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Please click on this photo to see
Fr Geoff's photo page
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Monday, 21st July
EXCURSION TO THE
BLUE MOUNTAINS
Three Sisters
Bishop Paul writes
Monday 21st July
2008
Our last full day in
Sydney worked out
splendidly. We set
out in three coaches
at eight o'clock,
together with the
Brentwood group, for
an excursion to the
Blue Mountains. The
journey inland from
Sydney took us past
Parramatta, where
I'd given my first
catechesis. It was
only today, by the
way, that I
discovered that
Parramatta is also
the name of the
river that flows
into the sea at
Sydney. I found that
out from Marilyn,
the guide for our
coach. As we went
along, she explained
something of the
history of Australia
and of the Blue
Mountains area. She
put up very well
with the rather
quirky sense of
humour of some of
the pilgrims. At one
point she asked what
animals we thought
we might expect to
see later on, when
we went to a
wildlife park in the
afternoon. After
we'd run through the
obvious candidates,
kangaroos, koalas
and so on, things
got a bit out of
hand as there were
shouts of 'elephant'
and 'tiger' from the
back of the coach. I
was rather amused
also by a comment
made by Fr Stephen.
Marilyn had told us
that a wallaroo was
a cross between a
kangaroo and a
wallaby, he told us
that a wombat must
be a cross between a
womble and a
dingbat!
The drive up into
the mountains took a
good couple of hours
and the mountains
themselves are
obviously very
extensive. We'd
entered an area that
looked quite
mountainous after an
hour or so, but
there was still a
good distance to go
before we got to the
heart of the range
and arrived at
Katoomba, where we
stopped at a place
called 'Scenic
World'. Here we got
into a cable car and
crossed a deep
ravine which gave
spectacular views of
the distant view and
of the nearby rock
formations. One of
these was called the
'Three Sisters',
three very striking
out-crops of rock
which legend has it
were three victims
of some ancient
curse that turned
them into stone.
From there we
entered a building
constructed high on
the mountain side.
Here there was a
shop, a vistors'
centre and a
restaurant where we
later had lunch.
First though, we
transferred into
some open-topped
railway carriages to
go down about eight
hundred feet, in
what is claimed to
be the steepest
railway in the
world. At 52
degrees, this claim
is understandable.
When we got to the
steepest part, it
felt more as if it
was vertical. I
certainly wouldn't
have wanted it any
steeper! The
carriages, though
open-topped, did
have a metal screen
overhead, for which
I was grateful. From
the bottom we had a
chance to wander
along a wooden
walkway that
meandered through
the forest, from
which we could get
an impression of the
land, the vegetation
and -- if we were
lucky -- some of the
birds and animals.
My outstanding
impression was of
the height and the
variety of the
trees. We climbed
back to the level of
the visitor's centre
by means of another
cable car, which
appeared to ascend
at an angle not much
less than that of
the railway. Our
visit was rounded
off with lunch in
the restaurant,
which we quickly
realised was slowly
rotating, so that
everyone had an
opportunity to see
the view.
From Katoomba we
drove some way back
down the mountains
to an IMAX cinema,
where we saw a very
striking documentary
about the wild areas
of Australia in
general, the Blue
Mountains in
particular and with
a particular focus
on the recent
discovery of some
very ancient trees
in an isolated area
of the wilderness.
These had been
though to have
become extinct sixty
five million years
ago, the same period
during which the
dinosaurs became
extinct -- so it's
the vegetable
equivalent of
discovering an
isolated area where
there were still
dinosaurs running
around! We then
drove back down to
the outskirts of
Sydney, where we
called in at
Featherdale Wildlife
Park. This was
probably the
highlight of the day
for most, though the
visit to the
mountains had been
pretty spectacular
too. There was a
mixture of animals
and birds, some in
large enclosures,
others in the open.
We had the
opportunity to feed
the kangaroos and
stroke the koalas --
though the queue for
the koalas was, not
surprisingly, rather
a long one.
We drove back into
Sydney, to the
church of St Bede,
where (still with
the Brentwood group)
we celebrated Mass.
Though there would
be Masses in the
morning, there was a
farewell note to
this one, as it
would be the last
time on the
pilgrimage when we'd
celebrate together.
It was a small
church, but we just
managed to fit in,
and we had a great
welcome from Fr
Colin, who had
accommodated us at
relatively short
notice, after our
original arrangement
had to be cancelled.
From St Bede's it
was a short walk to
Darling Harbour,
where a very good
barbecue supper had
been booked for us,
on a floating
restaurant, the
South Steyne. A
great way to round
off what had been a
very enjoyable final
day.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Monday, 21st July:
15-Blue Mountains (2m
53s)
Posted 22-07-08
1:05 pm London time |
Cable Car
From the Cable Car
Railway
Koala
Kanga and Roo
Kangaroo - arms folded
What can I say?
Didgeridoo
Supper on the boat
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Saturday and Sunday, 19th/20th July
PILGRIMAGE WALK,
EVENING VIGIL and
FINAL MASS
Evening Vigil
Bishop Paul writes
Saturday/Sunday
19/20 July 2008
According to the
official World Youth
Day programme, there
would be a walk of
pilgrimage from
somewhere just north
of Sydney to
Randwick Racecourse,
the venue for the
overnight Vigil and
closing Mass. Our
hotel is in a
southern district of
Sydney and we're
within about four
miles of Randwick,
so it made sense to
do our own walk of
pilgrimage directly
from the hotel,
rather than to catch
a train to the
official starting
place. We left about
half past ten and,
although it wasn't a
long walk by any
means, it did take
us something
approaching two
hours. We were
carrying the gear we
needed for sleeping
out and we stopped a
couple of times
along the way -- and
of course things
always take longer
when you have a
group that you need
to keep together.
The racecourse
itself is naturally
pretty large and it
took us quite a long
time to walk around
it to the gate we
had been allocated.
From there, too, it
was quite a long way
to our proper place.
This was actually a
good thing as each
step took us nearer
to the stage and we
ended up closer to
it than most of the
pilgrims. Though we
were still too far
away to see any
detail of what was
happening on the
stage, we had a good
view of the two main
screens either side
of the stage and we
felt quite close to
the action.
I wondered what on
earth we were going
to do all afternoon,
as the vigil
wouldn't be starting
till seven. In fact
there were various
bands playing
different varieties
of religious music.
I particularly liked
an Indian band that
was playing in
mid-afternoon. I
didn't catch their
full name, but I'll
see if I can find
out more on the
Internet some time.
Though we arrived in
plenty of time,
there were still
many people there
ahead of us and
being there promptly
did help us to get a
'pitch' all
together, rather
than having to
squeeze in between
other groups.
The vigil consisted
of two main parts.
First we had a
series of young
people giving
various personal
testimonies,
including a deaf
person from Sydney.
Then Pope Benedict
gave us a talk on
the general themes
of World Youth Day,
leading into a short
period of Exposition
and Benediction.
Though the theory
was that we'd all
turn in for the
night when the vigil
finished around nine
o'clock, the fact
that a couple of the
bands continued
playing till around
eleven o'clock
probably reflected a
more realistic
attitude!
It took me quite a
while to get to
sleep, but I was
pleasantly surprised
that I managed to
sleep pretty much
throughout the
night. My sleep was
only troubled at one
point, when I had a
dream that I'd been
carried out of the
stadium because I
was snoring too loud
-- and I didn't know
what to do because
(in my dream) it had
started to rain. In
reality, we enjoyed
dry weather
throughout, so the
only problem was a
little condensation
for those like me
who had some sort of
waterproof covering.
There had been a
touch of anxiety in
the evening, as the
supply of water to
the toilets gave
out, so they
couldn't be used --
but by the time
people were ready
for bed, the
facilities had been
restored.
I woke up around
seven o'clock, to
find quite a few
people already
stirring. Fr Geoff
pointed out the
rather clever way in
which they started
playing music over
the pubic address
system around half
past seven, with the
volume gradually
increasing. I had
wondered what we
were going to do
until ten o'clock,
when Mass was to
start. I found in
fact that, with
Morning Prayer being
said around half
past eight, plus a
considerable
build-up to the
arrival of Pope
Benedict, the time
seemed to pass quite
quickly.
The Mass was quite
lively -- and I must
say I've come to
like the music for
the Mass that we've
been having this
World Youth Day. It
seemed rather
difficult to get the
hang of it when we
first looked at it,
back in England, but
we've heard it
enough now that
we're finding it
fairly easy and it
certainly sounds
good. As I mentioned
in the sound
commentary, I was
particularly struck
with the words of
the Holy Father at
the end of Mass,
reflecting on the
'yes' of Mary. I
won't try to
summarise it here,
so you'll have to
listen for
yourselves! We heard
that the next World
Youth Day will be in
Madrid, confirming
what had been the
dominant rumour I'd
heard during the
past few weeks.
Naturally enough it
took quite a long
time to get out at
the end of Mass. We
were also restricted
in the routes we
could take once we
left the racecourse
-- for reasons of
crowd safety. It did
mean that we ended
up having to walk
considerably further
than we had on the
way in, but I
suppose that can't
be helped. We got
back safely to the
hotel -- and to my
surprise there was
even hot water in
the showers. Perhaps
we got back ahead of
the large Vietnamese
group that is
sharing the hotel
with us. We'll be
going out for a meal
at a local hotel --
a very pleasant way
of rounding off the
day.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Saturday and Sunday, 19th/20th July:
14-Vigil (8m
28s)
Posted 21-07-08
12:30 pm London time |
Dawn
Waiting for the Pope
Procession of Flags
Southwark hoodies
Keeping cheerful
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Friday, 18th July
THE WAY OF THE CROSS
THROUGH THE STREETS OF SYDNEY
Bishop Paul writes
Friday 18th July
2008
I was able to set my
alarm half an hour
later today, as my
catechesis was at no
great distance from
the centre of
Sydney, so my car
didn't have to leave
till about a quarter
past seven. As it
happened, though, I
woke up at five
o'clock anyway, so I
ended up at the
bishops' hotel at
the same time as
yesterday. As luck
would have it, I had
difficulty
connecting to the
wireless hot-spot
this time, so I had
to struggle with it
for a long time --
and still didn't
manage to send my
email to the
diocesan web site
before the car was
due to leave. I did
manage it later,
after I'd got back
from the catechesis.
On the way to the
catechesis, I had
just two companions:
the Bishop of
Brooklyn and a
bishop from
Lithuania.
My destination was
Lewisham -- and it
did feel rather
strange visiting a
place with the same
name as a place in
London that I knew
so well. No offence
intended, but I have
to admit that the
Lewisham in Sydney
is definitely a more
attractive area! At
the church I met
several priests who
had been
accompanying
pilgrims from their
own dioceses. One of
them was a Carmelite
priest who has been
for some years on
the missions in
Zimbabwe. He is
English himself,
though, and he was
for some years at
Aylesford and knows
quite a few of the
older friars. I felt
rather more
confident about the
catechesis today,
not that I was
particularly nervous
before, but I
definitely felt
today that I was
'getting into my
stride'. There was
plenty of time for
questions today and
I got some
interesting ones.
What attitude we
should have towards
other churches and
other religions? How
do we know that it's
God speaking to us
when we pray? What
did I think about
charismatic prayer?
Plus a few others I
can't remember.
There was time to
have something to
eat today, in
between the end of
Mass and the arrival
of my car. I spent a
little time with
some pilgrims from
Toronto and some
from Sudan.
After my return from
Lewisham I made my
way to Barangaroo,
where the Southwark
pilgrims were going
to be gathering for
the Stations of the
Cross. The idea was
that the first few
stations would be at
the Cathedral, then
the celebration
would move through
about four or five
other sites in the
city, ending at
Barangaroo. The
pilgrims would
remain at one
particular site, to
which they'd been
allocated, watching
the other stations
on large screens. We
got off to a rather
shaky start. The
screen near us
wasn't working and
the sound cut out
occasionally, so
they rather lost the
attention of many of
the young people at
the start, and
didn't regain it
till quite a while
later. Still, by
about the third
station we were
fully up and running
-- and I must say
the way it was done
was very good. They
had actors
representing Jesus,
Pilate and the
others. They walked
from one setting to
another as the story
unfolded. They'd
adapted the stations
to include the Agony
in the Garden, the
trial before
Caiaphas, the
promise to the Good
Thief, while leaving
out some of the
traditional
stations. I think
the result was to
give a fuller
picture of the
Passion and to make
it rather more
dramatic. The
reflections and
prayers were
reproduced in our
Pilgrim's Handbook
-- and I might very
well use these
myself some time!
They were short of
priests to hear
Confessions, so Fr
Geoff and I were
drafted in to help
things along, which
kept me busy for the
final hour of the
Stations. Some of
the pilgrims went on
afterwards to a
concert, where there
was a group called
'Power Live'
performing. Once
again, however, I
went straight back
to our hotel. I was
glad to have had a
chance to spend some
time with our group,
as I'd been feeling
a bit out of touch
the past couple of
days -- but by the
time the Stations
were over, I was
ready to call it a
day! I did stop off
at a shop on the
way, to buy a
kangaroo-skin bush
hat. I'd checked on
this and it is
legal! I don't know
how it works, but
they do have some
sort of authorised
scheme. Fr Geoff had
recommended a place
called Paddy's
Market, but this
wasn't open at any
of the times
available to us,
given the programme
we were following,
so I bought one at a
shop nearby --
probably having to
pay a bit more, but
I think it was still
the genuine article.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Friday, 18th July: 13-Stations (3m
18s)
Posted 19-07-08
12:20 pm London time |
Lewisham in Australia
With pilgrims from Toronto
Waiting for the Stations of
the Cross
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Friday, 18th
July at 3:00 pm
STATIONs
of the CROSS |
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First Station
The Last Supper |
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Second Station
The Agony in the
Garden |
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Third Station
Jesus before the
Sanhedrin |
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Fourth Station
Jesus before Pilate
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Fifth Station
Jesus is scourged
and crowned with
thorns |
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Sixth Station
Jesus takes up his
cross |
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Seventh Station
Simon of Cyrene
helps Jesus carry
his cross |
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Eighth Station
Jesus speaks to
the women of
Jerusalem |
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Ninth Station
Jesus is stripped of
his garments
and nailed to the
cross |
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Tenth Station
Jesus promises
paradise
to the good thief |
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Eleventh Station
Jesus entrusts Mary
and John
to each other |
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Twelfth Station
Jesus dies on the
cross |
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Thirteenth Station
Jesus is taken down
from the cross |
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Photos
© WYD 2008
These screenshots do
little to capture
the beauty of this
moving
dramatic
representation of
the last hours
before the death of
Jesus.
Please click here to
visit the WYD08 site
to view videos of
each station
and scroll down to
this logo
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Thursday, 17th July
THE HOLY FATHER
SAILS INTO BARANGAROO
Bishop Paul writes
Thursday 17th July
2008
I was getting used
to the routine
today, so I was able
to get to the
railway station in
time for an earlier
train. This allowed
me the ten minutes
or so I needed at
the bishops' hotel,
to send off the
'dispatches'
relating to
yesterday's events,
before I had to
leave in the car for
the catechesis. I
was in a car with
the Bishop of Las
Vegas and a bishop
from Ghana, together
with Archbishop
Michael Fitzgerald
and the Bishop of
the Solomon Islands.
Archbishop
Fitzgerald had been
in charge of one of
the Vatican
departments, the
Council for
Inter-Religious
Dialogue, but
recently he was
appointed as Nuncio
in Cairo. On the
journey I heard a
story that was new
to me, about where
the Solomon Islands
got their name.
Apparently there
weren't many people
who were interested
in becoming settlers
there, so they chose
the name to go with
a story they made
up, that this was
where King Solomon
got the gold for the
Temple in Jerusalem.
The settlers who
were persuaded to
go, didn't find any
gold. Perhaps
they're still
looking!
The venue for my
catechesis was
somewhere in the
same general area as
yesterday, a place
called Pennant
Hills. I'm not sure
if this is
considered part of
Parramatta or part
of a neighbouring
town. Both the
animating team and
the congregation
were rather larger
than last time. The
animators were a
mixture of people
from different parts
of the United States
and Australia.
Apparently the
organisation that is
coordinating the
animation for these
World Youth Day
catechesis sessions
is called 'Net
Ministries' and is
active mainly in
those two countries,
though they also
have some presence
in Ireland and in
some other
countries. We had to
finish a little
early as both the
pilgrims and I had
to get back to
Sydney as promptly
as possible, for the
arrival of the Holy
Father at the
quayside at
Barangaroo, which
had also been the
venue of our opening
Mass on Tuesday. The
transportation for
the bishops was once
more by boat, though
there was a
difference in the
level of security. I
must have had my
pass checked by
about five or six
different people at
one time or another,
and we also had to
go through an
airport-type
screening process.
There was a
tremendous crowd, of
course. Where I was
sitting, with about
two hundred other
bishops, we had a
good view of the
stage and also of
the area behind it,
where the choir and
orchestra were
positioned.
Appropriately enough
the musicians and
singers were all
youngsters, round
about secondary
school age. As we
waited, there were
various times when
the cheering and the
clapping rose to a
new level, as people
thought they saw
signs of Pope
Benedict's arrival,
but they turned out
to be false alarms.
Helicopters were
flying overhead and
police launches were
stationed in the
harbour, emphasising
once again the level
of security, but
also adding an air
of excitement and
anticipation. The
Holy Father arrived
in a vehicle rather
similar to the one
he uses for the
general audience. He
went up the ramp and
greeted the group of
young people who had
been leading the
singing on stage.
There was an
'indigenous
welcome', in the
form of a dance
performed by an
aboriginal group.
Then followed a
speech of welcome
from Cardinal Pell,
the Archbishop of
Sydney, and one from
the president of the
Australian
Conference of
Bishops. There was a
short liturgy of the
word, centred round
a gospel reading.
The gospel
procession was
rather striking,
with the gospel book
being brought up on
a sort of litter,
decorated with
flowers and foliage,
carried by a group
who I think were
from one of the
Pacific islands.
Unfortunately, it
wasn't very easy to
hear what Pope
Benedict said in his
talk to the young
people. I hope it
may have been easier
to hear from the
audience. (We were
positioned behind
the stage and behind
the loudspeakers). I
walked back to the
central railway
station, alongside
the crowds of young
people, and there
was a great buzz of
excitement from the
occasion. Once again
I went back to our
hotel without
staying for any of
the other events of
the evening. It had
been an early start
and I had several
things to do when I
got back. It already
felt as if it had
been a long day, and
I reckoned I'd had
enough for one day.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Thursday, 17th July: 12-Pope
Benedict's Arrival (5m
05s)
Posted 18-07-08
12:20 pm London time |
Animators
The Gospel Procession
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Wednesday, 16th July
Catechesis
Bishops in hotel foyer waiting
for cars to take them to
Catechesis centres
Bishop Paul writes
Wednesday 16th July
2008
The five o'clock
start was
successful, I'm glad
to say, and I
arrived at the
official bishops'
hotel around half
past six -- with
just time to cup of
coffee and a bite to
eat. When I went
downstairs to the
hotel entrance, to
see if the cars were
ready, I saw that
one of the bishops
had fainted. He was
receiving attention
from a couple of
medical staff and he
recovered after a
couple of minutes. I
didn't know him and
I didn't hear the
rest of the story,
as we were all being
shipped off to our
catechesis
destinations, but I
hope he was all
right.
We had quite a long
journey, which took
us right out of
Sydney to a sizeable
city called
Parramatta. There
was a drive of about
fifteen minutes on
the motorway, once
we got out of
Sydney, and the
whole journey took
nearly an hour.
There were four
others in my car:
the Cardinal from
Sudan, the bishop of
Loretto in Italy,
the bishop of Brunei
and a priest who was
his assistant and
was also giving a
catechesis. We were
each dropped off at
a church or school
in a different
district of
Parramatta.
I was taken to the
church of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel, run
(appropriately
enough) by a
community of
Carmelite priests. I
told them that their
order was well known
where I come from,
as they run the
shrine of Aylesford.
By a welcome
coincidence, today
was also the feast
of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel. As today was
the first of the
catechesis sessions,
I was expecting that
some of the pilgrims
would be late
finding their way to
the church, since
they wouldn't have
been there before.
When we started
there were about
twenty pilgrims, who
had been staying at
the school next
door. (I thought of
our troubles at the
hotel and realised
that others had also
had to rough it a
bit. They'd been
sleeping on the
classroom floors,
though they did at
least have the
benefit of a gym-mat
to take off a little
of the hardness of
the floor.) By ten
o'clock we'd picked
up some more
pilgrims and
eventually we had
about a hundred.
Some of the
parishioners joined
us too, which was
rather nice.
I hadn't done a
catechesis of this
sort before, so I
hadn't been at all
sure whether the
notes I'd prepared
would be enough for
half an hour. Also,
of course, I didn't
just read from my
notes, but it was
important to have
them there, in case
I forgot what I had
been planning to
say! I think it
worked out about
right in the end. We
had time for
questions and still
started Mass on time
at eleven o'clock.
Afterwards we had
lunch on the
playground of the
school next door,
where the
parishioners had
cook us some
sausages, which we
ate (as usual) in a
sandwich. We've had
sausages rather a
lot, but they are
rather good, so I've
got no complaints! I
had a chat with some
of the pilgrims.
Some of them were
from Waga Waga, some
hours away to the
south. Others were
from Edmonton in
Canada and there was
quite a large group
from Los Angeles.
Some of the Los
Angelinos were from
the same parish as
the three animators
who led us this
morning.
The pilgrims spent
the rest of the day
in Sydney, visiting
some of the venues
of the youth
festival. On the
train back to our
hotel, I met some
pilgrims from
Oklahoma and Kansas.
They had visited a
couple of places but
hadn't been able to
get into one of them
because it was too
crowded. They were
going on to visit
the cathedral.
Before catching the
train back to the
hotel, I spent an
hour or so at the
official bishops'
hotel. I had brought
my laptop and I
found that there was
wireless Internet
access, so I was
able to send off
some more material
for the diocesan web
site. I didn't try
to attend any of the
events in Sydney
today, as I was
rather tired from my
early start and I
needed to look at
the material I was
going to use for
tomorrow's
catechesis. There
were one or two
topics I wanted to
write about a bit
more fully and I
also needed to look
at the Mass readings
for tomorrow and
Friday. As I type
this I can hear
voices outside, so I
think our pilgrims
may have come back.
I'll pop outside and
see how they've been
getting on.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Wednesday, 16th July: 11-Catechesis (4m
14s)
Posted 17-07-08
11:30 am London time |
With the animators
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Tuesday, 15th July
SYDNEY
Sydney Opera House from the
Harbour
Sydney skyline from the Harbour
Bishop Paul writes
Tuesday 15th July
2008
Our first night at
the hotel has been
rather fraught, to
say the least. I'd
heard that many of
the pilgrims had
found their rooms
dirty and even, in
some cases, with
cockroaches in some
of the darker
corners. It's
extraordinary that
even a cheap hotel
should let the place
get into that sort
of state. The staff
did what they could
to sort out the
worst of it and
we've been asked to
put our things back
in our luggage, so
that they can give
the rooms a thorough
clean-out while
we're away during
today.
I left early, so
that I could get
into town to get
myself registered
and to find out
exactly were I'm
going to be giving
the catechesis
tomorrow. I've heard
that it's somewhere
out of Sydney but I
didn't know what the
transport
arrangements were. I
had to hunt around a
bit, but eventually
I found one of the
two official hotels
for the bishops.
They didn't have the
documentation at
that stage, but they
said to come back
after midday. That
was quite good in a
way, because it
meant I didn't need
to hang around and
could go and join
the Southwark
pilgrims on their
cruise around Sydney
Harbour, which was
due to leave at
eleven. I even had
some time to spare,
so I was able to
visit a place where
Internet access was
available, so that I
could update our web
site.
I didn't have any
trouble meeting up
with our group and I
was glad to find
they'd managed the
train journey
successfully. We all
got onto the same
boat and had a trip
that lasted nearly
an hour. It's a
beautiful harbour
and the recorded
commentary gave us a
good impression of
what the place must
have been like in
the early days, when
settlers first
colonised the
harbour. Now things
are very different
and we saw some of
the mansions that
millionaires have
built along the
shore.
Back at the bishops'
hotel, I was able to
collect my ID badge
and the details of
the arrangements for
the catechesis. I
don't know Sydney
well enough to tell
where the place is,
just from the name,
but the main thing
is that I know I
need to be back at
the bishops' hotel
at 6.45 tomorrow
morning and that I'm
going to be in car
number 17. I had a
couple of hours to
spare before I
needed to get over
to Barangaroo for
the opening Mass, so
got myself some
lunch and spent some
time reflecting on
the readings for the
Mass tomorrow.
For the opening
Mass, I had heard
that we had to get
to a certain area by
three o'clock, to
get vested, but I
hadn't had any
instructions about
how to get there. I
ended up arriving
with a vast number
of young pilgrims,
in a procession that
completely filled
the street along
which we were
walking. It was slow
progress, but it did
give me a feel for
the atmosphere and
the spirit of the
occasion, as the
young people were
singing and chanting
and waving their
banners. There was a
great air of
excitement in the
air.
There were a couple
of rather striking
things that started
off the Mass. First
there was an
'indigenous welcome'
from a group that
seemed to include
aborigines from
various parts of the
country. I was
sitting next to
Bishop Eugene of
Darwin diocese and
he said that one of
the groups was from
his area. Then there
was a welcome from
the Prime Minister,
Kevin Rudd. He spoke
quite strongly about
the importance of
Australia's
Christian roots and
about how the Church
has been and will
continue to be a
powerful force for
good, despite the
mistakes that have
been made at various
times in history. It
was dark by the time
we'd finished and it
was beginning to get
chilly. (Remember,
of course, that it's
winter here, so it
gets dark early). I
went straight back
to the hotel. I
wanted to get to bed
as early as
possible, knowing
that I'd have to get
up at five o'clock
in the morning, to
catch the train into
central Sydney. I
gathered that the
accommodation had
been sorted out in
the time we'd been
away. There may have
been the odd issue
remaining, but at
least we'd be OK as
regards health and
safety!
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Tuesday, 15th July: 10-Sydney (3m
08s)
|
Planning meeting
With Vietnamese pilgrims
On the way to the Opening
Mass
The Opening Mass
Bishop
Eugene from Darwin at the
end of the line on the
right. Next to him is Bishop
Michael of Maitland and
Newcastle, where we'd been
for our days in the diocese.
Tuesday, 15th
July at 4:30 pm
at Barangaroo
Opening
Mass
and the arrival of the
WYD cross and
icon
Principal Celebrant:
Cardinal George
Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
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Photos:
© WYD 2008
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Earlier in the
day,
the Holy Father
met
some of the
natives
Photos:
© WYD 2008
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Monday, 14th July
En route to Sydney for WYD08
Bishop Paul writes
Monday 14th July
2008
We had a gentle
start today, not
needing to be over
at East Maitland
till eleven o'clock.
That gave me plenty
of time to pack,
with an hour to
spare, so I took a
walk along the High
Street to get a few
photos of Maitland
before I left. The
weather has turned
wet this morning,
with a light drizzle
which, as I said to
our hosts, reminded
me of home! At the
end of the High
Street I turned to
the right and came
back along a path
beside the Hunter
River. We said our
goodbyes and drove
over to East
Maitland, where we
celebrated Mass
before leaving on
the coach to go back
to Sydney.
The coach journey
took about three
hours, allowing for
a short stop on the
way. We were aiming
for a beach called
Bronte, about two or
three miles from
Bondai Beach. The
idea was that we'd
have a walk along
the shore and get a
little impression of
the general area. It
was a mixture of
rocky headlands, not
very different from
what you might find
in parts of
Cornwall, enclosing
small sandy beaches
where people were
surfing. We arrived
around four o'clock,
as the light was
starting to fade. By
the time we got to
Bondi Beach it was
nearly dark. Bondi
is of course a much
larger beach than
the others,
stretching for what
looks like a mile or
so -- a great
expanse of sand,
where there were
quite a few people
in the water, even
at this late hour. A
few of the group
went paddling,
including myself --
as it would seem a
shame to go all that
way and not to have
any contact with the
water. One or two
were more
adventurous and got
more pretty wet --
amidst much
shrieking and
jumping around! We
eventually got
everyone together
again, and we went
over to Nick's
restaurant for
rather a good
supper, considering
the quantity they
were catering for.
(By this stage we
were together again
with the Brentwood
group).
We got to the hotel
around nine. It took
quite a while to get
everyone sorted out,
but they managed it
in the end. I've got
the luxury of a room
to myself, which is
just as well, as
it's a bit cramped.
There's a rather
curious arrangement,
with a double bed
which has a sort of
upper bunk running
across it a the
head. I've put my
stuff on the double
bed and I'm going to
sleep in the bunk.
It seems better than
the alternative of
keeping everything
packed up in the
suitcase all the
time. I'll just have
to make sure I don't
fall out of the
bunk!
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Monday, 14th July: 09-Sydney (1m
50s)
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Bondi Beach
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Sunday, 13th July
Day spent with our host families
A view along the Hunter River,
from Maitland
Bishop Paul writes
Sunday 13th July
2008
Fr Geoff, Fr Dominic
and I were each
going to say Mass in
a different church
this morning. Fr
Geoff, having the
car, went to
Rutherford, a small
town several miles
further up into the
mountains from
Maitland. Fr Dominic
was given a lift to
East Maitland, where
he said Mass at half
past nine. Our
parish priest gave
me a lift to Morpeth,
another nearby town,
where I said Mass at
eight o'clock. The
idea was that the
young people would
go to Mass with
their host family,
at whatever time and
place the family
normally attended.
At my Mass there
were about twenty of
our group, along
with a similar
number of Colombians
-- so the church was
pretty full. There
was a group of
singers and
musicians, who led
us very well in the
singing. The start
of Mass felt quite
familiar, as the
opening hymn was by
Bernadette Farrell
('Christ be our
Light'). We didn't
have a Spanish
lectionary, so we
weren't able to have
any of the readings
in Spanish, but a
couple of the
Colombians led the
singing of two hymns
in Spanish, at the
Offertory and after
Communion. At the
end of Mass (at the
suggestion of the
Colombian priest who
was celebrating with
me) we had a group
photo, before going
into the hall next
door for some
refreshments.
Back at the
presbytery, we had
lunch a little
early, so that the
three of us could go
out for a drive
around the Hunter
Valley wine-making
area, using Fr
Geoff's hire car.
This meant he
couldn't do any
wine-tasting, but we
all have to make
sacrifices at times!
It's beautiful
country up on the
lower slopes of the
mountains. We headed
towards a small town
called Broke, which
made me wonder how
it got its name. I'm
sure there must be a
story there
somewhere! We
stopped at two
wine-makers and had
a taste of two or
three wines in each.
We weren't intending
to take any wine
back to England, of
course, but we
bought half a dozen
bottles as a present
for our hosts -- and
a couple of bottles
of sweet wine for
the housekeeper. On
the way back we
drove through three
or four mining
towns, with
Welsh-sounding
names. Somehow you
expect a mining town
to have close-spaced
terraced houses, but
these had little
wood-built cottages,
each with a bit of
garden. These
particular mines
were worked-out many
years ago and the
areas where the
mining had taken
place had been
planted with trees
and grass, making
some very attractive
recreation areas.
During the remainder
of the afternoon and
evening, I did some
more work on the
catecheses I'm due
to give in Sydney on
Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday. Over the
past few weeks I've
been jotting down
ideas and I've ended
up with quite a lot
of material, but it
needed more
organisation to make
sure that it fitted
naturally together
and related to the
theme for each day.
Over the years, as a
priest, I've become
much more used to
preachng than to
giving talks. I know
roughly how much I
need for a homily,
but it's not so easy
to tell how much I
need for a talk of
about half an hour.
I hope I've got it
about right.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Sunday, 13th July: 08-With
Families (3m 24s)
|
The Winery
A shop we passed on our tour
of the Hunter Valley
The Old Bishop's House
where Bishop Paul, Fr Geoff
and Fr Dominic stayed
Also on Sunday, 13th July
...
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THE HOLY FATHER
ARRIVES IN
AUSTRALIA
Pope Benedict
XVI arrived on
his first visit
to Australia
this afternoon,
landing at
Richmond Airport
(Sydney) RAAF
Military Air
Base
The Holy Father
is welcomed by
Kevin Rudd,
the Prime
Minister of
Australia
He was driven to
Kenthurst
Retreat Centre,
set
in 25 acres of
native bush land
on the outskirts
of Sydney,
where he will
rest until he
travels to
Barangaroo
on Thursday,
17th July.
The Holy Father
in the grounds
of Kenthurst
Retreat Centre
Photos:
© WYD 2008
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Saturday, 12th July
Newcastle
Bishop Paul writes
Saturday 12th July 2008
We had a slightly earlier
start today, gathering for
Mass at East Maitland before
getting the train into
Newcastle, where there was
to be a gathering of all the
groups staying in the
diocese. We found that the
Colombians were already in
the church so, to avoid
missing our train, we said
Mass in the hall -- thanks
to some quick fetching and
carrying on the part of the
parish volunteers. The first
reading described the
calling of the prophet
Isaiah and Fr Dominic spoke
of the call to holiness (a
major theme of this
pilgrimage) and how it is a
calling for everyone.
From East Maitland it was a
walk of just ten or fifteen
minutes to the nearest
railway station. As we
waited for the train we saw
a number of heavy goods
trains rolling past, mostly
loaded with coal going down
to the great port at
Newcastle. With the large
number of pilgrims
travelling, the train was
pretty crowded, but the
carriages are quite large
and comfortable compared
with what we have in
England, so we managed well
enough. Once we arrived
there was only a short walk
before we arrived at our
destination, a large park
that has the harbour on one
side and the long sweep of 'Nobby's
Beach' on the other.
There was quite a good crowd
when we arrived, with groups
of pilgrims drifting in all
the time, but there was
still plenty of room for us
to find a place on the
grass. There were several
entertainments happening on
the stage. When we arrived
there was a man who did
conjuring and juggling. He
was followed by two or three
singing groups of various
sorts. At midday we had our
Welcome Liturgy, including a
welcome from the local
Bishop and, naturally, the
World Youth Day song. During
the afternoon the
entertainments continued on
the stage, with a number of
activities available in
different parts of the park
and on the beach -- and of
course there were all sorts
of things available to eat,
from various stalls. The
names of some of the stalls
gives some idea: Woodfire
Pizzas, Beavertails --
toppings on fried bread,
Nightcare Van -- indigenous
foods, Funky Fudge, Pete's
Paella, Master Kebabs ...
plus of course the more
typical Australian pies and
Lamingtons. We'd been
introduced to the Lamingtons
when we arrived at East
Maitland on Thursday.
They're a light sponge cake,
covered with a sugary
coconut topping, evidently
very popular.
There were dozens and dozens
of countries represented
amongst the pilgrims. I got
talking to one group, who
turned out to be from the
Tokelau Islands, somewhere
in the Pacific. They were
getting ready to go onto the
stage for a performance of
their traditional dance.
There were people from the
Cook Islands, New Zealand,
Colombia, Canada, the United
States, Belgium, Mexico,
Germany, Switzerland,
Holland ... and a lot of
others I can't remember.
From England there were also
groups from Liverpool and
Brentwood. I think the group
from Arundel and Brighton
were there too, though I
didn't actually see them.
This, of course, was only
those who were staying in
this particular diocese.
It'll be quite a sight when
everyone converges on
Sydney.
By about three o'clock we
were ready to leave. Some of
the families that people
were staying with would be
attending the Saturday
evening Mass, so we didn't
want to be back too late.
Not all the groups were able
to get on the same train,
but we all got back safely.
Please click this button to
listen to Bishop Paul's audio
diary
Saturday, 12th July:
07-Newcastle (4m 16s)
|
With three members of a group from
the Tokelau Islands in the Pacific
| | |
