ARCHDIOCESE OF BALTIMORE DELEGATION JOURNAL

David from St. Ann's: World Youth Day in Sydney, Austria has officially begun!

This morning I got up still feeling a little tired having not adjusted yet to the time zone. However, I was able to fill up on a full breakfast of eggs and spaghetti (apparently part of a true Australian breakfast.) Then we met for an Archdiocesan delegation meeting. There I had the opportunity with our delegation the story of Saint Faustina (a WYD '08 patron) and my grandfather's great devotion to Divine Mercy as he died of cancer and the great comfort it brought him. Then, we sang the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song together which seemed to touch everyone.

Next our delegation from St. Ann's took one of the city trains to the ferry docks. There we boarded a ferry that took us across the harbor to Taronga Zoo. At the zoo, we saw kangaroos, koala, dingoes, and a lot more. The coolest was from anywhere in the zoo you had a spectacular view of the harbor.

After meeting us with the rest of the Archdiocese, we headed for a place called Barangaroo for the opening mass. As we walked and I could see the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims standing and waving flags, I felt chills go through my body. It struck me like a ton of bricks, how UNIVERSAL our church is and that people throughout the world love Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith as much as I do.

Now as I sit watching the WYD fireworks display over the harbor, I thank God for this day and the opportunity to attend WYD '08.

Maureen from Holy Trinity: Well, another amazing day in Australia has come to an end. It's hard to believe how many people we've met, songs we've sung, and languages we've heard just today. We began out day with prayer like any good pilgrims. Saint Ann's led us in singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet – pretty powerful. Then the kids from St. Louis got us mingling with a fun little ice-breaker. The group is starting to really bond as time goes on and the different parishes have a chance to get to know each other. Our first delegation meeting included a review of schedules, meal plans, and the resources that come in our very bright World Youth Day backpacks.

Because the catechetical sessions don't start until tomorrow, we had some free time for the rest of the morning into the afternoon. Many of us chose to take a ferry over to the zoo. We saw koalas, emus, and kangaroos – some of the group even got to pet one.

When we got back, the whole group reconvened and embarked on a little walk through Sydney to the Opening Mass. As we got closer to Barangaroo where it was being held, we saw more and more pilgrims. We made friends with a group from Australia and also met up with about forty Sisters for Life. The Mass itself was indescribable. There were flags from every country imaginable as far as the eye could see. Australia's own Cardinal presided, and the Aboriginal people played a role in various parts of the liturgy. It was truly unlike anything I have ever witnessed before.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good day in the life of a pilgrim.