Every city has it’s little secrets. Some are dark and sinister, some are just plain fabulous. After eight months in Madrid, I learned one of those neat little secrets that I put in the fabulous category just because it’s downright ingenious. One of the most iconic landmarks in Madrid is Plaza Cibeles. It’s a roundabout ...read more

Madrid in August is hot, hot, hot. We’re talking two-showers-a-day hot. However, most pilgrims will be housed in group accommodation venues which means either a school gym, a community centre, or a parish hall.  All spaces can sleep a large group, but don’t normally house young people for a full week. These accommodation venues have been outfitted ...read more

Having been the Artistic Director for WYD2002 in Toronto, there is a very special place in my heart for the Youth Festival. This is the component of WYD, initiated in Paris in 1997, that allows the pilgrims themselves to be co-producers of WYD. The Catechesis Sessions and Main Events are planned by the WYD National ...read more

At a recent press conference, Antonio Gallo, Director of Social Networks for WYD, presented various web-based initiatives that have been underway over the past two years. In fact, the presence of the Church on social networks has been strengthened by the interest shown by Benedict XVI himself. Gallo remarked that “a Pope who ‘Tweets’ relates ...read more

You can now visit the Madrid11 website and look for all the locations for the catechesis sessions. The catechesis sessions traditionally take place from the Wednesday to Friday of WYD. In Madrid they will be on Wednesday August 17th, Thursday August 18th, and Friday August 19th, at 10:00 am. Every day there will be a ...read more

Families and young people will be the beneficiaries of the two social aid projects that will emerge from World Youth Day in Madrid, which starts on Tuesday. Madrid has been the chosen site for building a residential complex for families at risk of social exclusion. The building will have four floors and 127 homes that ...read more

It’s very quiet now at Salt and Light. It’s sometimes difficult to see the abundance of God in times like this. This past Sunday’s Gospel made me think of that. You know, the abundance of God. The point of the story is not that Jesus can make bread and fish out nothing – the point ...read more

As we close in on the one month mark here in Madrid things are getting busier, crazier, and more intense. [singlepic id=42 w=220 float=right]The only thing that will keep us in working order (aside from proper sleep and nutrition) is prayer. The team at Holy Cross Family Ministries foresaw this event and back in May ...read more

Just a 30 minute train ride from Madrid, in the region of Castilla – La Mancha, lies Toledo. Today it’ a small town with medieval roots and a whole host of inhabitants who commute to work in Madrid every day on the high speed AVE train. In it’s bricks however, one glimpses the days when ...read more

Today in Madrid WYD organizers confirmed the “extra” events on the Pope Benedict XVI's agenda during the event. ...read more