:00 Reporter: Ashley Hall)

MARK COLVIN: In these days of short attention spans, with a seemingly endless supply of new diversions, the Catholic Church in Australia is facing a quandary.

Next year's World Youth Day celebrations are expected to entice a large number of young people to the Catholic faith.

But who will be there to greet them? And how can the church encourage back into the fold the estimated 4.2-million Australians who call themselves lapsed Catholics?

Ashley Hall reports.

ASHLEY HALL: The Catholic Church in Australia is facing a huge challenge.

How can it encourage its lapsed members back into the fold?

JOHN BATHERSBY: There are a number of people who are alienated from the Church, feel that it may be in some way old fashioned, too authoritarian, but I'm not sure that that's the major reason. It's seems to me that the people I've come in contact with give as an excuse that life is just too busy.

ASHLEY HALL: The Archbishop of Brisbane, John Bathersby, is at the front of a mission to welcome worshippers home to the church, in time for World Youth Day next year.

The Australian Bishops Conference estimates up to 4.2 million people identify as Catholic, but don't regularly attend church. And about half of them could be drawn back by parish outreach programs.

JOHN BATHERSBY: People like that would need opportunities where they can talk about perhaps what has caused pain in their life, and it may be as simple as just a disagreement at some time with a priest, and maybe a disagreement over, over particular matters of morality. It may be those things. And I think people like that would need to be able to talk things through and to feel that they are still very much welcome in the Church and that, that the parishes would like to see them back in their midst.

ASHLEY HALL: A national recruitment office has been set up, and each parish is being urged to develop a strategy to bolster its numbers.

But the Religious Affairs Commentator for the Sydney Morning Herald, Chris McGillion believes the Church may be underestimating the number of people who've fled because they're uncomfortable with aspects of its doctrine.

CHRIS MCGILLON: They're well known these days. One is the ban on artificial contraception, the other is a ban on even discussing the possibility of women priests. There's a good deal of disenchantment with the continuing insistence on a celibate priesthood. There's disenchantment over attempts to kind of marginalise homosexuals in the life of the Church and so forth. These kinds of Catholics are largely the kind of middle to liberal progressive Catholics, who in many cases very much still cherish their Catholic culture and even their Catholic rituals, but are disconnected from the institutional Church on the, on the basis of its teaching.

ASHLEY HALL: And those lapsed Catholics, he says, would be difficult to bring back into the church, especially via a parish-based campaign.

BOB PRITCHARD: The Catholic Church is all about guilt, it's judgemental, the website looks like something from the Da Vinci Code, half of it's in Latin.

ASHLEY HALL: The marketing guru Bob Pritchard says the Catholic Church could learn a thing or two about recruitment from the Hillsong Church, where membership lists continue to grow.

BOB PRITCHARD: And if you look at the Hillsong website on the other hand, it's contemporary, it's sophisticated, it's fun. It's all about training you for a life of significance and, you know, your life of significance keeps flashing up. It's all about you, it's not about God at all.

ASHLEY HALL: Archbishop John Bathersby is planning to do exactly that.

JOHN BATHERSBY: We should be able to learn from all those things. But I think, ultimately I think we're still in a growing process.

ASHLEY HALL: And growing quickly, it seems.

Newspaper advertisements placed as part of the recruitment campaign are already paying dividends.

The Catholic Enquiry Centre has received 700 calls in the past three weeks.

MARK COLVIN: But doing some lightning mental arithmetic, even if all those 700 calls were translated into conversions as it were, and projecting it over the next year, that'd still only be an extra 12,000 members of the Church. Ashley Hall reporting.

From: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s1973960.htm

Guy Sebastian makes Official Song..Hmm?

Sydney, May 16, 2007 / 01:20 pm (CNA).- The official hymn for World Youth Day in 2008 has just been chosen. “Receive the Power” is the title of the official hymn for the celebration of the 23rd World Youth Day in Sydney. The song was written by young Australian composer Guy Sebastian. “We were looking for a hymn which would be involving and inspiring”, WYD 2008 co-ordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher OP explained.

“Above all it had to be a song which would fill the young participants with enthusiasm and capture the essence of the World Youth Day theme chosen by the Pope: You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will descend upon you and you will be my witnesses. Guy's song meets with all these requisites: it inspires the youth of the world to accept Jesus' call to follow him to the ends of the earth as his witnesses. ”

Receive the Power was chosen after a selection process involving over 120 pieces. The Pontifical Council for the Laity, which is involved in preparations for WYD on the part of the Holy See, is in agreement with the choice of the hymn. “It combines the necessary musical and thematic elements as well as being easy to sing for people of different languages. We are convinced that Receive the Power WYD hymn will be played and sung by young Catholics everywhere on the occasion of World Youth Day and from then on”, the Bishop said.

Australian composer singer Guy Sebastian made a name for himself in 2003, when he started composing music for his parish at the age of thirteen. In 2005, Guy was nominated World Vision Ambassador and went to Uganda to film' a documentary on the difficulties people face there due to poverty and civil war. He has also written numerous songs for Australian singers.

Personal note: I thought Guy is a member of Hillsong Church? It turns out he's Catholic? Well there are Caths in Hillsong anyway.

From WikiPedia! What is World Youth Day!

World Youth Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

World Youth Day 2000 in Rome

World Youth Day is a gathering of young people, initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1984. Occurring every three years it is celebrated on a diocesan level annually, and at a week-long international level every two to three years at different locations, attracting hundreds of thousands of youths from almost every country on the planet. It is a major part of the upsurge in Catholic Youth Work over recent years.

The 2005 World Youth Day Day was the first such gathering to occur after the death of John Paul II. Held in Cologne, Germany, the World Youth Day Day also marked the first apostolic journey of Pope Benedict XVI, and it was also the first time the Pope had traveled outside of Italy since his election.

On 21 August 2005, perched on a hill at Marienfeld outside Cologne, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI blessed the young people of Australia by inviting the youth of the world to proclaim and celebrate the Holy Spirit in Sydney, Australia in 2008.

"And now, as the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst nourishes our faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. We entrust to the maternal guidance of Mary most holy, the future course of the young people of the whole world." (His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, Marienfield, WYD 2005)

The theme of World Youth Day 2008 will be "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts1:8)