I’d like to tell you about Vincent, but not after I tell you about my morning’s interviews.The group of us went to the Archdiocesan office in Adelaide and met up with the auxiliary bishop of Adelaide, Bishop Greg O’Kelly, who happens to be a Jesuit with a lot of knowledge about Blessed Mary MacKillop. Chris ...read more

This blog comes from Marilena Berardinelli, a young Toronto based Catholic teacher and WYD08 participant. No one WYD is the same. Each WYD is flavoured by such things as the vision of its organizing committee, the charm of its host city and by the spirit of the pilgrims themselves. My experience in Rome (2000) was ...read more

The following is the Holy Father’s Angelus address, delivered at the conclusion of the Final Mass at Randwick Raceway, and just prior to the recitation of the Angelus prayer. Dear Young Friends, In the beautiful prayer that we are about to recite, we reflect on Mary as a young woman, receiving the Lord’s summons to ...read more

More pictures below…. All photos courtesy of WYD2008/Getty Images ...read more

Over 250-thousand gathered in Sydney’s harbour to see the dramatic re-enactment of our Lord’s Passion. One hundred actors performed the highly anticipated WYD event, which wound through the streets of Sydney stopping at St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Opera House, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Domain, Darling Harbor (on a pontoon boat!) and ...read more

I had three experiences of Christ that I can remember, from yesterday and today. When I was on the papal boat yesterday, and I saw the Pope come out of his car and wave with that big smile of his, it really touched my heart. Here is this introverted theologian who probably would rather spend ...read more

This blog comes from Marilena Berardinelli, a young Toronto based Catholic teacher and WYD08 participant. WYD takes its host city “hostage”- or at least that is how WYD is most often first received by the residents of the host city. Transportation is monopolized, the streets are closed, the public spaces are filled to capacity. Pilgrims ...read more

On Friday, Pope Benedict XVI met with leaders from the Christian communities of Australia at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The following his his address. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I give heartfelt thanks to God for this opportunity to meet and pray with all of you who have come here representing various Christian communities in ...read more

Pope Benedict met Friday with heads of other faiths at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral Chapter Hall. Here is the Holy Father’s address: Dear Friends, I extend cordial greetings of peace and goodwill to all of you who are here representing various religious traditions in Australia. Grateful for this encounter, I thank Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence and ...read more

  As we were tightly packed on the deck of the Sydney 2000, I couldn’t help but be privy to another pilgrim’s poignant moment with the Holy Father. Representing Sudan, Rodha is an invited participant in the International Liturgy Group. As such, she was also among the eleven ILG members chosen to meet Pope Benedict XVI as he travelled by ...read more