My WYD Reflection

Hi Everyone,

My name is Marla and I am from the Cathedral Parish.

World Youth Day 2011 was my first pilgrimage and it was an incredible experience.

Everything from the people and the places to the food and the culture was amazing.

Each place we visited held different things to be discovered – sometimes about myself or my faith and sometimes about other people in the group.

Some of the highlights for me were the Scavi Excavations, which were just mind-blowing, the awesome atmosphere of the Australian Gathering in Madrid, spending time in the peacefulness of Assisi, climbing up and over and on things to get a glimpse of the Pope from Retiro Park and the many, many laughs and special moments that were had with the fantastic people in our group.

I have been lucky enough to be a tourist many times but being a pilgrim is definitely a different experience altogether. I don’t think I fully appreciated what the difference was before we left, but being a pilgrim has had a very strong impact on me in ways which a tourist experience could never achieve.

Before we left Rachelle taught us Matt Maher’s song ‘Alive Again’ and the words really moved me the first time we listened to it but they have even more meaning now. It was one of the songs we sang on the bus (some times far too early in the morning!) and I would often catch myself thinking of the lyrics as we went along. The chorus says ‘You called and You shouted, broke through my deafness, now I’m breathing in and breathing out, I’m alive again’. I think those words really sum up my feelings around our pilgrimage – I’m alive again.

I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful, inspiring experience and to have been able to share it which such fabulous people.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers – they were certainly answered!

Marla

Reflection

Hi All, this is Dianne from Launceston Parish,

We have been home a week now after what was an opportunity of my life time.  The pilgrimage started nearly 2 years ago, the preparation, the planning, the packing was all leading to the three week whirl wind that was our time away. 

To choose one highlight would be impossible.  When chatting to family and friends I have talked about the tourist highlight – the architecture of Assisi, the streets of Siena, the food in France, the really ancientness of Rome, the madness in Madrid.  Then there were the spiritual highlights – the hope and uplifting feeling in Lourdes, the realisation you were seeing the origin of the Catholic church under St Peter’s Basilica, the calm serenity of the Hermitage in Assisi, the sweet singing of the Poor Clare Nuns.  The number of young people who have chosen a religious life path was astounding to me.  Whilst I realise the places we visited were skewed to being of a religious focus, it was still inspirational to see the numbers of Christian people visiting, sitting, touching, staring and reverently praying in every church, cathedral and basilica we visited.  And with no exceptions every pilgrim in our group was also an inspiration, if every young person takes the passion we found on this journey and lets it grow, and take hold of their thoughts and actions, the world (well at least Tasmania) will be a better place. 

My girls will tell you I am a woos, and I  will admit, there were moments.  Our last mass in Segovia, when everyone was sharing their highlights, I had a sense of being “the mum” (even though I consciously tried not to be) and sending my children off into the wide world, having cared for and nurtured them – even if it was only for three weeks...or a bit longer.  I felt hopeful, that they were all going to do well, that they were going to be okay. 

Can’t finish this without a word of thanks to the CYM team – awesome – each having talents that were needed, from the up front and ultra organised Rachelle, to the quiet beaver Michael and the spiritually knowledgeable time keeper Fr Mike.  To the multi talented leaders, the fun loving responsible adults and the inspiring youth, thanks for everything, looking forward to catching up at the reunions and meetings over the next months.  PS  thank you to everyone for your prayers and thoughts, they all were answered, even the thunder storm at the evening vigil and sleep out was heaven sent and worked out perfectly, there were no major health issues, and everyone returned safely (assuming the last of the stragglers make it back sometime soon??) 

Dianne Haworth (Leader of ELTTDE group – that is Eve, Laura, Tim, Tom, Dianne, Eddy)