World Youth Day in Sydney: a Group Leader’s Memoir
. . . by Charly Navarro
 

 We went to Sydney as pilgrims of World Youth Day – and it was far from easy.

We slept on classroom floors, used clothes as pillows, shared three showers with over 140 other pilgrims and ate the same breakfast and dinner for seven days.

But the Big Guy upstairs was with us and helped us get through it.

He made sure that there was a McDonald’s joint close to where we were staying!

Maybe we didn’t exactly do it like the pilgrims did it back in the day; but it was a pilgrimage nonetheless – in the truest sense of the word. It was tough getting through everyday, but it’s not these difficulties that made WYD memorable.
Walking around the streets of Sydney and seeing groups of pilgrims from different countries chanting, singing and waving their flags with pride made it a wonderful atmosphere to be in!
We performed our haka every chance we got.

Our destination - most of the time, was Barangaroo in Darling Harbour. Here was witnessed the ppening Mass celebrated by George Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney; the arrival of the Pope on Thursday and Stations of the Cross on Friday. The atmosphere was incredible!

One would think that our group of 24 people would feel insignificant and unnoticed among the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. But this wasn’t the case at all. We felt so small and humbled yet we knew that we belong. We met people from almost every country you can think of – and we have badges and souvenirs to show for it! It didn’t matter that we spoke different languages or that we came from different cultures –we were all one as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The opening mass was an incredible opener for World Youth Day. It was festive and, at the same time, solemn. Gigantic flags waved proudly in the air and pilgrims were deep in prayer everywhere you looked.
Thursday was probably the most exciting day for the whole assembly when the Pope made his first public appearance. The anticipation of the crowds was exhilarating! Everyone shouted his name “Benedetto!” and chanted “Viva el Papa!” in anticipation of his appearance.

And then he arrived. The place roared with ovation! The chants grew stronger, the flags soared higher in the air, people everywhere were cheering – the excitement of seeing the Pope and being in his presence was overwhelming!

Our group was quite a distance from the main stage, but getting a glimpse of his figure was enough to hype us all up. Seeing him in person was a weird feeling of awe, happiness and thrill. He was a rock star! And when he spoke, the whole place fell silent . His voice echoed from the giant speakers throughout the city and everyone was listening. It was spectacular.

The re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross on Friday was one of the most amazing moments of my WYD experience. The actors walked through the city from St. Mary’s cathedral to The Domain, to the Sydney Opera House, and finally Barangaroo. There were reflections and prayers after every station. The whole production was so theatrical and devotional.

That prayerful event moved me so much that it brought me to tears.
Never before have I experienced something so magnificent. It was one of those moments that I actually felt the presence of the Holy Spirit – and until now I can still remember that feeling of re-assurance that I wasn’t alone, that I will never be alone; that I have the Holy Spirit to help me get through whatever life throws at me.

Haveing that realisation at that moment was so grand! I wish I could put into words just how wonderful it was to be a part of it but I can only try. You just had to be there!
The highlight of was the Final Mass on Sunday.

World Youth Day was most definitely an experience of a lifetime. It was tough but it was fulfilling. I came out of it with a stronger and renewed faith in God. By going through the trials that we went through, we found the Holy Spirit. It is my hope that our experience in Sydney will serve to renew the faith of our parish and everyone else that we encounter from now on.

I’d like to once again express my infinite thanks to all of you for supporting us all the way through. Without you, none of these would have been possible. It is because of your confidence in our group that I am re-assured that we are exactly where we’re supposed to be – where God wants us to be.