July 20, 2008 | Dario Mobini
SYDNEY | “One mission is greater than a thousand ideas” was Sydney Cardinal George Pell’s cry to all of the youth and young adults after greeting the Holy Father at the July 20 final Mass. We have made it to the end of our journey at World Youth Day 2008.
After sleeping under the stars we awakened to see the Holy Father fly over Randwick Racecourse by helicopter and then by motorcade pass right by where we had been camped out. The pope challenged all us young people to re–energize the church and to pray for a new Pentecost that would inspire us to go out to the world and be witnesses just like Peter and the Apostles. To conclude, he reminded us of the importance to stay connected to the sacramental life of the church and to avoid materialism, relativism and secularism because they bring a destruction of love.
Courtesy Photo from Video
Youth group members from St. Stephen Parish in Valrico pose for a photo with Dario Mobini (far right) at Randwick Racecourse July 20.
I finally was able to run into a Florida group from Valrico after a long week of searching, asking each group with an American flag, “Where are you guys from?” All of them have said how excited they were to have been there and how blessed they were to represent their parish, St. Stephen. Emily Dodenghoff, 21, from St. Stephen said, “The vigil was extremely moving. It’s amazing to see the pope want to spend time with us.”
Eduardo Lugo, 25, youth minister at St. Stephen, had a hard time keeping everyone together because there were so many people but nonetheless the Holy Spirit moved the hearts the young people there. Being the year of St. Paul, all pilgrims were sent out from Randwick with a sole mission, “to be the saints of this millennium.
With the end of the Mass, our Holy Father announced that the next gathering of youth will be in three years in Madrid. Start saving up, Florida, to attend or to send your youth. Youth in Europe will soon have information on its Web sites. For those of you who don’t know, the World Youth Days are not a celebration or a party, but a spiritual journey that will help you encounter the risen Lord in a deep and profound way.
Posted: 07.21.08 | Return To Top
July 20, 2008 | Janelle Garcia and Susy Gomez
SYDNEY | The past few days have flown by, and we have been busy participating in all World Youth Day has to offer. Yesterday morning, July 19, we set out with our backpacks, tents and sleeping bags first to Mass and then to the World Youth Day vigil. We attended morning Mass with pilgrims from all over the United States. It was great to share this moment with Archdiocese of Miami Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estévez, whom we were eager to meet with. It was also nice to hear familiar music at Mass!
After that, we set out for our pilgrimage to Randwick Racecourse, the site of the vigil and final Mass. We were very exhausted after our 4–kilometer trek, but we arrived to set up camp and be ready to partake in the excitement of the vigil. After building our tent, which neither of us had ever done, we took a short nap and had some lunch to keep us strong for the long night ahead of us. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to meet pilgrims from other countries. We walked around, trading trinkets and taking pictures with them. The two of us traded our Archdiocese of Miami sweaters for Italian ponchos, after which people would come up to us and start speaking to us in Italian. It was freezing cold that night, but we were somewhat warmed by the candlelight of the vigil with the pope and by the friendliness of our fellow pilgrims. We had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the pope, which was a truly amazing experience! Sleeping in a tent was very uncomfortable, so we went to adoration in the middle of the night, which helped us keep our focus on Christ and not on the cold.
This morning, July 20, we picked up our tent and got ready for the closing Mass. Participating in Mass with the pope and hearing his message of hope to the youth of the world was very inspiring! After Mass, we gave our sleeping bags to pilgrims from Papua New Guinea, which allowed us both to help our brothers and sisters and made our walk back a bit easier.
Earlier in the World Youth Day week, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, July 16–18, we were blessed enough to attend catechesis sessions in the Sydney Opera House, which is absolutely beautiful! We learned from bishops of Spain and Venezuela about the Holy Spirit and how we as young people can use his gifts in the church. The afternoons included all sorts of activities such as festivals, conventions and concerts. On Wednesday evening, we attended the Vocations Expo and saw two wonderful exhibits: one on the papacy of John Paul II and one on Blessed Mother Teresa’s life presented by the Sisters of Charity. Seeing the contributions they made to our faith was very inspiring.
The next afternoon, we made our way to Barangaroo to officially welcome the pope. We were fortunate enough to be very close to the motorcade when he came through on the Popemobile. That evening was very powerful for many of us. We went to a concert by Catholic artist Matt Maher which included adoration – this was a good moment for us to wind down and appreciate all that had been taking place throughout our stay in Australia. On Friday afternoon, we witnessed a dramatization of the final hours of Jesus’ life, which took place at different locations throughout Sydney. It was life–like and moving. After the Stations of the Cross, we stayed for the biggest concert of World Youth Day. What we saw was amazing, but we headed back to our hostel early to escape the cold and prepare for the next day’s journey.
All in all, this has been a wonderful experience! We have grown closer to God and made new friendships that we hope will last a lifetime. This has been an adventure that we will never forget, and we’re looking forward to Madrid in 2011!
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We hope you have enjoyed reading about our experiences as much as we have enjoyed sharing them with you. God bless you!
Posted: 07.21.08 | Return To Top
July 20, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
SYDNEY | Despite not really sleeping because of the bitter cold, hard ground and continual beating on drums that lasted all night, waking up with hundreds of thousands of my fellow Catholic friends preparing to have Mass with the pope was pretty awesome. Mass was so awesome — I have never been to Mass with that many people (estimated at just fewer than half a million). The energy of the crowd as the pope drove around livened our spirits.
The trek back felt a lot longer than the walk out (namely because we hadn’t really slept and were lugging heavy backpacks with sleeping bags attached). We returned to the hotel to eat dinner with our group. That warm meal (compared to the tuna in a can that we had been getting for meals at World Youth Day events) was awesome!
Posted: 07.21.08 | Return To Top
July 19, 2008 | Dario Mobini
SYDNEY | Today began with the long pilgrim walk to Randwick Racecourse, where the Holy Father attended a vigil under the stars with the many who have come from all of the corners of the world
Working as a guide with Youth in Europe has been a blessing; you definitely meet people from all around North America. We started our day at 8 a.m. with a bus and train transfer to North Sydney, where we began our 9–kilometer walk (5.5 miles) to the vigil site. The town was quiet, no one was around and we walked calmly with the many who joined in until we arrived to our site. After two and a half hours of walking with our mats, sleeping bags and necessary toiletries, we arrived at a massive race course and found our spot just a couple of sections away from the main stage. Randwick is an awesome place, much different from Marienfield in Cologne where Pope Benedict XVI met the young people of the world in World Youth Day 2005.
As we began to settle in and discover the surroundings, we stumbled upon an adoration tent and the bathrooms that, thank God, were near by for our usage throughout the weekend. We also were impressed on how WYD Sydney was able to get a thick plastic covering for the grass, allowing the pilgrims to set up their sleeping bags and belongings without getting them wet or muddy.
After a long wait and many different bands, it came time to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors for the next 20 hours. Our group ran into some Italians from the region of the Marche and some Canadians from Edmonton. It’s amazing to think we were all gathered in Sydney to share our common faith and to practice it freely together as one body. The mystery of the church really starts to make perfect sense.
As the Holy Father approached the main altar, he addressed the youth with compassion and love and challenged us to be authentic in our lives as missionaries and strive for excellence in all that we do. One of the highlights of the vigil was praying before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar in adoration with more than 200,000 people led by our Holy Father and the amazing choir that was assisted by a full ensemble orchestra. If you were with us in Sydney, your soul would have been lifted into the heavenly realms with the music that was played. Each and every day that we had with the Holy Father could not match the opportunity to be in silence before Jesus in the Eucharist with the Vicar of Christ, the bishop of the universal church.
As the Holy Father blessed us with Benediction, I was thinking of all of my students at St. John Neumann High School in Naples and of course my family, especially my wife whom I miss so much. It’s been two weeks now in Sydney and the Saturday night vigil has rekindled me and has energized my faith. I cannot wait to run into a group from Valrico and some other Floridians tomorrow for the Mass, God willing!
Posted: 07.21.08 | Return To Top
July 19, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
SYDNEY | There are so many amazing things to report today!
We woke early and went to the Domain, where Mass was celebrated for U.S. pilgrims. We were there early to help. When our leader, Sister Jude Ruggeri, asked for a person to help with one of the petition readings, in my pre–coffee–set–in state I volunteered — and, wow, was I glad I jumped on the opportunity. I sat on the stage with more than 30 bishops from the U.S. and had an amazing upfront and personal Mass experience. Mass began at 9 a.m., with 15,000 of my closest friends from the U.S. in Australia. Experiencing such a large Eucharistic celebration up close, with so many fellow Americans, and with many bishops was really moving.
Then it was time to physically move ourselves on the journey to Randwick Racecourse, about 5 kilometers away. With backpacks and sleeping bags we walked to the site. The people – there were so many of them – nearly 250,000 all in one huge racetrack converted into a sleeping–under–the–stars extravaganza. People everywhere, with sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, blowup mattresses and lots of hats, gloves and sweatshirts.
After setting up camp (unrolling our sleeping bags) we played cards with some girls from China, swapped some U.S.A. items for items from other countries, and listened to concerts. The pope arrived at 7. It was so awesome! All quarter million of my nearest and dearest Catholic friends sat silent as the pope spoke. Cheers of “Benedicto” broke out through the crowd. The pope led us in Eucharistic adoration. The awesomeness of God could be felt as again the crowds were united in worship and song. We held lit candles during the vigil and when we sang the chorus of the World Youth Day theme song, candles were raised and voices sang out. After the vigil, the crowd divided into those wrapped in sleeping bags attempting to stay warm and sleep, and those excited and walking through the walkways, dancing, singing and waving flags.
Posted: 07.21.08 | Return To Top
July 18, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
CNS | Courtesy World Youth Day 2008
Actors re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus during the Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 18.
SYDNEY | Today we returned to the same catechetical site we were at yesterday so we could support the band we are traveling with. Bishop Frank Caggiano, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., spoke, conveying that the Holy Spirit lives in us. “You are the future and hope for the church, and our role is to invite non–Catholic friends in to our family.”
In the afternoon, we went to Barangaroo to watch the live Stations of the Cross. Complete with Hollywood–esque soundtrack music, the stations traveled around the city. The experience was breathtaking and moving. Those presenting it did such a lifelike re–enactment. I was blown away to learn that 500 million people globally watched the stations. How amazing. (WYD wow.)
After, we stopped at a pizza place on the walk home. We were adventurous and tried the kangaroo pizza (yep, it had kangaroo meat ON it). It was rather tasty.
Posted: 07.18.08 | Return To Top
July 17, 2008 | Dario Mobini
DARIO MOBINI | FC
Father David Toups, a priest of the Diocese of St. Petersburg who works in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, extends his arms in welcome July 17 at the World Youth Day Vocations Expo in Sydney, Australia.
SYDNEY | You couldn’t have asked for better weather to come to Sidney, everyday since the opening Mass has been in the 60s and sometimes even up in the 70s. Let’s not forget we are in the winter down here in the southern hemisphere. But the temperatures are not stopping the pilgrims from going from venue to venue discovering what World Youth Day has to offer. The food has been amazing, the locals have been so hospitable, and the speakers at the festivals and catechesis have inspired many to search deeper for the meaning of our call to holiness.
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney at the opening Mass empowered all of the youth to be authentic and to be witnesses in the new millennium, while Jason Evert from Catholic Answers and Christopher West have challenged us to love with the message of our dearly beloved John Paul the Great. How can we forget, he initiated World Youth Day just 25 years ago in Rome with a small gathering of local youth.
Today we welcomed our Holy Father to Barangaroo and we officially began our journey with him until the July 20 final Mass at Randwick race course. Not only are the pilgrims excited about seeing the Holy Father, but many are taking the opportunities granted to them by their youth minister or guide to go to the sacrament of reconciliation and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Not to forget that the Vocations Expo has been jam–packed with pilgrims seeking direction. That is where I found Fr. David Toups, a priest of the Diocese of St. Petersburg promoting vocations to the priesthood with many other young priests and seminarians (including fellow Florida Catholic pilgrim reporter Dominic Buckley) to all of the American pilgrims. Indeed these days have been filled with hope and they continue to do so with more inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!
NOTE: Dario’s assignment with Youth in Europe changed before the start of World Youth Day, so he is not guiding pilgrims from the dioceses of St. Petersburg and Venice. But he’s on the lookout for Floridians!
Posted: 07.17.08 | Return To Top
July 17, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
SYDNEY | Today, July 17, we journeyed across town to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church to the catechetical site where the band from the Palm Beach Diocese we’ve been traveling with, called My Drive Home and led by DJ Hom, was playing. Upon arriving we participated in Eucharistic adoration.
A bishop’s speech, Mass and lunch followed. My “WYD wow” moment today happened during Mass when I looked up at the altar and saw a dozen and a half priests celebrating Mass together for us. I realized how amazing it is that we as Catholics no matter where we are from or what language we speak can join together to celebrate the Eucharist.
We returned to the hotel where a few members had been camping out to save seats along the pope’s motorcade route. There was an excitement buzzing (like that of anticipating Christmas morning) in the streets of Sydney as people were awaiting the pope. I stepped into the cafe behind where we were standing to watch the pope on TV arrive by boat to Barangaroo. Upon entering I spoke with a very nice older man from Sydney who told me about the feeling of World Youth Day versus the Olympics. People are nicer for World Youth Day, he said, friendlier and always smiling.
I enjoyed listening to the pope’s presentation that was very direct to young adults. I stepped outside just in time to see the pope drive by, very quickly, in the Popemobile. It was fantastic.
We then directly went to the Matt Maher concert, which felt like a Jesus rally as we waited for it to start. Chanting of “USA” and “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” followed by “We love Jesus, yes we do. We love Jesus, how about you” being sent back and forth between the sections of seats like a tennis match. Then “the wave” began.
How the praise and worship (we were told it wasn’t a concert because we were all active participants) began amazed me. After a Life Teen promotional video was shown, a simple slide came up on the overhead in white writing on a black background saying “hi :)”. Then, through a series of slides, with no host or music as cues, the crowd prayed together the Nicene creed. It was awesome — hearing so many young people sing to the Lord.
Posted: 07.17.08 | Return To Top
July 16, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
CARA CATALFUMO | FC
Tony Melendez of California, from left, keyboardist Glen Aiken of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Steve Angrisano of Colorado and an unidentified seminarian drummer provide praise and worship music for World Youth Day pilgrims in Sydney July 16.
SYDNEY | The day began early. While enjoying our hotel breakfast we admired our leader Sister Jude Ruggeri’s photo from the July 15 opening Mass in the Sydney paper. Our group walked the Sydney Harbour Bridge to our catechetical site, where we were joined by other English speakers from the U.S., Australia and Canada.
Our praise and worship music at the catechetical site was led by Spiritandsong.com artists Steve Angrisano from Colorado and Tony Melendez, who is part of the Palm Beach Diocese pilgrims’ “traveling group” that also includes pilgrims from California. Tony has an amazing story. He was born without arms. He is a fantastic guitar player — with his feet — and he challenged us that if a man with no arms can play the guitar what can we do? (WYD wow). While we have been traveling with Tony for a week now and seeing him play, his words really hit home this day. He is a gifted man and an inspiration to us all.
Palm Beach group member Glen Aiken stepped in to played keyboard. He raved about the experience. “For being involved in youth ministry for so many years, it was rewarding to see those who we had worked with as youth who are here with us as adults carrying on the faith,” he said, adding that it was an honor that some who helped make the music were from the liturgical music publishing house OCP. “It was awesome. It was a humbling experience to play with people who write the music that we sing in church. We all had the same desires to lead the group in worship.”
Palm Beach group member Stephanie Murphy assisted with singing as did Tony’s wife, Lynn. A seminarian from the crowd came up to help with drums.
Mass at the site was celebrated by Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Bishop Martin D. Holley, a Pensacola native who was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart there in 1987 and served in several parishes in the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee. He was assisted by a dozen priests, including Father Brian King who is helping to lead the Palm Beach group. Palm Beach pilgrim Jessica Maestri did the first reading. Seeing this collaboration from our group to make this event work was a true testament to our Catholic faith.
We journeyed back to the other side of the harbor to attend adoration, held in the Sydney Opera House. It was busy, but a beautiful site to see so many joining together in worship.
There were very long lines for dinner, but we passed time by sitting in front of the opera house looking at the harbor bridge admiring the pilgrims. It was an amazing picturesque night. We event watched from a distance as the pope traveled by motorcade and was escorted by helicopter to the cathedral.
Posted: 07.16.08 | Return To Top
July 15, 2008 | Janelle Garcia and Susy Gomez
SYDNEY | Today was the first day we woke up in Sydney. We began the day taking a ferry around Darling Harbour and seeing the beautiful scenery. We then participated in the World Youth Day opening Mass. It was incredible to walk down the street with pilgrims from all over the world, all of us singing and chanting. The Mass, which was celebrated by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney and included the participation of pilgrims from all over in several languages, was beautiful! Pilgrim Aracelys Bonachea, 21, from San Lazaro Catholic Church in Hialeah said that the “Mass was spectacular and gave (her) chills.” Leonardo Figueroa, 18, also from San Lazaro, said it was a “breathtaking and very emotional experience.” We’re now looking forward to the rest of the week.
The past couple of days have been a whirlwind of emotions. After Mass on Sunday, July 13, we had a picnic with members of the parish in Forster–Tuncurry and surrounding areas. We learned to play cricket and rugby, and we also continued to teach salsa dancing to the locals. Most of us spent the afternoon with our host families, as our time with them came to an end. The two of us went on a tour of some local areas with our host family, and we had afternoon tea with their relatives.
On Monday, July 14, we said farewell to our host parish and families. Most of us were driven to tears, both pilgrims and our host families. These days have been so wonderful, and our host families have truly made us feel like we are part of their families! The members of the parish followed us down the street, and the pastor even did a cartwheel for us! A group of them showed us how good they had gotten at salsa! We spent the rest of the day traveling to Sydney, and once we arrived and settled in, we went to dinner to celebrate Janelle’s birthday.
Posted: 07.16.08 | Return To Top
July 15, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
CARA CATALFUMO | FC
Diocese of Palm Beach pilgrim Marie Langston takes a turn to wave the U.S. flag at the World Youth day opening Mass celebrated by Cardinal George Pell at Barangaroo.
SYDNEY | By noon, when our group left the hotel to begin our pilgrimage to Barangaroo for the opening Mass, the streets were flooded with thousands of other pilgrims. They were young and old, and spoke various languages. As they made their way to the opening Mass site, many waved their country’s flags and chanted with so much pride that you would have thought it was an organized parade. I just watched in awe as they walked by. (I’m going to refer to these neat moments as “WYD wows.”)
The merriment continued at Barangaroo up to the beginning of Mass, when a holy hush fell over the crowds. I had never been to a Mass that large. It was beautiful and amazing. The music was even so perfect that I felt like I was a character in a Disney movie, and that this fairy tale of being in Sydney for World Youth Day was just beginning.
After Mass, 10 of us saw “My Fair Lady” at the Sydney Opera House, which was designed architecturally to look like a peel of an orange. The show was top notch. And the view of both the outside and from the inside was amazing at night.
We had arrived in Sydney very early the morning of July 13. From the moment we landed in the airport you could feel the excitement and see it with the banners and signs hanging both in the airport and all around the city. We took the morning to explore Sydney.
The excitement of WYD hit me when I went to pick up my press pass. As I stood in the line of people, I observed how they were from all over the world, spoke different languages, were various ages, and were all there with one common purpose — to serve God and one another through WYD. This unselfish giving, of both the young and old, brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. (Another “WYD wow.”) That evening a few from our group ventured to Hillsong Church on the outskirts of Sydney. We were told by many that this nondenominational Christian Church, founding home to many praise and worship songs, was a must see and hear.
Monday morning July 14, six brave pilgrims from our group — Father Brian King, Nicole Maestri, Jennifer Tuck, Elizabeth Doane, Katie Harrison and me — completed the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb. The three–hour trek, complete with headsets, jumpsuits and harnesses, took us scaling the bridge many meters above the road and water. The view was breath taking. I felt like I was standing on the top of the world. The peaceful beauty surrounded me everywhere.
From the top we could see the boat arrive to the harbor carrying the WYD cross. We observed this from even higher than the police and news helicopters.
Posted: 07.15.08 | Return To Top
July 14, 2008 | Dominic Buckley
SYDNEY | Hello from Down Under! We’re in Sydney now! After a long and tortuous flight, nearly reaching into the Arctic Circle — just brushing past Russia and Korea — and stopping for a bit in Japan, we finally touched down in Sydney on Friday morning July 11. What a whirlwind! Our heads are still spinning from 38 hours of travel time and the 14–hour time difference. Yet, almost instantaneously the feeling and excitement of arriving at World Youth Day revived our drooping eyes and spirits!
In the airport we ran into Italian, Polish, American, Samoan and French pilgrims. We knew we had made it and in the joy of meeting these other pilgrims, as if we were long lost brothers and sisters, we began to realize that we were home. This meeting and greeting of pilgrims from all over the world has only continued in these first few days of preparation for the main events to begin on Tuesday July 15. In between singing, praying and talking we have found that even in Australia we are at home and among family and friends! Things are really heating up as I write this to you all. We’re getting ready for the opening Mass tomorrow and looking forward to partying with the youth of the world and the Holy Father.
Until the next time, G’ day!
Posted: 07.14.08 | Return To Top
July 13, 2008 | Dario Mobini
SYDNEY | Two more days and we officially kick off World Youth Day with Mass at the Barangaroo near Darling Harbor in Sydney with Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney. Pilgrims are arriving now by the thousands.
The local news has an advisory to all residents about the volume of traffic from the train stations and from the airport. Sydney is filling up with people who are hungry for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the loving wisdom from our Holy Father who arrived in Australia just hours ago.
Today, I had the privilege to go to Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The presiding priest was moved by the number of people – including pilgrims – who attended Mass and sang joyfully. The church was packed with numbers of people standing, all pilgrims who have either just arrived or have been here several days awaiting the start of WYD 2008! Thursday will be the day that all have been longing for, the day that our Holy Father enters into the harbor and all will be able to see and hear him proclaim boldly the Gospel of life. The message of hope continues to ring in our hearts from the week that the pope was able to spend with us Americans.
Tomorrow, I move to Botany Bay, just eight miles from the heart of Sydney, to meet with two groups, one from Canada and one from the USA. I am blessed to be a part of the many Youth in Europe guides here to lead groups from all over the U.S. and Canada in the WYD experience of which I hope to share with all of you soon. Be assured of my prayers for all of you.
Posted: 07.13.08 | Return To Top
July 12, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
Courtesy Photo
Stephanie Murphy, center, holds a koala as she and others from the Diocese of Palm Beach World Youth Day pilgrim group pose for a photo in the rainforest outside of Cairns, Australia. With Murphy, clockwise from right of the koala, are Jessica Maestri, Father Brian King, Sister Jude Ruggeri, Karen Ann Benoit, Alicia Catafulmo, Cara Catalfumo and Nicole Maestri.
CAIRNS, Australia | We sat in silence at the water’s edge July 12 in the dark at 6 a.m., when the birds began to chirp. The guitar sing–along started once the sun peaked from behind the clouds over the Pacific Ocean.
It was a beautiful, peaceful experience to begin our last full day in Cairns before we departed to Sydney for World Youth Day festivities. I feel that we have now mentally, spiritually and physically prepared for the journey.
Following a leisurely day exploring Cairns we went to the zoo for a nighttime adventure. We experienced fierce looking crocodiles, cuddled koalas, slid our fingers along scales of a snake, and watched an owl swoop over our heads. We had a Billy Tea while the kangaroos were eating out of our hands around a campfire. The evening concluded with singing and dancing.
The entire day was well–balanced and charged my batteries for Sydney. Let the real pilgrimage begin.
Posted: 07.14.08 | Return To Top
July 12, 2008 | Janelle Garcia and Susy Gomez
FORSTER-–TUNCURRY PARISH, Australia | This has been such an amazing experience so far that we can’t even begin to imagine how wonderful seeing the pope in Sydney will be. We all seem to have adopted our host families as part of our own, calling them Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa. The community at Forster–Tuncurry Parish has welcomed us with open arms, and we pray together every morning and evening and eat dinner together every night. Our own group has bonded even more, sharing so many special times together.
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to learn about aboriginal culture and even do some service work. We went to the reserve of the Worimi tribe and were welcomed with a traditional smoking ceremony. A member of the tribe, Steve Brereton, discussed the history of the tribe and showed us some of their sacred sites. We then had lunch on the reserve and got to try kangaroo meat. It was actually quite tasty. We also went to One Mile Beach, where we learned about dune care and planted trees to help with that effort.
Today, we had the opportunity to build community with some fellow pilgrims. We had a picnic with two neighboring parishes, and we got to meet two groups of pilgrims from Canada. They had a bush dance, and an Australian folkloric band taught us some traditional dances. We, of course, did not stay behind and shared our salsa, merengue, and bachata music and dances with the Australians and the Canadians. We ended our evening with our prayer service as usual, but our host parish had a surprise for us. They played a slide show of pictures they’ve taken throughout the week, which touched all of us, some of us to tears. Their hospitality and outpouring of love for us has truly been a testimony of Christ’s love for us.
Posted: 07.13.08 | Return To Top
July 11, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
CAIRNS, Australia | Today our eager group of pilgrims checked off experiencing one of the seven natural wonders of the world — the Great Barrier Reef — on our lists of life goals.
The hour boat ride from Cairns flew by as we anxiously awaited the wonder ahead. From the water’s surface you could see dark yellow masses that formed the reef. Once below the surface with our snorkel and scuba gear, we saw with our own eyes the beauty the reef held. Sea turles glided past, giant clams the size of a large a suitcase opened and closed, seafans swayed with the ebb and flow, and friendly fish floated at our sides.
An aspect of the reef I found fascinating was how the reef builds upon itself. The reef we see is only the tip of hundreds of years of dead foundation below, as the reef is constantly rebuilding itself.
The evening included Mass and we again had some hotel passers by from Sydney join in the celebration. They shared their stories of Sydney’s preparation for World Youth Day. “Sydney is ready for you,” they said. “Are you ready for Sydney?”
Posted: 07.13.08 | Return To Top
July 10, 2008 | Dario Mobini
SYDNEY | The weather has started to show itself in these last couple of days. It is winter in July in Sydney but that is not stopping the many local volunteers from setting up venues for the countless youth festivities that are to come in the next four days. The trains are becoming crowded each day with new pilgrims arriving from all over the world and yet the locals don’t seem to mind that in just four days the town’s population will double in size. Signs all over the city and the trains advise: “This event (WYD 2008) will have more guests in town than any other event, including the Olympics held in 2000.”
Since arriving in Sydney 3 days ago, I have been able to see the major locations of all of the events that will be going on starting on the 15th culminating with our vigil and Mass with the Holy Father on the 20th. World Youth Day is a pilgrimage, a journey to God’s love and in doing so you discover your purpose in life, to respond to that call, “the Call to Holiness.” There will be lots of walking, praying and sightseeing but none the less, simplicity will be the key to succeed in this journey.
Today I had the privilege to go to Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, one of the major stops in the many places that a WYD pilgrim will do. As Mass ended, many gathered around a side altar to see one of the patron saints of this and other World Youth Days, one of my favorite saints, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. It was amazing! I traveled half way around the world to be inspired and here I am in front of a saint that constantly reminds me that sainthood is possible for all, no matter how old or no matter what vocation an individual may have in life. This is indeed WYD. Receive the Holy Spirit, just four days to go!
Posted: 07.11.08 | Return To Top
July 10, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
Courtesy Photo
Diocese of Palm Beach World Youth Day pilgrims (left to right) Jessica Maestri, Cara Catalfumo and Stephanie Murphy ride the sky rail above the Australian rainforest to the mountaintop town of Kuranda.
KURANDA, Australia | Our first full day in Australia was filled with native excitement. The group of 25 representing the Diocese of Palm Beach ventured to Kuranda, a town right outside of Cairns in the rainforest, via a sky rail (a six–seat gondola, like what you would take up the ski mountain). Along the way there were various lookouts over the tree tops where we could see waterfalls and go on nature hikes, and the views from the sky rail were breathtaking as we soared over the green mountains.
At the top of the mountain, we arrived at the town. It was very geared towards tourists, but enjoyable nonetheless. One of the common goals that many in our group possessed was holding a koala. (Note it is not a koala “bear” it is just a koala and isn’t a bear at all). This goal was met. We went to the small zoo in the village where you could pet and hold a koala, feed kangaroos from the palm of our hands and be face to face with large snakes.
While holding a koala, our group leader Sister Jude Ruggeri said, “It was the first time I realized I wasn’t in the United States” Father Brian King remarked that “it smelled like a giant hamster and it wasn’t as cuddly as the teddy bear I had as a kid.”
We took a train down the mountain from the town. We had some excellent views of the city below, with the ocean and the mountains.
In the evening we had Mass outside by the pool. But our group of 25 grew to a group of 52 as we joined with a group out of St. Louis who had flown in that day. Mass was outside along the pool. One of the neatest things for me was when Mass was over, the lady sitting next to me asked where I was from. She told me they were from Wisconsin and were sitting on their balcony when they realized we were having Mass. They were so excited to join us to celebrate the Eucharist. They shared how she and her husband had spent the last week in Sydney and could see all the preparations being made for World Youth Day.
After Mass, the group of now 52 pilgrims quickly got to know each other as we rode a bus to a aboriginal dinner show complete with getting our faces painted and dancing around a camp fire while banging wood sticks. It was a fun cultural experience watching the performers play digereydoos and demonstrate native dance. The culture lesson helped remind me that we are in Australia.
Posted: 07.11.08 | Return To Top
July 9-10, 2008 | Janelle Garcia and Susy Gomez
FORSTER–TUNCURRY PARISH, Australia | After two long days of traveling, we finally made it to Sydney! Once you spend 20 hours on an airplane with a group of people, you definitely build friendships. Although many of us had already become friends, the trip was a great opportunity to continue to build those bonds and forge new ones.
First, we flew from Miami to San Francisco, where we spent most of Monday. It was the first time either of us had seen the Pacific Ocean! We took a traditional cable car over to Fisherman’s Wharf, walked to Ghirardelli Square, and took pictures of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
After our tour of San Francisco, we were anxious to board our flight to Sydney, especially since many of us had been awake for almost 24 hours. Despite the exhaustion, we were filled with anticipation and excitement! Once we arrived in Sydney, we took a train to Newcastle and a bus to Forster–Tuncurry Parish, which is where we will be staying for Days in the Diocese. We met our host families, had dinner, got some much needed rest before hearing…
“Tea and crumpets, anyone?”
After a delicious Australian breakfast with our host family July 10, we headed to a welcoming Mass with the members of the parish.
It was a busy day for touring the local district and getting to know some of the friendly locals! They seemed very interested in hearing about World Youth Day and about life in Miami and in the States. Forster–Tuncurry Parish didn’t know what hit them when 30 Americans from Miami invaded their church. We set off exploring the surroundings, talked to everyone we ran into, and sang our worship songs (loudly) on all of our bus rides. We also got to experience some of the treasures of the area, including walking along the beautiful and peaceful Forster Beach, where Janelle’s shoes got soaked as she took a picture by the water and where we saw the biggest pelicans we’ve ever seen! We later went to Seal Rocks, where we hiked up the seemingly unending path to the Sugarloaf Lighthouse, looked out at the breathtaking scenery and even saw a whale. A lovely family from Coomba had us over for tea, and since they live on the countryside, we got to see kangaroos!
Posted: 07.11.08 | Return To Top
July 9, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA | Yes, it needs that many exclamation points. It has now hit me how awesome this experience is going to be — to have so many cultures all in one place (on the other side of the world for us Floridians) for one common purpose, and to learn more about myself through the experience.
We met our group in the San Francisco airport on Monday night. We sat and watched as travelers from all over the U.S. were boarding the plane for WYD. They were from the dioceses of Oakland, Miami and Anchorage. Our group enjoyed meeting the other pilgrims (who could easily be identified by their brightly matching shirts or sweatshirts with their names on them and religious that accompanied them). We left San Francisco near 11 p.m. Pacific Time. We flew through the night and technically the next day (crossing the international date line) to arrive in Sydney on Wednesday at 6 a.m. local time. So I guess you could say I’m reporting from the future (another very cool thing).
The weather in Sydney was chilly in the morning and a bit of a shock to us Floridians. While on a bus to another terminal at the airport one of the high school girls on the trip exclaimed to her friend, “Wow they drive on the wrong side of the road here!”
Our group transferred from Sydney to Cairns on a three–hour flight. Cairns has beautiful weather. Upper 70s. We have the AC off and the sliding door to the balcony opened. From our hotel we can see both the mountains and the ocean, and have a lagoon–type swimming pool with a sandy beach and a swim–up tiki hut with seats in the water. We were all eager to get to our rooms and cleaned up. We did a bit of exploring (mainly to find an ATM and somewhere to get snacks). This evening we celebrate Mass together and eat dinner at the hotel.
Posted: 07.10.08 | Return To Top
July 10, 2008 | Dominic Buckley
VALETA ORLANDO | FC
Seminarian Dominic Buckley, right, serves for Father Miguel Gonzalez, vocations director for the Diocese of Orlando, as he celebrates a Mass of Thanksgiving July 8 in the chapel at St. James Cathedral on the eve of their departure for World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia.
ORLANDO | Our pilgrimage to World Youth Day began with a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. James Cathedral in Orlando last night. What better way to begin our pilgrimage than in a spirit of prayer and thankfulness? There is special reason to be thankful. The pilgrimage was a complete gift from a handful of donors. Through their amazing stewardship, four seminarians including me are traveling to Sydney with Father Miguel Gonzalez, vocations director of the Diocese of Orlando. The others are Ben Lehnertz of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Indialantic, Peter Dionne of St. Mary’s Parish in Rockledge and A.J. Castro of Annunciation Parish. At this Mass, we gathered with our benefactors and our families to pray together in Thanksgiving, asking God’s blessing on our pilgrimage and the events to take place next week in Sydney.
As we all filed into the side chapel of the cathedral it was hard to believe that this had all come together. A.J., a senior at St. John Vianney in Miami, had this to say: “It was incredible to put faces to the folks who will carry us on our journey to join with our Holy Father and the youth of the world in Australia.”
As for the donors, they were humble and unassuming. They only wanted to wish us well and give us the best advice on how to make the most of the trip! What an inspiration to witness the people of God giving of themselves so much for the sake the priesthood and the church. We’re now ready to be sent out by the Holy Spirit to “receive power from on high to become his witnesses to the ends of the Earth!”
And our plane took off early this morning.
Posted: 07.10.08 | Return To Top
July 9, 2008 | Dario Mobini
DARIO MOBINI | FC
Nearly 250,000 pilgrims will be sporting these brightly colored backpacks around Sydney and at WYD events.
SYDNEY | Just five days away from the start of World Youth Day, thousands of pilgrims are making their way into Sydney. Many have come from all over the world to volunteer for this event, including three women of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who have come from the U.S. to help pack the bags that the 225,000 pilgrims will receive as they arrive.
I Can’t wait to see how many more pilgrims will be coming in the next couple of days from around the world. Thank God the people of Sydney have been so friendly and warm in welcoming all of us.
Posted: 07.10.08 | Return To Top
July 8, 2008 | Cara Catalfumo
SAN FRANCISCO | All our bags are packed and we are ready to go — as we are leaving on a jet plane to Australia.
The emotions are flying high as we wait in San Francisco for our long flight across the Pacific Ocean. The three small travel groups making up our group of 25 from the Palm Beach Diocese all arrive at the San Francisco airport tonight to gather for our 15–plus–hour flight together.
“I’m so excited to get an Australia stamp in my passport,” said Jessica Maestri, 26.
For one of the girls, Stephanie Murphy, 21, of Palm Beach County, the trip from Florida to California was her first time on an airplane. She remarked that this “first” for her was awesome. “I loved it,” she said.
• • •
For me, this is a return trip to Australia, but my first World Youth Day. Not so for my closest traveling companions. My sister Alicia Catalfumo, 22, of Palm Beach Gardens went to WYDs in Germany and Toronto. Jessica Maestri, my close friend, traveled to WYD in Paris. Her sister, Nicole Maestri, 24, of Palm Beach Gardens attended WYDs in Germany and Paris.
I have only heard amazing things about the pilgrimage. I’m looking forward to the new experience. I feel like for the past eight months I have been preparing for the trip — packing supplies, passports, payments and paperwork — and now it is finally here. I am looking forward to learning new things and growing spiritually.
• • •
We two sets of sisters left Florida July 3, a few days earlier than the rest of the group, to take time to tour San Francisco and the Napa Valley. We have all known each other since we were in grade school and went to church together at Saint Ignatius Loyola. Jessica and I met doing Daisy Girl Scouts while in kindergarten and have been close friends ever since.
We have had such an amazing time together these past few days. I know that this quality time with our sisters and our friends will be a priceless memory I will always cherish. I am so lucky to be close to my sister and have wonderful friends to share adventures with.
• • •
CARA CATALFUMO | FC
Father Brian King is a veteran of leading youth groups on pilgrimages to World Youth Days.
Most of the others in the group left Florida July 7. Twenty–four of the 25 of us had gathered at 7 p.m. July 1 for Mass and a final meeting at the Pastoral Center in Palm Gardens before the big journey.
Most of the group members were born in Florida and were bracing for the “cold” weather in Australia. (The 10–day forecast for Sydney starting July 9 calls mostly for highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s).
Following Mass with the pilgrims and their families, the meeting covered last– minute logistics. Sr. Jude Ruggeri led the meeting and Father Brian King said Mass. They will both be leading the group to Sydney and have done many WYD pilgrimages before.
July 8, 2008 | Denise O’Toole Kelly
ORLANDO | Scores of teen and young adult Floridians and their leaders will be among the anticipated 225,000 pilgrims to join Pope Benedict XVI for World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 15–20. The Florida Catholic has recruited five of them to bring readers news and views from the event and other aspects of their trip.
Originally from Cincinnati, Dominic lives in Ocoee and is a seminarian for the Diocese of Orlando. He is traveling to Sydney with Father Miguel Gonzalez, diocesan director of vocations, and other seminarians to help with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ vocations efforts at World Youth Day.
Born and raised in Palm Beach County, Cara graduated from Elon University in North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in communications. After working in public relations for her family’s business in Palm Beach Gardens, this fall Cara will be teaching middle school math in Charlotte, N.C.
Cara is passionate about volunteering, especially for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Red Cross. In her leisure, she competes in half marathons and triathlons.
This is Cara’s first World Youth Day and second journey to Australia, where she studied ecotourism. She makes the pilgrimage with a Diocese of Palm Beach group, including her sister, Alicia, 22.
Janelle and Susy, who live in Hialeah, are traveling to Sydney with a group from the Archdiocese of Miami. Both sing in the choir and teach catechism at the parish. They will be reporting as team.
Janelle is a recent graduate of Florida International University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She is a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception and will celebrate her birthday during World Youth Day.
Susy is a family therapist and proud to be a Miami Hurricane, as she obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology at the University of Miami. Susy enjoys spending time with her family and friends, singing, and serving the Lord and her faith community.
Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Dario, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville resides in Naples with his wife and foster children. He is in his third year as a theology teacher at St. John Neumann High School there. This is Dario’s fourth World Youth Day, and will be teaming up with Youth in Europe as a pilgrim guide for three large groups, two from Florida — representing the dioceses of Venice and St. Petersburg — and one from Washington state.
