Our World Youth Day experience

Up close and personal at the biggest gathering of Christians this side of... well, most places, really.

On a high from the 35,000-strong Commissioning Mass at Telstra Dome on Friday July 11, it was with some trepidation that we packed the car to the hilt and, with a growing sense of anticipation, set off on our big adventure to Sydney for World Youth Day.

Our first taste came in Goulburn (of all places) where we stopped for lunch, only to have three bus loads of French-Belgian pilgrims disembark alongside us and begin singing, dancing, praying, and witnessing to bystanders in the park!

Arriving in Sydney Tuesday afternoon, we were delighted to meet our friendly and hospitable Homestay hosts, Sally and John, who put us up in great style in their Vaucluse home with spectacular views of Sydney Harbour. (Quite a contrast with other pilgrims we met who were sleeping on bitumen in a large shed at the Olympic Village or on the floor in parish halls.) Much to Maddy and Mia's delight, our hosts had a 10-year-old daughter, Rachel, and a Burmese kitten, Toohey.

Our pilgrimage began in earnest on Wednesday morning, with catechesis by a visiting bishop followed by a mass in the local parish. It was absolutely wonderful to worship with pilgrims from South Africa, Wales, England, the US, and Adelaide in such an intimate way and to experience such different and stirring music led by the South African pilgrims. We then had a chance to talk together and hear individual stories over lunch, before heading into the city for the big events in the afternoon and evening. This formed the pattern for the next few days.

Thursday afternoon we walked through the city, packed with thousands of other pilgrims, to Barangaroo (the old wharves near Darling Harbour) to see the Pope arrive. The atmosphere was electric with much singing and chanting. Maddy and Mia, keen to use their schoolgirl Italian, enthusiastically joined in the chants of "Benedetto" and "Viva il Papa"! And much to their delight, we did see the Pope (although from a great distance)!

On Friday David went into the Stations of the Cross (while Cathy and the girls had a rest day and went to the beach). He found a perch on a cliff above Barangaroo (with much better views than our allocated area of the day before) where he was able to see clearly the last five stations including the Crucifixion. He then went onto a huge and very impressive Vocations Expo, crowded with young people exploring the large number of opportunities on offer to serve in the life of the church.

Saturday Cathy and the girls took the ferry to the North Shore and walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge with pilgrims stretched as far as the eye could see and flags and banners from all nations fluttering in the sunshine. Once again the atmosphere was contagious and the joy was palpable. Many were loaded down with sleeping bags and mats as they were walking the 10kms to Randwick Racecourse for the evening Vigil, and camping there overnight for the WYD Papal Mass on Sunday morning.

We also did the "sleepover" at Randwick, and this was a highlight for all of us for varying reasons. The girls loved sleeping out under the stars (and yes, we did actually sleep, staying warm and dry thanks to the mountain of stuff we lugged in with us), talking to the Italians who were camped around us, and seeing the Pope up close. We were particularly moved by the candlelit Vigil led by the Pope where the crowd of 200,000 plus pilgrims paused together in silent prayer and meditation.

Sleepover

WYD Next Morning

We woke just before dawn, covered with dew. The long night in the cold had settled a little of the enthusiasm, and all were waiting expectantly for the arrival of the Pope and the start of the WYD mass at 10am.

Waiting for Mass...

After it was all over, there was the long trek back home. We were caught in the crowds such that we couldn't go forward or backward, and were funnelled out in a direction far away from where we were supposed to be, resulting in several hours of walking till we were able to catch a bus to take us back to our homestay. After a shower and change of clothes, we celebrated the end of the week by taking our hosts out to the local Thai restaurant. Bliss!

We were glad to be a part of this experience. Both Mia and Maddy expressed how great it was to be with other Christians and "not feel like the only ones who go to church". There was a strong sense of how great and vast is the people of God throughout the world, and an awareness of how powerful our witness can be when we cease to hide our lamp "under a bushel" and allow it to shine in the world. For us parents, it was probably our first and last World Youth Day, but Maddy and Mia are already counting the years until they will be old enough to attend their next one.

Cathy Beaton and David Schütz