Today we had our catechetical session and liturgy in the town of Pulheim with Archbishop Dolan of Milwaukee. Mark Pacione from the Archdiocese of Baltimore served as animator.

The afternoon was left free for each group to decide their own activities and prepare for the arrival of Pope Benedict XIV! At the evening delegation meeting, many reported that they now have a close up picture of the Pope. Also at this meeting the following stories were shared of the days activities by delegation members.

• They really appreciated the spirit and celebration of the Ugandan dancers at liturgy
• Today’s Mass was totally amazing. They really felt that Archbishop Dolan really spoke directly to them.
• While waiting for the Holy Father, some pilgrims experienced the reunion of two German friends who held a reunion after first meeting 13 years ago after a pilgrimage to Fatima.
• One group bonded with the French, and even ended up having the French and American flags waving together.
• One of the highlights was the joy evidenced by Bishop Dolan. Many said that he “just glowed with joy at being present and celebrating with the young people.”
• After attending a Eucharistic adoration sponsored by Franciscan University and young woman reported that her experience of today’s liturgy was like as if she had her “first communion” all over again.
• One of the many poignant stories shared was from a young woman who ran into and Iraqi pilgrim when she was almost literally hit by the flag they were carrying. While she felt tension at first, it was clear that both moved beyond the politics and saw a real face. She said “We love you guys” and he responded “We love you too!”

Clearly our pilgrims have had an experience of something larger.

Michael Crouteau

Benedicto!  … Pap-Ratzi! …. The chants were uncountable and diverse, and all for one person: Pope Benedict XVI, the German Pope, returning to his home country. From the early afternoon bells marking his arrival in Germany, to the packed streets at 7pm, it was obvious that everyone was excited to see the Pope. And it was clear he was excited to see us. Although most of us only saw him as he drove by, the excitement leading up to that moment was justified fully. Benedict’s smile and kinds waves were the perfect way to start his chapter of Papal friendship and love shared with the world’s youth.

Melissa Bands

The keynote speaker of the catechetical session this morning was the Bishop of Milwaukee, Archbishop Timothy Dolan. The theme of his talk centered on meeting Christ in the Eucharist. Archbishop Dolan spoke personally about seeing the Eucharist as a meal of sacrifice, and as the real presence of Christ. Baltimore’s youth were obviously moved when he spoke about the Eucharist “feeding the deepest hunger of our heart.” This message challenged the youth realized that the “Eucharist is God’s sacrifice for us,” and that is greater than “man’s sacrifice to God. The group was enthusiastic about learning the most powerful way Christ stays with us in the Eucharist. Jesus is just as real to us as he was to the three magi. Bishop Dolan delivered his message well and we were pleased to hear him speak.

Kathy Bands

The host parish of the catechetical sessions today was gracious enough to not only welcome over 800 pilgrims, but they also hosted lunch afterwards that was sponsored by World Youth Day. Father Martin, the pastor of Ss Kosmas and Damien, where we were, and I got a chance to speak about his experience with World Youth Day and the youth in his congregation. He told me that the youth have four major organizations within the Church, and are actively involved in the parish. He stated that they also expected more pilgrims than the number that came – even though the church was packed with standing room only! Fr. Martin told us that the parish community volunteers for this experience because they were excited to have so many people praying at their parish! Pulheim, the town in which we are located, was the perfect place for our gathering of prayer!

Joseph Hornig

At 2:45 in the Cologne Train Station, after the delegation returned from our catechesis, the youth were packed together chanting “Bene-D! Bene-D!” During mass earlier this morning, we heard the sound of every bell in Cologne ring for the safe arrival of Pope Benedict XIV.

At 4:00 later in the afternoon, a crowd had only barely begun to form along the sidewalks of where the Pope would pass, much to our surprise. However, when we arrived at the hotel, five or more channels were all covering the Pope’s journey to Cologne; and the crowd to greet him as he arrived by boat down the Rhine river was gigantic.

By 7:15 as Pope Benedict was leaving the Dom to parade through the city, we walked up to wait for him to pass, only to find the crowds five rows back from the curb. Fifteen minutes later, Pope Benedict dove by in his Big Papa Mobile and we got pictures of the surprisingly petite Holy Father. Pope Benedict’s demeanor was very lively and he appeared very happy as he was greeted by hundreds of thousands of youth welcoming him with enthusiasm and love. Very excited to make his first trip out of Rome to World Youth Day, Pope Benedict seemed comfortable with the public adoration being in his home country. The public clearly embraced the Holy Father and while he will be meeting with church leaders tomorrow, everyone is looking forward to the papal mass Sunday morning.

Kelly LeFleur

Today I had my first encounter with Pope Benedict XIV, and I do not think it could have gone any better. As the Pope passed by me in the parade, the first thing I noticed was the huge smile on his face. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world welcomed him and you could tell he was excited by it! As I saw him driving away I felt at ease about the future of our Church. Being the successor of John Paul II, who was so supportive of the youth, I saw that Pope Benedict is just as dedicated to us – it is clear in his enthusiasm and smile. It is also clear that he is just as excited to be in Cologne as we are!

Mauricio Gomez Parra

Hoy fue el gran dia. El Papa Bendicto XVI llego a Colonia. Miles y miles de personas nos reunimos en las calles de esta bella ciudad para darle una calurosa bienvenida al Santo Padre, quien salio de su pais de origen hace 20 anos hacia Roma.

Tuvimos un buen lugar entre la multitud para ver al Papa. Estuvimos en el puro frente de la calle donde el paso cerca de nuestro hotel. Esperamos casi cuatro horas y valio la pena por que lo vimos a un metro de distancia. Fue una experiencia maravillosa porque no muchos tienen la oportunidad de ver al papa tan cerca como lo vi yo.

English Translation from above:

[Today was the big day. Pope Benedict XVI made his way to Cologne. Thousands and thousands of people gathered along the beautiful city to give the Holy Father a warm welcome in his home country after twenty years of being away in Rome. We got a great spot in the front road to see the Pope in his Pope-mobile close to our hotel.

We waited almost four hours and it was worth it because we saw the Pope about a meter away. It was a marvelous experience because not many people had the opportunity to see the pope as close as I did.]

Donald Mitchell

One of the highlights of my day today was the opportunity to talk with the director of the Choir that performed as part of our catechetical session. I asked him “Where do they get their talent that allows them to sing and perform so well?” Without hesitation, he says that it was through the grace of God. He clearly expressed his belief that without God not of their music would be possible.