Here at Salt+Light we’re all world travelers at heart. Physically we’re sitting at our desks in Toronto….but mentally we’re all off in different far flung places. We’re not the only people like this, apparently. Our friends at H20 News in Rome (where most of us would like to be) have Madrid on the brain. Even ...read more

Pope Benedict’s offered a fond reflection on World Youth Day at his weekly Angelus address. Click HERE for that. You’ll note that in the Zenit translation, after the address, in Italian, the Holy Father said: I greet all those who are vacationing now, wishing them serene days of profitable physical and spiritual leisure. However, I ...read more

For part two of our two-part series called “Left Behind”, we had a chance to catch up one more time with Mr. Richard Valenti, Editor/Cameraman at Salt + Light Television. Q: Mr. Valenti, did we not wish you a safe trip to Toronto on FRIDAY? Why are you still here? Mr. Valenti: Well, apparently, we ...read more

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost a week removed since World Youth Day in Sydney. All the hard work by staff over the past three years culminated in a successful and spectacular event Down Under. The seeds have been planted and hopefully they will yield much fruit! Pedro Guevara Mann, a producer familiar to ...read more

Our Salt + Light coverage of World Youth Day may be over, but Australia is still on the map for a few of us! I fly back to Toronto this coming Friday, July 25th, but until I do, expect a daily blog from Australia from yours truly! This afternoon, Kris Dmytrenko, Richard Valenti, Fr. Stefano, ...read more

The media office at WYD08 has published some final statistics from the historic WYD Down Under: PILGRIMS & ATTENDANCE 70,000 international pilgrims took part in Days of the Diocese throughout Australia during the week before WYD08 150,000 attended the Opening Mass at Barangaroo and CBD sites In excess of 400,000 people attended the Final Mass ...read more

Here is the Holy Father’s address at the Farewell Ceremony at Sydney International Airport, Monday Morning. Dear Friends in Christ, I thank Cardinal Pell for his kind words and I am pleased to have this opportunity to bid farewell to all of you and to say what a wonderful experience this week has been. During ...read more

Well… World Youth Day is over… the bags are packed, Randwick is being cleaned up, the Media Centre is almost empty, hotels are being emptied, Sydney is returning to its usual stage – but this city will not be the same after this last week. Before coming, we heard about how the local Australian media ...read more

On Saturday morning, on the way to the Southern Cross Precinct (Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park) where the World Youth Day Evening Vigil and Closing Mass were to take place, pilgrims had to pass through seven “Power Stations”. Each one represented one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Courage, ...read more

After praying the Angelus, Pope Benedict had a special announcement: “The time has come for me to say good-bye – or rather, to say arrivederci! I thank you all for your participation in World Youth Day 2008, here in Sydney, and I look forward to seeing you again in three years’ time. World Youth Day ...read more