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On 12 July 2008 a group of young people and friars from around the Province flew to Sydney to participate in World Youth Day and the International Augustinian Youth Gathering that followed.  The reports and photos continue to come in.  Read on for a friar's perspective of events, as well as more news from the young people.

Br Barney Johns OSA:

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi

   Sydney was a spectacular stage for the World Youth Day. After a 22-hour flight to the other side of the world we were met with the easy going friendliness of the Aussies. They were almost disconcertingly helpful and gracious in the face of tens of thousands of Pilgrims. And the sight of the Opera house, Harbour Bridge and Botanical Gardens under the gaze of lofty skyscrapers and the Southern Cross was not only awe-inspiring but also used to great effect during the week.

   Our base was St Augustine’s College north of the city. There were 29 in our group which included four Augustinians and Michela as the leader. Suddenly we were amongst hundreds of groups, many of who were singing, praying, walking, dancing, waving banners, and enjoying the atmosphere under the Australian winter sun. The great diversity of cultures and characters in our own group was a microcosm of the whole WYD where we saw people from every corner of the world.

   For the first three mornings several other groups joined us for the Catechesis sessions. Archbishops from Michigan USA, New Zealand and Glasgow instructed us on the theme of the Holy Spirit communicating the love of Christ in our lives and ways in which we can respond. There was also singing and well thought out acting skits that brought an interesting dimension to the theme of being witnesses to the power of the Holy Spirit. Each session ended with mass.

   The arrival of Benedict XVI on Thursday was eagerly awaited – in fact we waited in an area known as the Domain by the Botanical Gardens for some time. We saw his arrival by boat into the city on a big screen. His opening remarks covered a great range of subjects from the dignity of life to secular culture, relativism – all hot favourites for Benedict. He then proceeded to wave his way around Sydney in his Popemobile at breakneck speed. The next day we attended the Stations of the Cross staged ar ound the city. While some people I spoke to found them very moving, our position far from a big screen didn’t really allow a full appreciation of the event. However we did of course make a trip to Bondai Beach. A few of us ventured into the sea for some body surfing which was cold but wonderful (until I was reminded that there has been the occasional shark attack in the area).

   Randwick Racecourse was our final destination for the Vigil and Papal Mass. The 9km pilgrimage walk from North Sydney, across the Harbour Bridge and through the city was a great experience. There were thousands of Pilgrims making the journey. At one point we were met with a relatively small group of protesters with a wide range of complaints against the Catholic Church. But Randwick Racecourse, with 200,000 young Catholics and a stage of sacred entertainment of music and dance, was truly memorable.

   This time the Pope had a slow arrival and we managed to get a good view as he drove around the racecourse. Most significantly his vigil talk focused almost entirely on St Augustine and his words on the Holy Spirit and unity. I found a place to sleep wedged between two well-built women from Guam. The rain stayed away but for a few pilgrims the enthusiasm to praise God took hold of them at 4.30am. They seemed alarmingly oblivious to those grumbling nearby.

   Despite being tired, the final mass was very moving. The Pope Confirming more than a dozen candidates from all over the world showed the significance of the role of the Holy Spirit.

   AYE

   No sooner had World Youth Day come to an end than we were moving further up the Sydney coastline to Colloroy which boasted spectacular views of the Pacific as well as colourful parakeets and, most importantly, beds and hot showers.

    It began with an ambitious opening ceremony that centredon a Passover meal, Aboriginal dance and a national flag procession.

   The theme of the week was ‘Sharing all things in Common’ and it was a real experience in the deeper level of Augustinian values working in being one heart and one mind. This lay in the simplicity of being together and sharing our experiences of faith, work, culture, as well as music, dance, sport, Eucharist, prayer, and simply having fun. There was even a ‘Head of Fun’ role and, every evening, a Coffee Club where the Australian-Polynesian groups from one of the Sydney parishes impressed us all with thei r musical prowess that included beat boxing. The Brits were called on to entertain which they duly did with a rendition of ‘Wonderwall’.

   Each day had a theme – diversity, prayer, social justice. We were out in the bush to encounter the beauty of New South Wales. The day of Social Justice had presentations on subjects such as working with refugees in Burma to human trafficking. A bush dance, a play with a contemporary take on the life of Augustine, disco, and the Festival of Nations were some of the week’s events.

   It was a full on two weeks of religion – as a friar I came away with a great sense of solidarity with other young Augustinians (both lay and religious) from all over the world. It gave me a foundational and very positive experience of Augustinian Youth at an international level and how one mind and one heart can be brought about.  This was reinforced during the evening out at an Italian restaurant for all the Augustinian religious – the General spoke of the importance of ‘being’ Augustinians to back up the important ministries we work in. The final mass took place on the beach at Colloroy – a liturgy that tied all the many elements of the week. The Australian Province did themselves very proud with their organization, the location of the event, the entertainment and the liturgies.

   Could the next AYE be in Great Britain?

 

Becky Walker, Southport:

I am so proud to say that I was one of the thousands of pilgrims that went to world youth day in Sydney in July.  I will never forget the amazing two weeks i spent in Australia, and all the wonderful people i met along the way.  The best part for me was the vigil with his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, the atmosphere was incredible and so overwhelming, even the 9 km walk up to the racecourse! To be walking in a crowd of hundreds of thousands united in our desire to express our Christian faith.  It was amazing to see how many young people cared so much about their faith and were not afraid to show it.

 

David Boughton, Hythe, Kent:

Sydney was certainly a life changing experience for me and, no doubt, for many others too. The warm mid-winter's sun was a new experience to me. The vast size of the crowd at Barangaroo on the first night was an overwhelming encounter. As were the Lamingtons. The  buzz in the air and excitement in the atmosphere at Randwick was enough to keep me warm overnight. I felt privileged to be in the

crowd of nearly half a million pilgrims at the mass celebrated by Pope Benedict. I enjoyed the week at the Collaroy Centre with the Augustinians as I learnt a lot about people, their countries and their cultures. I learnt new things about Birmingham at the Festival of Nations and I'm sure everyone else did aswell.

It was great meeting so many new people, and catching up with the old. I had a good laugh with the group, (probably the best group) and we had a good time representing the UK. Much will be missed about the 2 weeks in Sydney. In fact, by total coincidence I drove past Harlaxton House in Toowoomba. This is where Lord Lamington, founder of the Lamington himself, resided after creating your favourite Australian treat accidentally, when stale sponge dropped in gravy was slung over his shoulder into a bowl of coconut. He replaced the gravy with chocolate some say, although I'm not so sure. Lamingtons aside, I had a pretty fantastic time on the other side of the world,  but it was made a whole lot better with the participation of so many other people too.

I gained a lot from the whole encounter and everyone was an inspiration to me.

 

Claire Webster, Edinburgh:

After 20 hours of flying we 29 Brits were bussed to St. Augustine’s College in Sydney. Along the way we were taken aback by the beautiful view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge; making us realise we were actually in Oz!

Along with fellow Augustinians from all over the globe we spent our first week at the college with Catechesis every morning at a range of venues near by. It was good to experience different forms of Catechesis which allowed each of us to find something to suit our own preferences.

Our first World Youth Day event was the opening Mass where 200,000 people gathered together at Barangaroo in the heart of Sydney. It was a phenomenal experience to see so many young people come together to celebrate the Eucharist. The crowds would be greater in volume by the weekend as more people from across the world continued to travel to Sydney.

Like the rest of us, a few days later Pope Benedict XVI travelled to Sydney and we once again gathered for his arrival by boat into Sydney Harbour. He then stepped into his Pope-Mobile and drove through the crowds of the city, too fast for many of us to see if it was actually him though!

Now with Pope Benedict XVI and 500,000 more pilgrims in the city by the following weekend we trekked 9km to Randwick Racecourse outside Sydney. We walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge; the first time that the bridge had been closed for pedestrians to walk cross. We slept out under the stars (for those of us who didn’t have tents) and thankfully the rain stayed away which made it a magical experience. We woke up when the sun came up and as far as the eye could see there were thousands of young people all here to be part of Mass with the Pope which he celebrated that morning at the racecourse, which was an over whelming experience. We then all set off again and headed back to the college through the crowds for a hot shower and change of clothes!

As if we hadn’t walked enough, many of our group had booked to climb the top arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which would be a slightly different experience to the walk across it two days before. After being kitted out in the appropriate gear and clipped onto the bridge we ascended five steep ladders and then walked the top arch of the bridge to meet the Australian flag at the top! As the sun set, we definitely had the best view of the city that day!

 

Rick Kelly, Southport, continues…

On the Saturday morning we departed from St.Augustine’s in order to take part in the long walk to Randwick racecourse where we would be having a Vigil with the Pope followed by Mass on the Sunday morning.   I’ve never seen so many people walking at one time - everywhere you looked there were Pilgrims from all different countries. Quite remarkable.  It was the first time that Sydney Bridge was closed to traffic for public use in its history.  After our 6km walk over the bridge and through various parts of Sydney we arrived at the racecourse to find even more people.  We lay our sleeping bags / tents out and did whatever we had to do to pass the time until it was time to have Catechesis with the Pope.  Most of the lads messed about with the football whilst others read or played chess.  

A few hours later and the Pope had arrived ready to address the 400,000 plus Pilgrims who had travelled from all over the world for this fantastic occasion.  His words resounded from the speakers and you could see everyone was excited about the occasion and to be part of it all.

 It was pretty cold that night and it would have been disappointing if it had rained but thankfully it held off and we were all kept dry throughout the night.  Everyone was awake relatively early the next morning and at about 9.30 the Pope did a lap of the course in his Pope Mobile - this time it was a lot slower than when he was in the City and we managed to snap a few pictures.  The Mass itself was good and was the perfect way to end the week we had shared together.  It was a fantastic experience being part of something so big and it will stay with me for ever.

Fast forward two days to Tuesday and we were now moving from St. Augustine’s, leaving behind the cold showers and class room floors where we slept for the Collaroy Conference Centre, which was about 10 minutes away by bus.  Most people were glad to be finally sleeping in a comfy bed and looking forward to hot showers.  Our time at the Collaroy Centre was good, and most days were full with activities and various workshops / discussion groups.  We were able to play a bit of football in our free time and we gave the Aussies a good hiding one day, but the tables were turned when we tried to play them at rugby - they were all much bigger than us!  

The grounds of the Collaroy Centre were really nice and we were close to the sea and had some fantastic views.  We even had chance to feed some of the smaller wild parrots that gathered near the dining hall most days in search of some one with a bit of fruit for them.  

Every country group took part in the “amazing race” one evening where we had various games / tasks to complete but unfortunately we didn’t finish in the top three.  For the final game of the race we had to learn and sing the Australian national anthem but our singing wasn’t our biggest strength and we failed miserably with Puerto Rico, Canada and the Philippines taking the top three spots.

Over the next few nights we had fun taking part in the Australian dancing night which was a good laugh and various other activities like a disco.  This gave us a chance to get to know everyone even more and mingle with people from the other countries.  

The two weeks on the whole went very quickly but even in that short space of time everyone managed to meet new people and make new friends which was great. Being able to see Sydney and Australia was a fantastic experience. It will be something that will stay with me forever. World Youth Day was a brilliant event. It was marvelous to be there with the Pope and so many other young Catholics.  I look forward to future events with the Augustinian Youth Community.

 

I am extremely grateful to Fr Lawlor OSA, the Augustinian Order and to the parishioners at St.John Stone’s Parish, Southport, for making it possible.

 

Paula Linn, Edinburgh:

I will never forget what I experienced during World Youth Day and the Augustinian Youth Encounter!  I feel so privileged to have been a part of it. The experience was indeed powerful and life-changing. Our hosts were extremely welcoming and we were showered with so much kindness and love. I feel that this experience renewed my faith and made my beliefs stronger than before.

It is was amazing being with 500,000 young people…to worship the Lord. The overnight vigil was one of my highlights of World Youth Day. Everyone was so happy and there was a powerful sense of belonging and unity. The important thing about WYD is the fact that I have come back home with a sense of purpose and mission it makes you want to reach out to the young people who have lost their faith or those who have not had faith to begin with.

The second week at the Augustinian Youth Encounter we were given the chance to talk to people from all over the world on a smaller scale. We were given groups and met lots of new people. I found the second week more relaxed, as there were less people. I thought the highlight of AYE was the group presentations not only did we have the chance to hear about other countries but it also strengthened my confidence in getting up in front of people.

I thank God that He gave me the grace to be a part of this great event and look forward to the next one!

 

Scott McDowall, Edinburgh:

Attending World Youth Day allowed me to grow spiritually by providing me the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of God and what it means to be a Christian adult in the modern world.  Had I not attended the pilgrimage then when would I ever have had the chance to share a mass with the Pope and 400,000 other Christians?  Furthermore, when would I ever have had the opportunity be able to speak to so many Brothers, Sisters, Priests, Bishops as well as fellow Christians about faith, vocations and the difficulties of remaining true to religious life?

One particular memory of Australia was the site of 400,000 Christians in attendance at the World Youth Day Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.  To see so many who have travelled from all over the world clearly, in my opinion, showed the power of Jesus Christ in young people even in today’s secular society

 

Sunday 13th July 2008

The group of 29 young people and friars heading out for World Youth Day with the Augustinians met in Hammersmith on Saturday for Mass and a meal before heading to Heathrow for the 22.35 flight to Sydney (arriving 6.15am Monday morning Australia time!).

 

Week 1: the group will be staying at St Augustine's College in Brookvale during the first week, with other Augustinian groups from around the world.

Activities in the first week:

 

Week 2: is the Augustinian International Youth Encounter, 'Sharing All Things in Common' - half an hour up the coast at the Collaroy Centre.

Activities in the second week:

 

Please keep the group in your prayers.

 

Michela Notarianni

 

The Sleep-out

World Youth Day with the Augustinians  12-27 July 2008

For more photos click here.

WPD and AYE photos