WORLD YOUTH DAY!Monday, we left our host families in Wollongong to journey on to Sydney where all of the World Youth Day festivities would take place. We filed in buses and stopped for Mass for about an hour in at a beautiful Marian shrine. Our priests on this pilgrimage were so cognizant in making Mass a daily experience. Our priest in Kiama during Days in the Diocese showed up to celebrate with us! I guess he missed us! We had Mass the couple days after WYD was over, too, in the Dome. We were able to do music for those and also for a Holy Hour - at the Dome!!
Saying goodbye to our host families was difficult, but we all know we've got a place to stay should we ever return!
I was having a pretty difficult time - overwhelmed by many things and feeling an unexplainable sadness. At Mass that day, I prayed that God would show me what was going on with me, and why I was feeling the way I was... He said to me, in prayer, that this is the cross that I will have to bear and to offer it up for the intentions of my benefactors. Then --- lo and behold! - the readings for that day spoke of taking up our crosses! Even though I was still having a difficult time, I felt peace in suffering what little bit I could for my benefactors' intentions. I hope the Lord will let me see some answered prayers!
Monday afternoon we arrived at "The Dome" at Olympic Stadium. We slept in rows on the concrete floor on little bitty mats. This wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the Information Center making announcements over the loud speaker every 15 minutes beginning at 6am and ending at 11:30pm!
In the evening we walked to Darling Harbour and the magnificence of the sunset and the lights reflecting off the water took my breath away. We ate dinner with some of our group and enjoyed the last bit of fellowship we were to have with most of our group as David, Dawn, Alicia and I would be running to and fro the rest of the week!
Tuesday, we slept in a smidge, then rode the train into town. We saw the remains of Blessed Pier Georgio Frassatti at St. Mary's Cathedral. The Cathedral was set up in a pathway where you could follow a quote and timeline of Blessed Frasatti's life. It was very moving. I didn't know much about him before we went to Australia, but what a great life he led - of sacrifice and charity. A great role model for youth and young adults! Pausing at his coffin, I felt inspired to pray a decade of the Rosary and reflect on the Mystery of the Resurrection. I realized that there are parts of my life that need to be resurrected and given over to our Lord. I wish I could go into my spiritual experience more, but I haven't fully digested everything yet... I was under quite a bit of attack, internally! These little prayer revelations were a great source of comfort and strength to me.
Tuesday afternoon we were able to meet John Angotti and his band to practice for my concert on Wednesday at Palm Grove. We improvised using pillows for drums and acoustic guitar for bass and air/misc mouth noises for keyboard! :) That was a good time! The guys are crazy talented and picked up the songs right away.
In the evening we went to the opening Mass. We couldn't see very well, from where we were, and it was FREEZING cold, but despite that, there was a hush and a reverence that I cannot describe but to say, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!"
Wednesday -
On our way to the catechetical session and I have no idea where it is and I have no idea what we're supposed to do when we get there. I knew two things, though - one, we have an address, and two, we are late! I call our animator to see if she can give us directions. I prayed, OKAY Holy Spirit, lead the way! This is in Your hands! Lo and behold (again!)! Our animator is on our train!!! She waited for us to alight and took us on a fifteen minute walk from the train station to our site! Praise Him!
We began the morning with praise music and our group was amazing! There were a few hundred kids there and all of them were actively singing, praying, laughing, worshiping our Lord! These catechetical sessions were our favorite ministry experience.
Unfortunately, the first day we had to leave early because I had to be back (an hour and a half away) to Palm Grove for my concert. The concert went great! We had a great crowd and groups from my hometown, Memphis, showed up to lend their support!! Amazing!!
I spent the afternoon signing CD's - which was surprising to me because the CD's cost $25 there! Yikes! Very expensive, but it was awesome to meet so many people from all around the world and that they felt inspired by my music was humbling. All glory be to God! :)
I went to confession - remembering, that this is supposed to be a spiritual renewal for me, too - that I don't have to work every day and not be fed myself!
Wednesday night David and I met with David Vogel to rehearse some of his songs for his concerts. We had a nice chat - talk about someone going through spiritual warfare.... I hope he shares his struggles one day, because he will have a powerful story to share. Then, he took us to Dana's hotel room! WHOA! We got to hang out with Dana in her hotel room!!! Sweeeeeet!
And then I went home to sleep on the dome floor. :)
Thursday.... more catechetical session awesomeness, Mass... great fun, great worship.
Papal Arrival was in the afternoon and that was, of course, amazing. We were really close to the stage and had a great view. I was so moved by seeing him and his love of the youth, and singing the WYD theme song... brought me to tears! What a great God we have that He shepherds His people through mere men and what a great call to holiness we all have !
John Angotti's concert was in the evening. Unfortunately, David Vogel's Opera House Concert was canceled. John's concert was great. I finally met Amanda Vernon - a girl who lives about 45 minutes away from me, and yet we had to travel across the world to finally meet! We went out to dinner with John, his band, Lisa Bagladi from WLP, and Rob, WLP's Australian distributor.
Friday -
Yet another morning of 5:30 wakeup time to get to our catechetical session and I feel sick as a dog. The lack of sleep, constant running around, and lack of proper eating has gotten to me! Fortunately, because David and I have to be at the USCCB Mass the next morning super super super early, WLP put us and Dawn and Alicia in a hotel for the night, which would be closer travel for us.
We played Dana and David's concert. I got to play "We Are One Body" for Dana!! Talk about pressure...! :) David Vogel's concert didn't go so well, but maybe he'll share that story.
I was still feeling extremely tired and ill, so I didn't sing for John's concert that night. I went home to try to get some rest before the Mass in the morning.
Saturday morning was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! David and I got to do music ministry for the USCCB Mass with Steve Angrisano, Matt Maher, Jorge Rivera, Santiago, Paul Melley, and John Angotti. Matt Maher and I shared a microphone. It's true. I have pictures. :) There was a great turnout- thousands of American pilgrims. The homily was one of the best I'd heard all week. I wish I could remember the name of the presider!!! The Lord healed my voice enough just to do the Mass and then it was time to rest - almost all of my work there was done!
The music at the USCCB Mass was moving and finally geared towards youth. A lot of the music at WYD Masses was very "high Church" and hard to sing and not really youth friendly. The kids were all singing and worshipping with one voice and that was a refreshing touch to a great week.
Saturday afternoon, we walked for hours to get to Randwick for the vigil, carrying our packs and sleeping bags. We were some of the last to arrive (Dawn, David, Alicia, and I) so it seemed like deserted streets we traveled! We trampled over torn chick tracts. What a ridiculous way to evangelize... to draw cartoons of Catholic burning in hell.... Also, there were other people passing out anti-Catholic propaganda in disguise, passing out what looked like holy cards, but on the back were rants against the Church. Clever, but would the Lord use deception to lead people to the Truth? I think not.
The vigil was nice, but I was freezing and sick and people were chanting and drumming all night and I wanted to yell at them to do their praise and worship more softly! :p The Papal arrival the next day, Sunday, was amazing, because I was able to get right in front and was as close to him as anyone could possibly get as he drove by in the Popemobile! The Mass was beautiful. Adoration Saturday night was great...
An aside, everyone should check out the band Scythian. They were GREAT and I woke up just long enough to hear some awesome tunes from them.
That's pretty much it. That was our week. We tried to digest it in our pilgrimage group, but really it's going to take some time to process the effect this pilgrimage has had on all of us.... Some things are coming together slowly, but I'm still unpacking - literally and figuratively!
Well, it's 4am and I've got to play catch up at work tomorrow, even though I feel like I've been working for the past couple of weeks, as I did youth and music ministry just about every day!! :)
God bless!
Noelle
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