| World Youth Day Sydney 2008 |
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Check out the photos! "This is a wonderful opportunity to share my pilgrimage experience and to tell as many people as possible the story of my life changing journey to Australia, with the Tuam Diocese for WYD 2008. I would like to give you a glimpse of what an uplifting trip this youth pilgrimage was - all I have done since I have returned home is talk about the group everyday, reminisce and look back with a smile, laugh at the memories and constantly try to relive every minute. Overall for me the trip was so much more than I could have ever anticipated and it most definitely surpassed all my expectations. It all began two years ago one regular Sunday morning at Mass in Brooklodge. All that was on my mind at the time was the pending Leaving Cert. However something caught me eye in the mass leaflet. Fr.Tod from Tuam had inserted a notice regarding the organisation of a group to attend World Youth Day in 2008 and I decided to get in contact with him. Little did I know at the time that this was to be the beginning of an amazing adventure, of a trip that I hope has shaped me as a person forever. Days out, deposits, fundraising and flights all followed as part of our preparation. The organised get together's were sometimes daunting as I didn't recognise a face in the room. However after a couple of visits to Castlebar, Ballintubber, Claremorris and Tuam I began to realise that I couldn't have found or meet a more open or friendly group to travel with.
Quicker than I had imagined the day had arrived. My bags were packed and off I set to Tuam Cathedral for the departure Mass. Farewell wishes from the bishop and goodbye kisses from the family and off we went. The journey from Dublin to Brisbane gave everyone the chance to put a name to each of the 36 faces. The nervous and anxious tension was quickly dismissed by an excited and apprehensive buzz that engulfed the group. First stop was the seaside town of Mooloolaba, north of Brisbane. The first few days were spent, recovering from the jetlag, sight seeing and trips to the beach. From petting koalas to swimming in the Pacific, we as a group began to gel together and to form a close knit unit. However the religious element of the pilgrimage was never far from our minds. While enjoying the sun, sea and sand we also shared daily mass together in various, unusual locations. With kayaks and wetsuits surrounding us we celebrated mass and sang Cead mile a failte romaht with pride. I began to enjoy the relaxed and youthful approach to religion these 5 young priests from the Tuam Diocese had. Next stop was the parish of Southport were we were to spend our Days in the Diocese. Firstly the Tuam group had to register in the Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, along with hundreds of other people between the age of 18 and 30 from Hong Kong to Sweden and Italy to California. From tango dancing to games of soccer, one didn't know what to expect next. That evening we were separated into houses in the parish's. Marie Coen of Belcare and I ended up staying with a caring and lovable elderly lady called Agnes Casey. We got to see how Australian Catholics lived their lives by visiting an old folk's home and sharing mass with the local people. Every day I was learning more, meeting new people and seeing different things. I was being challenged in so many new ways. We were all overwhelmed by how eager and willing the Australian people were to welcome us into their homes and share their time with us. This to me was the perfect example of how Christians all over the world extended their hand in generosity to welcome others of similar beliefs. On one of the days we attended an event in Brisbane called the Heart of the City. The entire city came to a stand still as thousands of pilgrims walked through the streets, singing songs with their national flags flying high. The streets of the city were brought to life. The Pilgrim walk through the city was followed by a fiesta of faith where fun and festivities took place all day long as the sun shone down upon us. Next it was farewell to our host families and off we set to the airport to fly to Sydney for the second leg of our adventure. As we made our way to our assigned Parish of Bondi we ended up spending the night in the Olympic village. Roughing it together meant that a great sense of camaraderie and community was present. Next we moved onto the Parish of St. Patrick's in Bondi where we were staying in the local Catholic school. We spent our first evening in the beautiful Sydney visiting the Opera house, the Harbour Bridge and Manly, in the northern suburbs. On one of the evenings we even got to see the Australian Youth Orchestra perform in the Opera house, I had to pinch myself to convince myself that I was really there. Each morning before the main WYD events we attended a session of Catechesis. Various Bishops from around the world spoke to us on the importance of young people in the church and their significance in bringing the church forward into the 21st century. We were constantly reminded of how extraordinary each and every one of us is. The message that we received was that we as young people have a shared responsibility to keep the church alive for the future generations. For the following week we attended the WYD events that took place in various locations around Sydney. Along with 500,000 others I celebrated mass, welcomed the Pope, and watched a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross. Our first WYD event was the opening mass in Barangaroo. This for me was one of the most memorable events. The enormity of the event was really inconceivable. Celebrating mass and receiving communion along with 500,000 is definitely something I shall never forget. Hundreds of thousands of young people joined together in song and prayer. As I looked around me all I could see were smiling faces. We as young people were delighted to be part of something so unique. The arrival of the Pope was a very surreal experience. As we waited for Pope Benedict to arrive it was clear to see how excited everyone was. Young people were screaming in delight and the crowd were mesmerised as he drove by. This electric energy to me, was a pure indication that the Catholic faith is still very much alive and well in young people today. The end of the week had sadly arrived and it was now time for the main WYD event to take place. This involved camping overnight at Randwick racecourse after the pilgrim walk over the Harbour Bridge and through the city of Sydney. That evening we had a candle light vigil followed by overnight outdoor camping and then morning mass within the Pope. The Pope's message was that the we should welcome Jesus into our hearts and our lives and that he is always there for us in our hour of need. He assured us that we must be hopeful of the future of the Church and that it was evident that God was thriving in each of out hearts. Our adventure had come to and end and the last few days were spent in recovery, shopping for gifts and enjoying the last few days of sun and sand at Bondi beach. We then made the long trek back to the west of Ireland.
World Youth Day 2008 Sun July 6th 11.45am Depart Tuam for Dublin Airport Monday July 7th Tuesday July 8th Tuesday 8th - Thursday 10th Wednesday 9th July Thursday 10th July Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th Friday 11th July Saturday 12th July Sunday 13th July Sunday 13th - Tuesday 22nd Tuesday 15th Wednesday 16th Thursday 17th Friday 18th Saturday 19th Sunday 20th Monday 21st Tuesday 22nd Wednesday 23rd
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