WYD08: Mabuhay, Part 2

Mary Rose Bacani Valenti

July 14, 2008
wydcross-official-arrivalinsydney.jpgDuring the Eucharistic Congress this past June, I had a blog entry called “Mabuhay!”. I was writing about the day we heard from the Filipino contingent at the Congress – they were all screaming “Mabuhay!” when Bishop Tagle from the Philippines came out to give his catechesis.Well, today, I bumped into a lively contingent during the Journey of the Cross and Icon today. The WYD Cross and Icon are the two most important tangible symbols of WYD. The Cross was given by the late Pope John Paul II to the youth of the world in 1984, and he gave them the Icon of Our Lady in 2003 to accompany the cross.
There was a very loud and lively group from the Philippines in the procession. One girl was in a wheelchair, expressing how excited she is to meet the Pope. You’ll find out more about these symbols and what this procession meant for young people on Friday’s Zoom.