Enjoy,

Dave.

It’s been a fantastic couple of weeks, and really I don’t know how to finish it off! We’ll all be forever greatful for the kindness shown by the Passionists and the Parishoners of Mount Argus, for giving us the chance to live upside down for a while, and to meet other passionists from around the world. Needless to say there are a few Encounters and Reteats planned for between now and Madrid! We have all made fantastic friends over here, and we will always remember the warm welcome we received from a whole nation. World Youth Day has been a credit to anyone involved at home or overseas.

Not sure what else to say…. I’m off to get dressed and maybe wake some of the others! After a night of laughter and chatter which went on until about quarter to 4 thismorning (and I was one of the first group to surrer to tiredness), it’s goping to be entertaining telling people to get up and dressed as quickly as possible!

I’m assuming this will be the last post before we reach you in Dublin, so once again thanks so so much to everyone for reading, and giving us your support.

Regards,

Dave.

well the day we have to stop living upside down has finally arrived, and on behalf of the group, I can say that we are all sad to leave behind this fantastic country & amazing experience. we fly out of Sydney airport tonight, which gives us the morning free to stroll around Marrickville or to pack!

unusually all of the boys packed last night & are completely ready to leave!! the girls room I have to say is not as organised!! (we took pictures of the mess!) With Davids help, Sherina, Therese & I packed our bags last night & are ready 2 go (he can really fit so much into one suitcase!!) all this packing preceeded a late night by all in the tent, after which I think a good sleep on the plane will be required!!

we have to be out of the school by 9:30am, so I’m going to have breakie & soak up the last few hours of blistering sunshine!!

we will see you all at the airport on wednesday, so until then,

Goodbye from Down Under, Ciara

Kennneth…is the 40 foot still there?

don’t know what else I can say, david has really sumed it up nicely!! but he insists that I write something & not just sit here watching him upload pictures!!

so today is a completely free day! everybody has their own ideas as how they want to spend the last hours Down Under, so we’ll meet up for our final meal tonight as a group, after Bondi, the City or whatever else takes our fancy!!

it’s still really warm but yesterday, just as we arrived back from the Kilkenny Association, the first drops of Sydney’s rain hit our heads! for those of you who watched the mass, you will know that the Pope prayed for rain in this drought striken country!! well he got his wish…..just after 10:30 last night the heavens opened up & it rained & rained & rained!!!! even as we were heading to bed about 2am the Pope was still continuing to get his wish, but luckily this morning it has completely cleared, so we will enjoy our last day of sunshine!!

Our friends that we have made from St. Mungos Parish are just departing, so we will have to go and say some teary goodbyes…..though as David has said we have plans of meeting up in the not to distant future!! so we’re going to go & say goodbye & grab a few last minute pictures!! I’m sure we’ll find time tomorrow morning to say that we’re all packed & ready to go….

Slan go foill, Ciara

Good morning all! As Gerard has said above we really did have the best places in all of Australia for the vigal mass. We were in section A4, to the left of the alter…. and yes we were considered VIP’s – although that meant metal detectors and bag scanners whenever you needed to go to the toilet to get back in…. well worth the hassle though!

I dont think any amount of writing can justify the atmosphere of the last 2 days…. the thousands of people who all flocked to the racecourse all paraded down the citys streets before hand on their pilgrim walk, about 4.2 kilometres for us. I heard at one point last night that there was half a million around at one point….. thats a lot! We all got in after the longest walk (due to being at the front) and set up our camps with sleeping bags and mats alongside the scottish group from St. Mungos. (They’re departing for home in about 2 hours). The vigal was beautiful, just to look across these acres of land and see thousands of candles lit was in itself amazing. At about 10.30 the music stopped and it was time to settle down for the night…….. well not really! the party continued in most ‘pods’ of the course with music and dancing (although our’s wasn’t too bad!). The night was cold and long, but the best part was trying to get out to the toilet at 5a.m. , falling over a coupe of hundered of people in the process, and then realising you have no way of finding your way back to your sleeping bag! fun!

Sunday morning we were kindly woken at about 7 O clock to get up and prepare for morning prayer at 8, and then the papal mass at 10. Another fantastic experience which we will all write more about when we get home, so much happened that just cannot fit into here.

After the whole event we made our way back towards town which wasn’t easy……. at leaslt getting in the crowed moved…. getting out it just didnt! However we got there in the end. About half way back we dicided to split up. Some were going shopping, others for dinner, Grainne to see family, and some to find an internet cafe! Ciara, Sherina and I opted for the internet cafe idea, but never got there…… Not too far from Central station we passed a building ‘The Gaelic Association of NSW’, with people standing outside…. so over we walked with the flag held high! There was a function organised by the ‘Kilkenny Association’ for the pilgrims from Kilkenny and Mayo who were over, but there were plenty from all over Ireland. We were invited in and given a full meal with what can be classed as the nicest irish people down under. The president of the association is from Stannaway Road in Crumlin and was a regular of Mount Argus up until he moved to Sydney 37 years ago! One of the priests I got talking to from Mayo happens to be my cousins chaplain in school in Ballina and is their parish priest now! Small world!

After arriving back at the college everyone just recovered. Some pizza was ordered, and everyone just put their feet up and reflected on the weekend. We also had to say some goodbyes to people from Melbourne, in particular Bridgit and Zoe, the two girls who have been central in organising the Melbourne Encounter, and were the 2 people up to meet us in the wee hours of the morning when we arrived here….. There were tears!

We’re getting breakfast soon enough and then we’ll say goodbye to our friends from St. Mungos (but that’s not the last we’ll see of them…… we have plans!)

Hope all is well at home and enjoy the photos,

Regards,

Dave.

PS: I’ve just figured out a quicker way to upload photos so enjoy there’s plenty there! Talk soon.

Gerard.

To watch a news report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) of the walk to Randwick , CLICK HERE. (If you get the option to “play” or “save” then choose, “play.”)

Vigil with Pope Benedict XVI at Randwick

The good news is that the night is forecast to be dry, cold maybe, but dry.  In the background and while talking on the ‘phone, it was possilbe to hear music and Thérèse siad that a band has begun playing.  An outdoor music festival has to be a first for Thérèse, Gráinne and Fr. Kenneth so maybe on the back of this experience, they will be buying the welly-boots for Oxegen 2009!!!

Our team is doing an outstanding job in updating the blog and letting us share in the experience.  Their descriptions have brought us as close as we can be, given that we are half a world away.  We will all therefore await eagerly for the blog that will no doubt come tomorrow sometime when they return from the Papal Mass

The only (accessible) television station broadcasting the World Youth Day Mass is EWTN but you probably need either Sky or NTL / Chorus digital.  On the latter, EWTN is channel 815.  They will broadcast live from midnight and broadcast the complete Mass.  They also have a website and broadcast SOME live feeds through it – useful if you don’t have access to it via Sky or NTL / Chorus.  I don’t know if their website will carry the Mass.  Their website is http://www.ewtn.com/wyd2008/

Gerard

Yesterday we had another morning of catechesis, followed by morning mass. Almost straight away we collected out lunches and squeezed onto the trains bound for Circular Quay to witness what has to be the most moving and emotional Stations of the Cross ever. (I didn’t manage to get pictures – batteries in the camera died – perhaps some of the others will get some up). We were about 50 yards away from ‘Calvary’  and saw the last 4 stations from eye distance. Prior to that the procession had made its way through various points in the city, Darling Harbour, Opera House etc. The whole event was beautiful. I said to some of the others at the Papal welcoming, that to see 200,000 people from every corner of the globe and every nationality all in one enclosed space, and all smiling was one of the most moving sights I’ve ever seen……… Well I can now say that to see those same 200,000 people all brought to silence and some to tears by the symbol on which our religion is founded, the first sight of smiles seems so much more likely and realistic. Overall the event was fantastic. Afterwards the group split up – some went into town shopping, others back to Marrickville. Personally I came back to Marrickville with some others, only with the exception that I went to bed at about 7:45 last night – and boy do I feel great after 11 hours sleep!! Well worth it!

This morning the group will leave Marrickville at about 10:30 armed with sleeping bags and warm clothes for the 3 hour pilgrim walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (once again, many thanks to Gerard for organising this event), and then through the streets of the city to Randwick Racecourse where we will spend the night in the company of Pope Benidict XVI. It’s a night everyone is looking foreward to! It will be slow getting into the racecourse though – at the Papal welcome security was tight. Everyones bags were searched one by one, and everyone passed through metal detectors etc. Basically like the airport only all the bags were searched by hand. Afterwards nobody was allowed leave he grounds until the Pope was safely back out of the city – it can be a bit slow and a bit of a pain, but at the same time one can feel so so much safer knowing that everyone has been through that system. Tonight will be much the same.

One last word – I have to compliment the Australians. There is an army of thousands of VOLUNTEERS who are taking the week off work to be at various places throughout the city just helping people, telling them where to go, and even just smiling and saying hello. In the train stations every train has 2 controllers and 5 flags people to ensure that everrybody gets onto the train safely, along with a number of platform staff to keep everybody safe. The number of staff here just for the event is phenomenal, and really cannot be summed up in a few words. In short, the whole city has taken 2 weeks off work and is doing the most amazing job at organising the rest of the world. Here’s some photos – not sure how many ill get up with time.

Regards to all at home,

Dave.

***just a few older pictures we managed 2 put up!!***