ARCHDIOCESE OF BALTIMORE DELEGATION JOURNAL

Sean from St. Ann's: Today we went to Manly for our second catechetical session which was led by Bishop Conroy from England. The session was about the way we are community as Church. After the session, we briefly explored Manly. As we took the harbor ferry back to Sydney, we were stopped in the middle of the bay was the Pope's boat arrival had stopped all water traffic. We could see the Pope's boat from a distance.

We did find a spot to see the Popemobile as it went through the city. It was really cool to see him only 10-15 feet away as he passed by.

In the evening, we went to see singer Matt Maher. Adoration was also a part of this night's program and it was really a moving experience.

Alison from Mount Saint Mary: Thursday began with another exciting morning of catechesis. This time our catechetical session was in a beach town called Manley and Scott led it. Suz, our tour guide, met us for breakfast and took us to the ferry to go to Manley. The ferry rise was very nice and we were able to see the Opera House and the bridge from the water. The church was so beautiful, but it also had a few flat screen TVs which was odd to see in such a conservative style church. Our musician, Curtis Stephan was great! (Check him out!) I feel like the whole dynamic of this catechetical session was completely different from the previous day. I think it was a combination of Curtis and the group of pilgrims that were there, but the Spirit and the energy in that Church were amazing! My favorite part was at the end of Mass the people of Paupa New Guinea got up and sang a song that I believe was specifically written for their WYD journey. Mark later asked us about our main WYD moment and memory so far and that was definitely it for me.

After catechesis, we got the chance for some souvenir shopping and walking the beach in Manley. (It was much cheaper than Sydney!) As I walked down the beach and stuck my toes in the freezing water, I had to keep reminding myself that I was actually in Australia, on Australian sand, in Australian water. It's still just so hard to believe that I'm finally here.

We had to get the ferry back for the Pope's arrival in the afternoon, but we had an unexpected surprise. Our ferry had to stop for a while because the Pope's vessel was still on the water. So even though it was not as we expected to see him arrive, it was very cool and a different experience than most people had. We could see his boat off in the distance preceded by a fire-boat spraying water in front of it and many security boats around it, And we entertained ourselves with cards, music, juggling while we were waiting.

When we arrived back at Circular Quay (pronounced "key," how weird) Suz took some of us to see an Opal shop. They showed us a video and based taught us all about opals, black and white opals, how they were mined, etc. So that was very interesting and educational, and we did some opal shopping while we were there too.

Then Melissa and I found a spot along the route that the Pope would take through the city. We were probably about 10 to 15 people back, because some people had been staking out their spot for hours. I'm glad that we didn't stand there long because when the Pope did come by, he was going so fast that you hardly got a chance to see him. You guys at home probably got a better view of him on TV. I was expecting him to be inching along waving at us, the way he did when he rode around Nationals Stadium on his visit to the US a few months ago. So, I was a little disappointed. I did get a video of him, though, which was a much better decision than to try and take a picture.

The rest of the night held more festival activities around town. Melissa, Caitlin, and I had a great time at Darling Harbour. Well that's it. Thanks for reading. PS: I love you Mom and Dad!