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Wednesday - WYD 2005 |
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All of the Boston group got up really early this morning for a Rhine River Cruise. This is a picture of some of us. Our plans were changed beyond our control but look at the smiles and wait until you see what the Holy Spirit has done today! |
It is amazing that when you view life as a Christian pilgrimage the inconveniences to our human plans become the opportunities for God's! Pope John Paul II taught us young pilgrims that "In God's Providence, there is no such thing as coincidence." |
Half the pilgrims had not yet gotten their WYD backpacks so some parishes went on their own adventures while we headed to the Hotel Conti. Everyone there decided to "reset our compass" by beginning the day again with Mass. The other half went to that famous St. Martin church where miraculously there was a one hour opening to celebrate Mass there! |
The courtyard in the hotel with one wall under construction and showing very ancient bricks was the only space we could find to fit us. The sun came out and it was so beautiful. |
The teen pilgrims read the Readings, led songs, and wrote the Prayers of the Faithful |
We prayed for all the Pilgrims, that they may find the Star of Wisdom and Truth today and always; family, friends, and supporters back home; our soldiers, the sick, and for everyone's safety; for peace, to find what we look for; and many other ones added spoken and unspoken. |
Fr. Chris and Fr. Marc celebrated the Liturgy. Thank you also to "Magnificat" who has supplied all the Pilgrims with a special WYD Spiritual Guidebook available in many languages alongside a translation of our universal Latin! |
These pilgrims play hard and pray hard. People peeked out from the windows all around us enthralled to see and to listen to what was going on. Never underestimate your own Christian witness! |
"Our Father..." |
"Peace be with You" |
St. Mary parish in Chelmsford who invited some of the Team to spend the afternoon with them as they explored the city. |
The Boston Chinese Community at St. James the Greater in Boston shared with us how beautiful Germany is and how friendly, open, welcoming and sharing these people are to so many different people and countries for the one specific reason of celebrating the same faith and to pray and praise Jesus! |
These pilgrims from Ipswich shared that they loved this particular Liturgy because they were reminded of our second level leadership program CLIMB and what the early Church believers and pilgrims must have thought and felt celebrating a simple outdoor Liturgy. |
St. Elizabeth, Acton gave out a bookmark they made with their parish and the WYD logo on it to a young Austrian man and he began to cry! When asked why he pointed out that St. Elizabeth of Hungary was both his home parish now and where he was born!!! (I know it is a little blurry but..... |
...I hope I made up for it in this one at lunch!) These daring pilgrims are brave enough to eat an authentic German lunch! |
This is one of the stages for concerts and events all over Koln, Dusseldorf, Bonn, and every stadium or gathering place in between! This is a German group who covered vintage 80's American and Christian songs named "Young Hope". A name speaks volumes, huh? |
Some of the pilgrims continued their spiritual pilgrimage by visiting the local Catholic Churches. This is the banner right inside St. Ursula parish. |
Is there any doubt as to why the teens keep overflowing the city? They repeatedly tell us that the daily Liturgies and the Churches are their favorite highlights each day. The sacred art calls to them and draws them nearer to Christ! |
The witness of the Saints is always all around us to call us deeper along the next step in our faith. "Fear Not" "Duc in Altum" |
The other highlight we keep hearing is that they are amazed to see so many young, happy, proud, and faithful Catholics from all over the world who want to share these gifts with others and who want to keep growing in their faith from the gifts of others. |
More and more pilgrims are filling up this city each day. Many times we will stop to exchange cheers, chants, dances, and songs. (We could not resist a "little" Red Sox chant when we met New York Pilgrims!?!) |
A group sang for us and we sang for them... |
...And together we sang "Amazing Grace" each in our own language. |
St. Edith Stein Memorial She is a patron of this World Youth Day. |
She was born into a devout Jewish family. In her youth she consciously stopped praying, lost her faith, and studied philosophy |
Crises in her life led her to search for the truth. She converted to Catholicism and joined the Carmelites. |
The secret police arrested her... |
...deported her to Auschwitz... |
...where she died in a gas chamber with others. Truly moving in so many ways and on so many levels. |
At about 8:30pm at night we are caught eating dessert at a cafe outside our hotel by our own Boston Pilgrims! |
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Eight Boston Pilgrims Chosen for Papal Choir!!!
By Steve Colella, OYM Staff, 8/17/05
As one of our Pilgrim groups came back into the hotel last night they
were glowing with excitement! These eight Boston Pilgrims responded to a
little advertisement in one of the Official World Youth Day books asking for
singers for the Overnight.
They had difficulty finding any other info but finally got a volunteer
to keep looking into this for them. They showed up to the WYD site, were
asked to sing a little, and then were chosen to be in the 100 person Papal
choir to sing on stage with the Pope at both the Saturday vigil and the
Closing Liturgy Sunday!
Colleen Wells from St. Cecilia's in Ashland will be there with four of
her teen pilgrims. Jen Campagna will be there as well with two of her
teens!
The Holy Spirit is all over these stories for so many reasons: If the
cruise went as planned they would never been able to hunt down the info for
the site and show up to be picked; the connection with St. Cecilia whom they
have been praying for as their home parish and intercessor, et cetera!
More names and details will come as we get them!
