World Youth Day 2008 - Sun 20 July

Each day this week, the World Youth Dominicans will mirror the week that was WYD 2008 as they share some of their impressions of the great event. Today, we have a look at World Youth Day 2008 - Sun 20 July.

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The great day of World Youth upon us, we woke to pack somewhat hastily and make our way through the security clearance for priests and seminarians. Once through, we discovered we were going to be less than 100 metres (about 300 feet) from the Pope! The Sydney seminarians sang Morning Prayer, which was a great help to our spiritual preparation for the Mass of WYD.

Together with the priests, we participated in the Mass of WYD. With considerable skill our very own Brother Mannes Tellis sang the Gospel (Luke 4:16-21). And some of our brothers were called upon to distribute Holy Communion - at WYD, this meant a long walk on soft sand! The Mass with the Holy Father was a very fitting conclusion to what had been a full week of things for God and his people.

After Mass, a small group from our university chaplaincy made their way through the crowd to Randwick itself for a time of recreation. We even met up with a Swedish Dominican, Fr Johan Linden, whom we had met some months before on his exploratory visit.

We are very grateful for all we had received from World Youth Day, but none more so than Br Mannes:

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There will be more posted here at "Dominicans and WYD", especially more posts of photos and memories from our events. Keep visiting us!

Day 5 - Sat 19 July

Each day this week, the World Youth Dominicans will mirror the week that was WYD 2008 as they share some of their impressions of the great event. Today, we have a look at Day 5 - Sat 19 July.

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Saturday morning during the WYD festival is usually a quiet time for WYD pilgrims - a slow start to their very long day, which includes the pilgrim walk and WYD Vigil with the Holy Father. But not for us students.
We went to St Mary's Cathedral for 9:30am Mass for the dedication of the beautiful new altar by Pope Benedict, before which he briefly greeted us seminarians and young religious as he entered the Cathedral. After clearing security at about 7:00am, we waited along with the two hundred who were to have this rare encounter. What a privilege!

Returning briefly to St James' Priory Glebe to hear Br Karl strike up a tune (pictured centre) and to pick up our bags and sleeping gear, we made our way to Central Station and then to Royal Randwick Racecourse, the site of the WYD Vigil and Mass. The walk was one of the shortest in WYD history - less than 10 kilometres (close to 6 miles). It was also one of the most pleasant, with the weather neither cool nor hot and pleasantly dry.

Once we found our allocated section (M6 for those who were looking for us!), we had lunch, unpacked our bedding and met a few friends from interstate and overseas. The Vigil was simple and effective, with many hundreds of young pilgrims availing themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and a time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in four "Adoration Tents".

The night was going to be a cold one, so many of us dossed down early and woke up during the night to shiver our way back to sleep: all part of the great pilgrimage experience.

Day 4 - Fri 18 July

Each day this week, the World Youth Dominicans will mirror the week that was WYD 2008 as they share some of their impressions of the great event. Today, we have a look at Day 4 - Fri 18 July.

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Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Canberra and Goulburn gave a magnificent presentation on living as a Christian. The important thing for us life-long pilgrims is that it is not us who are battered, bruised and broken in the course of trying hard to get to heaven, but Christ himself who has given us access to the Father in the one Spirit: by his wounds we are healed.

Our pilgrim group met some delightful West Australian pilgrims over lunch. Wagon Wheels and Lamingtons were a good dose of sugar to keep us charged for the Way of the Cross, which began soon after we'd finished lunch.

The Way of the Cross was a highlight for many of us, with beautiful dramatisations of the last moments of the Lord's life and magnificently produced music provided by the St Mary's Cathedral Choir. Our very own Patrick Smith (director, producer, lord high everything else of our video clip) washed Pilate's hands.

The Vocations Expo re-opened for the final session shortly after the Way of Cross was over. The organisers estimate that the Expo received 2,500 people every hour, for a total of 55,000 visitors over the four days and irregular hours. We were so pleased to be involved and we met many fine young men and women whom we are praying for and guiding in their discernment.

Once the Vocations Expo closed at 10:00pm, we spent one more hour in the Exhibition Centre packing up and bumping out (very much their term!). It was a relief after a very busy time in Darling Harbour, and one of our brothers took to making his own fun to entertain us:

Day 3 - Thu 17 July

Each day this week, the World Youth Dominicans will mirror the week that was WYD 2008 as they share some of their impressions of the great event. Today, we have a look at Day 3 - Thu 17 July.

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The morning Catechesis was given by Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto (Canada) who spoke on the first of the four "marks" of the Church: her one-ness. The Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic and her oneness is the gift of the Holy Spirit for which Christ prayed "that they would be one." This oneness is expressed in the communion of saints, which is a communion of charity united by the common love of the one Lord. It is also seen in the gift of authority which Christ gave to the apostles and their successors, first to Peter and his brothers too.

After Mass, we went to Barangaroo, the same site as the Opening Mass, for the Official Welcome of the Holy Father to Sydney. Pope Benedict arrived in Australia on Monday the 14th, and took time to make a short retreat in the west of Sydney before being received by the WYD pilgrims.

It was estimated that slightly less than 500,000 people used the public transport system that afternoon. Every one of them arrived home safely, which the local papers described as a miracle. That figure includes all of the regular commuters and tourists, as well as the by-now 250,00 of us who congregated at Barangaroo and lined the streets of Sydney as the Holy Father made his way to St Mary's Cathedral House, the residence of the Archbishop and Cathedral clergy.

The Vocations Expo opened again after the Pope's welcome. The number of pilgrims visiting us at the Expo swelled towards the end of the week. It's as though word got out how good it was and we suspect most pilgrims made a visit at least once during their time in Sydney. We are now praying for their discernment, that is since the skin condition Br Vincent had, Virtuous Cross Disease, has since cleared up:

Day 2 - Wed 16 July

Each day this week, the World Youth Dominicans will mirror the week that was WYD 2008 as they share some of their impressions of the great event. Today, we have a look at Day 2 - Wed 16 July.

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The first of the three WYD Catecheses was on Wednesday. Bishops from all around the world speak to thousands of young people at a time on a topic related to the WYD theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses." (Acts 1:8). The Sydney University group we accompanied attended the English language catecheses. On Wednesday, we heard Cardinal McCarrick, the retired Archbishop of Washington DC. The Cardinal also celebrated Mass for the pilgrims who then moved off to other WYD events.

Wednesday also saw the beginning of the WYD festival proper, with hundreds of events scattered all across Sydney including exhibitions and concerts, lectures and opportunities for prayer. While Franciscans prayed together on Bondi Beach and listened to Cardinal Napier of Durban (South Africa) and the Jesuits met at their two inner city schools for forums on topics such as the Status of Women, International Poverty Relief and Refugees, the Dominican friars hosted the Dominican WYD Gathering at the Great Hall of the University of Sydney.
The Dominican WYD Gathering was the centre-piece event during the WYD festival for the Dominican Order. Pilgrims we sponsored from Papua New Guinea danced and sang for us as a prelude to Fr Paul Murray, professor at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. Fr Paul spoke beautifully about the power of witnessing to Christ, and said he was deeply moved by the participation and enthusiasm of the young pilgrims we welcomed. Cardinal Schönborn then expounded eloquently and patiently his critique of evolutionism. The Cardinal was gracious enough to encourage the overflow of young pilgrims to sit around him near the lectern. Evening Prayer of the Holy Spirit followed the Cardinal's presentation which saw the Great Hall of the University turned into a magnificent house of prayer for a time (or is that a house of magnificent prayer?). The organist, Pastór de Lasala, and trumpeter Chris Graham provided exceptional accompaniment to the chanting friars and Capella Sublima who outdid themselves.

We estimate the total number of pilgrims we saw through the doors of the Great Hall as 1,200. What an honour and pleasure it was for us to spend the afternoon and evening with them!

Thank you, all!

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We were blessed by local film student, Patrick Smith, who video recorded the entire afternoon. Requests for an audio or DVD video copy of the Dominican WYD Gathering can be sent to wyd(at)op.org.au. We will notify you of an amount for a suggested donation. We also intend that audio and video segments of the two presentations as well as texts will follow on "Dominicans and WYD" in good time. Please be patient with us as we are still settling down after a busy time!

Day 1 - Tue 15 July

Each day this week, the World Youth Dominicans will mirror the week that was WYD 2008 as they share some of their impressions of the great event. Today, we have a look at Day 1 - Tue 15 July.

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Having participated in the opening session of the Vocations Exhibition which was already showing much promise (in fact, the Vocations Expo was never "quiet"!), the friars made their way with 150,000 new friends from Darling Harbour to Barangaroo, the site of the WYD Opening Mass.

The WYD festival always begins with Mass celebrated by the host bishop. George Cardinal Pell of Sydney celebrated Mass together with dozens of bishops and hundreds of priests for the pilgrims who reached Sydney by Tuesday afternoon. Not since the 2000 Olympics had Sydney seen such a crowd and never before in one place, let alone for Christ's sake.

Our brothers joined the concelebrating priests and assisting seminarians and young religious towards the front of the site. More than 300 priests concelebrated the Mass and we ended up with a little meeting of friars in our back row from all over the world: from the United States, Columbia, the Solomon Islands, France and elsewhere too. It was wonderful to meet so many of our itinerant brothers!

The Cardinal's superb homily set the tone well for WYD 2008. Here is a brief excerpt:

"Earlier in this Mass I welcomed you all to this World Youth Day week and I repeat that welcome now. But I do not begin with the ninety-nine healthy sheep ... I begin by welcoming and encouraging anyone, anywhere who regards himself or herself as lost, in deep distress, with hope diminished or even exhausted ... Christ’s call is to all who are suffering, not just to Catholics or other Christians, but especially to those without religion. Christ is calling you home; to love, healing and community."

Afterwards, the student brothers walked with the crowd through The Rocks of Sydney (a place rich in the early convict and colonial history of Sydney) for a bite to eat and encounters with young pilgrims from other religious communities.

It's fair to say WYD 2008 got off to a thrilling start!

Last day before WYD begins

We are one day out from the Opening Mass for World Youth Day 2008, and there's still so much going on behind the scenes to make the events run as smoothly as possible.

Our young friars are having a working bee today, setting up our booth at the Vocations Expo and pulling together the last few items for the Dominican WYD Gathering on Wednesday. In WYD offices, there are people working under demanding conditions right around the clock on two hours' sleep. For some, tomorrow will be their third day under those conditions. We are praying for each and every one of them, and we ask our readers to do the same.

Pray for us all that this time of pilgrimage, even for the host city, is a blessing to us and those we encounter, fruitful and faithful to God whom we all serve.

Here's a re-cap of what we're doing during WYD:

WYD Opening Mass with Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney

Tuesday, 4:30pm

Barangaroo (East Darling Harbour)

The very first of many WYD events. Our priest-friars are concelebrating, and our student-friars are assisting with Holy Communion. Look out for us to the right side of the sanctuary!

Vocations Exhibition

Various times, see website

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour

We are taking up stalls G9 & G10. Do come and visit us! We have good reading material, postcards to send home and friendly friars with funny faces.

Dominican WYD Gathering with Cardinal Schönborn and Fr Paul Murray

Wednesday, 4:00-6:30pm

Great Hall of the University of Sydney (Camperdown)

All young pilgrims are warmly invited to attend, and interested others will be welcomed too. More information is available here.

Official Welcome of Pope Benedict XVI to WYD 2008

Thursday, 2:45pm

Barangaroo (East Darling Harbour)

Pope Benedict has safely arrived in Sydney this morning (Welcome!) and is taking a short time of rest and retreat before Thursday.

Way of the Cross

Friday, 3:00pm

Sydney CBD

Our Sydney friars who are chaplains to the University of Sydney group have been placed at Barangaroo for the final Stations there.

Dedication of the Cathedral's New Altar

Saturday, 9:30am

St Mary's Cathedral and Minor Basilica

An encounter of the Holy Father with young religious and seminarians will take place in the context of the rite of dedication of the Cathedral's beautiful new altar.

Pilgrimage to WYD Mass Site and Overnight Vigil

Saturday from 11:00am

Our Sydney WYD group is meeting at North Sydney station (about 500 metres from Blessed Mary MacKillop's tomb). From there, we make our pilgrimage across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge to Randwick.

Mass of World Youth Day

Sunday, 10:00am

Royal Randwick Racecourse

The final event of WYD 2008. Again, our priest-friars are concelebrating and our student-friars are assisting with Holy Communion. We are honoured that Br Mannes Tellis, O.P. is singing the Gospel of the Mass.