The unexpected happened! Last night, I found out that I was going to be part of the Salt + Light crew on the papal boat (it was me, Wally, and Sebastien). This morning, I was told that we’d be positioned on the top deck with the over 200 pilgrims chosen to be in the papal ...read more

This blog comes from Marilena Berardinelli, a young Toronto based Catholic teacher and WYD08 participant. It is difficult to imagine WYD without the presence of a Roman Pontiff. Of course, the experience of WYD goes beyond any one Pope, however, his presence does attest to the fact that young people are an integral aspect of ...read more

[From the Thursday Papal arrival to the Sydney Harbour, here is Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily] Dear Young People, What a delight it is to greet you here at Barangaroo, on the shores of the magnificent Sydney harbour, with its famous bridge and Opera House. Many of you are local, from the outback or the dynamic ...read more

Today I met Pope Benedict XVI. The occasion was the boatacade to the Barangaroo site in Sydney Harbour, where 150,000 pilgrims waited to welcome him to World Youth Day. Some 350,000 others were along the shores en route. Eleven members of the International Liturgy Group were granted the opportunity to speak with the Pope, each ...read more

[Pope Benedict was officially greeted by the Australian government on Thursday, July 17th. Dignitaries included Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Major General Michael Jeffery. The following is the Holy Father’s address from the welcome ceremony, held at Sydney’s Government House.] Your Excellencies, Dear Australian Friends, It is ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI will be officially arriving at WYD on Thursday, but in the meantime he’s spending a few days relaxing at an Opus Dei retreat centre northwest of Sydney. In addition to spending time praying, enjoying music, wandering the 25-acre property, and celebrating Mass, the Holy Father took the opportunity to make a few ...read more

Today there was no major papal event, so we were able to take this time and have some of the regular pilgrim experience – just participate! Catechesis sessions and the Youth Festival started today, and it’s been my most enjoyable day so far. For the catechesis sessions on the Holy Spirit, Pedro and I decided ...read more

The blog comes from Marilena Berardinelli, a young Toronto based Catholic teacher and WYD08 participant. In the year of the Jubilee Pope John Paul II called the WYD pilgrims gathered in Rome “to be the saints of the new millennium.” In the company of over 2,000,000 other pilgrims, I listened to words of the Holy ...read more

At WYD, separation from your group is either an opportunity to make new friends or a dangerous precursor to getting lost, which in turn leads to things like hunger and death. I know rationally that it’s not so perilous, but I was still hesitant to leave my S+L colleagues and venture into the unknown. They were walking twelve blocks to the “Big Aussie BBQ” ...read more

Today I went to the tomb of a saint – well, she is still “just” a blessed, but she’s the first Australian to be elevated to sainthood. She’s a hero for Australians, and she has been chosen as one of the patron saints of World Youth Day 2008. Her name is Mary MacKillop. Beatified by ...read more