World Youth Day - St. Alberts

Journey Back...

2011-08-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, we have just successfully returned from the vigil and the Final Mass with the Holy Father. What an amazing time. God is certainly sending us a message. This is our 4th (Katie A, Carrie and I) World Youth Day and for some reason there is miserable weather ONLY on the night of the Vigil. You may have seen in the news that it rained pretty hard around dusk. The winds were also high. Some of us complained, some were silent, and some laughed hysterically, and some even rejoiced. On a side note, there were several people at WYD that we certainly dressed inappropriately, and some of us were thinking that the rain and the wind was God's "put some clothes on" message. :-) Nevertheless, I had talked to the group before we left about "there is no resurrection without the cross and death". Well, there was certainly a cross last night (some were even not felling well, sniffles and coughing). But we trekked through it, and we are now rejoicing in our hearts. Thank you again for all of your prayers. Several of the pilgrims are looking forward to the journey home now.

We leave Spain tomorrow, and head to London for Monday night. Not sure if there is WIFI, and we really don't have much time in London (other than to sleep), so this might be my last update. If you hadn't made arrangements to pick up your pilgrim before we departed, you might want to plan a bit. Our flight to Detroit is Continental CO2396, and we arrive at 7:35pm on Tuesday evening.

Thanks again and God Bless!!!

~BW

Last day of the Festival

2011-08-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of the festival. Another great day. We spent much time in Adoration, Mass, Confession, and Theology of the Body talks (which were excellent, by the way). Nothing much new from the previous 2 days. However, since I have a minute, I'll talk about the comparison of previous World Youth Days.
Carry Your Cross: It seems that no matter who you bring, how well you discern, or what you prepare for, there will be crosses. This WYD is no different. Granted, this WYD experiance has been for the most part "problem free". However, there are daily crosses that we are all called to take up, and if any one decides not to, then it becomes a cross for the group (e.g. 'my legs are sore', 'I'm hungry', 'I don't want to go to that...', etc.). However, in our planning, we had talked about how you can't have the resurrection without the passion and death. This pilgrimage, even through we expected 'smooth sailing', there are undoubtedly challenges for all of us. Thank you for your prayers for helping us get through...
Food: I admit, I was skeptical about the food situation. However, it has impressed me. In past WYD's, you were all (and I mean all 1Million of ya) given the same WYD slop, and we all ate it. It was either eat it or starve. This year, however, Spain had set up an arrangement will almost ALL of the local resturants to accept vouchers for food. So, if you wanted Burger King, you could get Burger King, if you wanted a sandwich and a salad, you could get a sandwich and a salad, and so on. I assumed that the lines for resturants would be extremely long. I was wrong. They have actually been quite small. The unforseen challenge has been now, just the shear option of choice. 1 group of 25 people might all want 3, 4, or 5 different selections. Considering the seas of people, and the strict meeting times, this is a somewhat a new challenge.

That is all for now. Tomorrow is the vigil, so I won't have an update until Monday. Thanks for the prayers, and I hope to see you on TV!!! ;-)

~BW

Yesterday and Today

2011-08-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

I will start out by talking about the news media that may have reached you by now. There was a 'supposed' riot at a plaza during WYD yesterday. It was actually at a plaza very near to our hostel (100 yards away). However, none of our group was there at the time. The information that I know about this group, is that (1) their priority is economical (Spanish), and (2) there were joined by other groups that have stances contrary to Catholic. The police were aware of this demonstration, and cleared it out quite quickly. There are about 1.5 million Catholic here, and it sounds like there were about 300 demonstrators. They, quite honestly, are just looking to stir up anger and paint WYD in a bad light in the media outlets, and then use that as a platform for their social cause(s). I heard about 20 people were cared for (bruises and scrapes), but all in all, it was a lousy attempt at pushing a cause. Anyway, as a safety precaution we are sticking to much larger groups (instead of 2-4, more like 10-15), and making sure that a cell phone is with all group at all times. This is not hindering our World Youth Day experience at all, we are just pilgrimaging smarter. No need to worry. ;-)

I digress...
Yesterday, in the morning, as with every WYD, we went to Catechesis. Our Catechesis site is a large stadium (about Joe Louis size; 18-20,000), and the music and reverence is incredible. I have videos, and I'm sure people have pics too (when I get home). Following Catechesis yesterday, we visited a couple of the large Churches in Madrid. Both were beautiful, but it is tough to compare to the Churches of Rome too. From there, we trekked over to Detroit Diocese Mass (@Mikey: Ironically only a few blocks from the Michael Voris event, but no he wasn't there). The Mass was nice. As always, it was nice to see some familiar faces, and to meet our new Bishops. From there, most of us went to the MarianFest, an incrediable gathering of talks and music, just to honor Mary.

Now today, Catechesis was again very nice. After Catechesis, about 1/2 of the group left to get a spot to see the Pope, the other 1/2 stayed with me for a series of talks on Theology of the Body. The talks were mostly headed by Jason Evert (who I am COMPLETELY impressed with), but he was joined by several experts from around the world. I only wish it could've lasted longer. For the Pope-chasers, it sounds like they had some trouble finding the right spot for his motorcade, but finally found a place where the Pope would pass twice!!! Also, Carrie compared (and was completely impressed by) the energy and 'pushing' that was experienced in Toronto when JPII processed. They also experienced a minor miracle... Apparently, we have some semi-claustrophobic people in our group, and naturally that doesn't mix with 'pushing' crowds. I guess Bryan was REALLY getting frustrated. An old priest in the area noticed, and placed the sign of the cross on his forehead and shoulders, and immediately a bubble of space formed around him, until they got through the crowds. GOD BLESS GOD!!!

As always, thanks for the prayers, and support. We are truly experiencing a once in a lifetime experience, and God is working his miracles (like me sneaking in a nap)!!!

God Bless!!!

Whooped

2011-08-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I'm zonked tonight. Everyone had a great day!!! We went to Marian Fest, and the Detroit Diocese event. If I get time to post more in the morning, I will, but until then... nighty-night.

~BW

What a Wonderful Day!!!

2011-08-16T15:34:00.001-07:00

Today was the Opening Ceremony for WYD (I hope there was some sort of broadcast there at home). Anyway, the international pilgrims are in full-force. The day started out with a Mass in Spanish (a bit difficult to follow, but just as holy, nonetheless). Also, thank God for some of the Spanish speaking pilgrims on our tour, they have been priceless in meeting and getting around.
After Mass, we headed to a 'conference center' (similar to Joe Louis Arena) where we experienced a prayer service with pretty much all of Australia. Following that, in the same arena, there was a concert with an AMAZING family band (http://langelus.info/). Then a presentation by Fr. Robert Barron (http://www.wordonfire.org/). He is a priest that is doing incredible work for the Church, and documenting it all on DVD (we hope to get the DVD's when we get home). After that, a bunch of Friars put on an Amazing Holy Hour. After that, all of our pilgrims certainly opened their hearts more. A handful bee-lined for the Confessional right after.
After that there was the Opening Ceremony, which only a couple of us attended (not me), cause of the crowd(s). The rest of us, watch on tv for a while, then went back to the arena and watched Steve Angrisano, and l'Angelus perform again. That pretty much wrapped up the night. Every one is exhilerated, and I'm really looking forward what the coming days bring. Tomorrow is the Detroit Diocese get-together day, and that's always fun. :-D

Thank you or your prayers, and God Bless!!!

PS: Nicki is 1000 times better. She looks great, and pilgrimed all day long. Thank you for your prayers!!!!

How Could I forget

2011-08-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you for the Anniversary wishes on Facebook. But on that note, Fr. Ben had us renew our vows (actually Katie A. has us renew them. Fr. Ben was just the person who made it happen.). Anyway, we went to St. Peter's square, and renewed them right there in the square, followed by a group rosary, and final Blessing for Carrie and I. It was beautiful. However, they Holy Spirit was quite present, in a very physical way. At the very end of the vows, all of the pidgeons who were perched on the Bascilica took off, flew right over our heads, around the obelisk, and returned to thier same spot. Of course, we were all floored. We were like, "COOL!!!!", or "WOW!!! WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!!!!". The timing was perfect. But it didn't end there. Right after the Rosary, Fr. Ben had us kneel before him, as he gave us a blessing, again, right as he was finishing, the Church Bells of St. Peter started chiming away. It was an out of body experience. Make sure to ask your pilgrims about this when they get home.

Don't forget to check out Toby's pictures:
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/8507094/1/WYD2011?h=448a99

***That's Jared walking Carrie down the aisle at the end of the 8-12 album. :-D

Yea Spain!!!

2011-08-15T15:38:00.001-07:00

I have plenty to write about, so here it goes.
Rome: Rome was amazing. The gems of the city, in the Cathedral's and Basilica's, are just absolutely breath-taking. It's almost disappointing that just about all artwork and architecture that has been created in the last century or so, it seems like the artist/architect skimped to get the job done. You would think that as technology has increased and artwork has progressed, you would expect that 'Modern Churches' and modern art to be even more moving and more symbolic, but yet, after seeing the history of Rome, it seems that the past several 100 years has failed us, in the art world. I guess my point is, is that we have all been absolutely moved and inspired of all of the places that we've been. While the Sistine Chapel is very impressive, I think our group is in concurrence that it doesn't compare to the many, many, many other painting, statues, and Churches in the area. Personally, I was VERY moved by the Scavi tour, where we actually saw the bones of St. Peter, lying directly under the Altar of St. Peter's basilica. Not to be too direct, but I can't imagine ANY Non-Catholic taking that tour and not being convinced of the historical and theological truth ONLY found in the Catholic Church. As a HUGE Pope fan, (Successor of St. Peter) I was completely blown away.
I could list all of the 'things' that we saw, and how significant they were to us, however, each 'Religious Thing (relic, statue, painting, etc) all speaks to us differently. I can say though, that our group has been very impressive. EVERY SINGLE CHURCH that we enter into, our pilgrims seek out the Blessed Sacrament, and almost bee-line there, for time of meditation and prayer. I think it has been inspiring to Fr. Ben, and others. In fact, when we arrived in Spain, the tour company's film crew said that we (The Michigan Group) was THE group to follow. I'm getting a little ahead of myself... Anyway, on the last night in Rome, we traveled to Castel Gondolfo (The Pope's Summer Residence), where his gives his Angelicus address every Sunday. It was amazing. It was easily the closest we've ever come to the Pope, not including Pope-mobile drive-by's My guess is that we were about 75 ft. from him (1/2 of a basketball court???). It was very moving, and it was the first taste of the the World Youth Day experience. I think that set the excitement for WYD, which was to follow the following day (today).
So we arrived in Spain last night at about 1am (in bed around 3am, like the blog stated). I think that we are already to dive into the WYD experiance. However, today was an Rest and Relaxation day. I think it really came in handy. Traveling could certainly be stressful, not to mention basically living close quarters (hostels are definitely hotels, think "Annie". Ok, not THAT bad, but definitely not a hotel), and just not getting enough sleep. Fr. Ben gave an excellent homily today about preparing ourselves, and not getting distracted. By the way, we passed out the letter's today, and they seemed to be at the right time. :-)
We said goodbye to Cecelia today (was it was kinda yesterday too). She was only scheduled to be our guide in Rome, but since her responsibility is minimal in Spain, she'll probably be sneeking into our group over the next couple day, and believe me, she's MORE than welcome. We trying to talk her into coming to Detroit for some time. Fr. Ben already promised to cook for her, and she promised to babysit for Carrie and I for a 'date night' YEA!!! I actually get the feeling that she come visit soon, so you'll get to meet her too...hopefully. Anyway, our new tour guide's name is Lissette, and she is also full of energy and life. We haven't seen her a whole lot today, cause some of the travel arrangements with her other group kinda got messed up, I think. However, we'll be spending a lot of time with her tomorrow, and I'm look forward to what she has in store for us.
A couple side notes:
1) Nicole has been spending some time in the hotel, for not feeling well. Michael is taking great care of her. Just please pray for her comfort, so she can make the most of her pilgrim experience.
2) We did have a couple missing pilgrim experiences (no need for concern). Fr. Ben and Bryan (not me, the other one) we lost during the Scavi tour (in the morning), and didn't reconnect with until dinner time. So, Bryan got a private tour of Rome hosted by Fr. Ben. No complaints from him. Also, on the way to dinner a couple nights ago, Elyse and Katie L., weren't down the stairs before the group left for dinner (not their fault), so they were upset for 10-15 minutes, but Super-Cecelia ran back and grabbed them.
Honestly, this has been a wonderful pilgrimage. I couldn't ask for a better group. As I hinted at earlier, Some of our pilgrims were interview for TV (maybe internet tv; I'll give more details, once I get them). Thank you so much for your prayers. I can tell you we are praying like crazy over here.

If you have any specific questions, again feel free to e-mail or facebook me.

~Brian

Viva Espania!!!

2011-08-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

We do have Wifi here in Spain. However, it is 3am now and we just checked in. Tomorrow (Monday) is a 'free day' for most of us, so I will be able to give a lengthy update. :-)

1st day in Rome

2011-08-11T14:15:00.001-07:00

Unfortunely, we do not have internet access in our new hotel. I will do my best to keep you updated. However, they will probably be short and sweet.

Today was wonderful. Saw the nails of christ, the pillar of scourging, shroud of turin, and more.

Hopefully more later...

~BW

Day 3 (Assisi)

2011-08-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Assisi was yesterday, and it was fascinating. St. Clare and St. Francis (of course) are the Saints of the area. It's such an blessing to have the opportunity to walk through the town, pray and the Churches, and try to experience the day-to-day lives that they both had. As a Christian, we are called to imitate Christ, right? But obviously, walking on water, healing the sick, scourging, and crucification sometimes just isn't something that we can relate to. A great way to become more Christ-like is to study the Saints, and it's awesome to have the opportunity to walk the steps of the saints, and try to imagine how real and difficult their lives were, and how their eyes were always focused on Christ.
Again, we had a great day. Lot of walking (and 'yes' I whined) :-). We did have one mix-up. It's a long story, but basically 3 of our rooms (Jared/Bryan/Patrick, Carrie/Me, and April/Elyse/KatieL) were asked to switch to a different part of the hotel, for the sake of another group that really wanted to keep their group closer together. being the super pilgrims we are, of course we said 'yes'. The hotel agreed to move our luggage while we were out. Well, when we got back last night, there was luggage in our new rooms, just not ours! Of course this was concerned, and after about an hour or so of room searching, and totting different luggage around, we all found our own stuff, and all is well.
We also had quite a bit of freetime. So, many of our pilgrim spent time searching through Churches, buying souveniours, and eating gilattos (Italian ice cream). I haven't heard many stories about their adventures yet, but maybe I'll do some asking around today.
Today (Day 4) we leave our hotel at 8am (our time) and head to Rome. Yea!!! It's about a 3 hours ride, and I'm not sure exactly what we have in store for us, but I'm REALLY excited (and Fr. Ben is too), actually I'm sure we all are. Please continue your prayers for us, and they really do help. Again, I do know that we group is spending A LOT of time our their knees.
One last note, I haven't mentioned much about her yet, but our tour guide, Cecilia (from Virginia) is AWESOME, better than we could of expected. Very Catholic, very nice, and very small (smaller than Katie L. small). ;-) It's nice to hear her stories about her family (family of 14) and she loves hearing our stories of faith. Carrie and Fr. Ben has decided that we are going to adopt her (free babysitting!!!), as well as a super nice seminarian, Christopher (from Texas), from another group in our hotel. They both seem ok with the idea too. Yea!!! :-)
That is all for now. I wish there was some more drama or funny stories to share, but honestly, they trip is going flawlessly, and better than expected. Now, since we are moving to Rome today, I have no idea of the internet options. Just trust that I am making my best effort to keep you updated. Thank you and God Bless!!!!

~BW

Pictures

2011-08-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pics that I took (see below).

Toby is also uploading them here.
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/8507094/1/WYD2011?h=448a99
I would start checking this website for photo updates too.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. They are greatly appreciated and felt. Know that we are praying for all of you.

~BW

On a side note, Fr. Ben speaking Italian is both kinda surrealistic, and yet quite helpful...

St. Rita

"Lower" Assisi

Airport, waiting forever for my guitar, cause I was looking in the wrong spot. Oops...

Our rookie and her travel buddy, Amanda. Grace, you'll be happy to know that Jackie has also kinda taken Katie under her wing... :-)

Ah, Viva ITALIA!!!!

2011-08-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

We made it!! If you are looking for any bad news, well, there isn't!!! This trip has started off better than one could of expected. The plane ride was great (even our rookie flyer, Katie L, was cool as a cucumber after the initial takeoff). It was kinda bumpy, a few queezy tummy's, but nothing 'substantial'. Everyone ate, slept, and pretty much just 'got though' the plane ride. The only mistake we made was the math. Our first day started as soon as we landed @ 8am (that's 2am your time, grumble, grumble). However, I have seemed to be nominated the 'whiner' of the group, so it can't possibly be 'that' bad. ;-) Believe me, it's rough, actually mostly stinky, but we certainly have a group of troopers.
I must say, I am COMPLETELY moved by the groups demeanor. We are super-Catholic, and proud. WE got compliments on our Mary shirts, even the tour guide, Cecilia (from a family of 14 kids) is impressed with us. We visited St. Rita's Shine, where her incorrupt body is shown. Amazing. Just about everyone took time at the stautes, painting, relics, etc, a time for prayer, reflection, or maybe just a good question.
Tomorrow we head to St. Francis and St. Clare's Basilica's. I am equally excited about the praying that we will be doing there, as we did today.
We also had Mass in a chapel in the hotel. Another smaller group (13 ppl from TX) joined us. That was also very nice. We FINALLY got a good meal in this evening. hopefully, tomorrow's pace will be much more conducive to regular meals and water.
I will try to post some pics after I finish typing this, but on par with most WYD trips, the internet is 'spotty' at best.
I'm not sure if any of you were looking for an update or 'check in' from your pilgrim(s), but everyone is having a GREAT time, and so far there is nothing to worry about. If you send me an e-mail, I can try to get a message to your pilgrim.
I should have another update tomorrow, as we are in this hotel one more night, but in Rome, we'll just have to wait and see. God Bless!!!!
~Brian

Rome Sweet Home

2011-07-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hello WYD'ers and family/friends. I will be updating this location with journals entries and pics (if possible) during our WYD venturing. So keep this link (http://wyddetroit.blogspot.com/) bookmarked and once we leave, keep checking daily.

Thank you and God Bless!!!

~BW

Pictures (hopefully more tomorrow, or tonight for you Michiganders)

2008-07-20T07:07:00.001-07:00

First Detroit Event (there was a balcony above this pic, that I couldn't get in the shot)

Just before the Opening Ceremonies...

Concert after the Opening Ceremonies...

After the 2nd Detroit event, with Bsp. Quinn

2 Giant Gobstopper, 2 Sugar addicted mouths, 2 already high energy youths, Friends for the rest of the day. Who 'da thunk it?!??!

OK!!!

2008-07-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure what the last thing I wrote was, but I'll try to give you the whole synopsis starting from now, and heading backwards...

It's about 10pm on Sunday evening. My face feels a bit sunburn, but I think it's a combination of windburn, the cold last night, and the "dry face feeling" after a shower. We just eaten, and showered, and had our evening reflection for the day. Today was the day that the Vigil and Final Mass ended. During our evening reflection, it seemed that everyone had at least one "inspiring experience", whether it was meeting people from "cool places", or experiencing the fullness of the Catholic Faith in a new tradition (Rosary, Confession, Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours, etc.), or the discussions with a religious (Priest, Nun, what have you...), or just the mere experience of witness faith in action (the snapshots that you mind takes and never lets you forgets). Just being in the presence of the Holy Father is quite moving, and it is sometimes an experience that takes months or even years to appreciate the fact that you were "THAT CLOSE" to the Pope. It truely is something that they will tell their grandkids about (unless they become Priest or Nuns , hehe).

On that note, we did get a chance to view the Pope today, during his "drive-by's" prior to the Mass. As you may have noticed on the broadcast, the Pope did a "once-around" on the racetrack. Be it as it may, our seats were only a few feet away from the racetrack, and we were in the "front row (relatively speaking; 100+ yards away)", AND the Popemobile was traveling as a much slower speed, which made for a much appreciated and much more inspiring moment with him.

I think Carrie and I pushed the group physically, a bit more that we maybe had anticipated, because about half of our group started sleeping around 8:30pm (Saturday), on and off, until it was time to go Sunday afternoon (They were ALL awake for the Mass though). I think Pat claims the record for 16 hours (self-proclaimed) of sleep, and boy is he full of energy tonight (poor Mikey).

Some for the blessings that we received (some may call coincidences), was that Toby was on the international broadcast during the Communion Meditation. Additionally, we were located RIGHT NEXT to about 90% of the Spaniards. So, not only were we close to the excitement when Benedict announced the next WYD, but also a couple of us traded our hoodies for the Red shirts (Sydney 2008 on front; Madrid 2011 on back) that they were sporting. I think that besides myself, Carrie, Holly, Lisa, Joe and Katie A. all trading for them (although Katie got a sweet deal by trading her scarf for one, instead of her hoodie). So, these experiences alone were "once in a lifetime", and I'm sure everyone appreciates them.

Now Friday, was the Stations of the Cross day. Unfortunately, I had decided that once Catechesis ended, I was going to take my guitar and music back to the hotel (only 1 stop out of my way), and then hop on the train again to go d-town Sydney to meet the group. Well, a combination of bad directions from the locals (it wasn't intentional, they were very old...), and missing a couple bus times, made a 1.5 hours journey into a almost 5 hours journey. I was able to catch the very end of the Stations of the Cross, where we had, once again, very good seats. Carrie had spent most of the time with the group, and considering they hired professional local actors, and put on a big production, it seemed to be quite inspiring (I wish I could of saw more of it).

About the good seats... I don't mean to toot my own horn, but we are convinced that our stellar seating throughout this festival is a direct relation to the fact that I register so early (group 114, right), in comparison to the +10,000 other groups that ended up registering... My disclaimer is that I may not be able to achieve this every World Youth Day, but it was pretty sweet this time around...

After the "Stations of the Cross", we stayed at the same location for the "Receive the Power Live" concert. Overall, it was well done, but we didn't stay for the entire 3 hours. I only had 2 complaints. First, there was too much talking... I'm all about preaching, and throwing in lines of inspiration. However, there was like 30 mins. or more breaks that completely took away from the energy of the concert. Secondly, they didn't play any of the songs that we knew, except for "Shout to the Lord". Like I said, overall, it was a good production, the sound was good, and I can now say that I saw "Hillsong" live (since they are Australian, and they don't really tour, it was probably a once in a lifetime experience for us). We didn't stick around for Matt Maher (the "Lamb of God" that we do at our 11:00am Mass at St. Albert's, but he's an American, and I'm sure we'll have the opportunity to see him in the states.

I think this is where my last update left off. However, I did want to talk a bit about our Catechesis sessions, and some of the music stuff that I was blessed to be a part of, as these were probably the closest when it comes to terms of relating to St. Albert's or our other home parishes.

Catechesis was held every morning (Wednesday - Friday), and the schedule consists of the following:
9:00: Arrival time
9:00-9:30: Opening Prayer and Intro, and Celebration music ("Yes, Lord", "Waves of Mercy", etc.)
9:30-10:15: Catechesis; the Bishop (W-Th)/Cardinal (F) talks about the theme of the day.
10:15-11:00: Questions from the Youth to the Bishop/Cardinal about "whatever".
11:00: Liturgy
12 noon: Lunchtime
12:30: On the bus, heading to Sydney

Now, I wanted to mention Catechesis for a couple of reasons.
1) We are so lucky to have our Family Youth Mass at St. Albert's/St. Mel's and any other parish that supports a youth-oriented Mass. Everyday that we played I had at least one local parishioner come up to me and ask me for a copy of the music, or where to find the music resources. The final day, the resounding response from their parishioners was "Thank you, for breathing life back into our parish". It was very flattering, but yet humbling. This of course, wasn't a reflection just on the music, but of the presence and the life of the youth which packed their Church walls.
2) The opportunity to interact with the clergy. I was on cloud 9 every morning, just because I was the music "goto" person, and therefore I needed to meet the presider every day. It was nice to have that honor of being with, and drawing inspiration from their presence and teaching. I think the favorite of the 3 days (even though that they were all good) was the Cardinal on Friday, Cardinal Wilfred Fox Napier, from the Diocese of Durban, South Africa. I'm not going to expound on his talk, but it seemed to be the most captivating, and related the youth the most. He even briefly talked about the Conclave (OOOooo....). And in the moment of another blessing, only minutes into our Saturday morning pilgrimage walk, guess who was going the opposite way of us?? Yep, Cardinal Napier. He didn't stop to talk, but he did recognize us and say "hi".
3) The generosity of a community. This little parish went well above the call of duty to serve all of us visiting. At least 2-3 "senior" members helped us in the coordination and the set-up each day. They literally opened up all of the doors and welcomed us with all that they had. And during the lunch portion each day, they were supposed to distribute the WYD sanctioned meals to all of us. However, instead they brought out a grill and cooked us a nice home-grown meal for us and even set aside a seperate area for the Clergy and invited the leaders (myself included) to eat with the Bishops each day. It was quite an honor, and yet a very humbling experience for myself.

Finally, I was asked by both the Archdiocese of Detroit and the WYD committee to perform in various capacities. The Detroit events ROCKED!!! All of the youth (including our own) had a great time, and was part of the Massive body of hands-raised, voices praising youth. Now, the WYD event was on a smaller scale, but in the same manner, it was an honor to be asked by them, and I was able to meet some pretty involved youth/music people, which of course, was perfect for me. It was such a pleasure to be able to use my gifts and talents in so many different ways during World Youth Day, and I can't help but to thank my parish community for it's continued support. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been award these opportunities.

And Last but not least, Fr. Ben has been the Confession super-trooper. He worked the "night-shift" of confessions at during the Vigil. He has both served our group, and the Universal Church beautifully. We were very proud to have Fr. Ben with us, and in his Daily Mass sermon to us before we left for the Vigil, he expressed that same pride towards us. His constant crucifix handing out, the buzz of his "GUTS" quote, his relentless administering of the sacraments, and his overall physical determination over his body ailments, has been very inspiring to all of us. He is a true blessing to the Church, and we are truly honored and proud to have him as part of our group.

The next three days will included morning and evening prayers, and Daily Mass, but for the most part is out Australia sight-seeing. Typing this letter took a bit longer than expected. So, I will try to post the pictures tomorrow (Sunday evening in MI). Having that said, my 7 days of internet runs out within the next 24 hours. So, depending on the cash flow and internet need, this may be my last text update, until I return.

Thank you and God Bless,
Brian Walker

WE saw the Pope!!!

2008-07-17T13:59:00.001-07:00

For the 3rd consecutive World Youth Day, St. Albert the Great was within 10 feet of the Pope during his motorcade. Some of our shorter members (Holly, Cory, Teresa, etc.) actually scored a front row spot. We were slightly disappointed that the Popemobile flew by, which didn't allow for any good pics, but I did get a pretty good video of the whole thing.

The second half of the day was pretty relaxing, and we expect to kinda be "on your own" again today. Tomorrow we should be able to sleep in a bit (before the vigil walk), and hopefully again on Monday. I guess it's fair today that today is the last day of WYD "crunch time". I didn't hear ONE complaint yesterday (you know, 'my feet hurt', 'my legs are sore', etc.), which was nice. I must admit though, I'm getting sick of hauling around my guitar (today if the last day of that too. Yippee!!)

Oh, by the way, the "letters from home" certainly helped out the morale of the group. I had talked to a couple youth about their letters, and they ALL said that they were nice and helped them with the "big picture".

Today, we have "stations of the cross" to attend to, in the evening. So, keep us in your prayers, and we continue to open our hearts to Christ, and allow ourselves to be drawn into his arms.

Thank you and God Bless,
~Brian

PS: I'll work on the pictures this time tomorrow.

Yesterday

2008-07-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was our first day of CAtechesis. Most everyone seemed to enjoy it, and our musicians had a good time and did great. The Bishop of that day (Nottingham, England) was really good, and related well to the youth. Fr. Ben heard confessions the entire time...

After that, there was free time, and I had my opportunity to play for WYD (the "vocation.com coffee house"). I think everyone found something they enjoyed.

And then we regathered for a Detroit-only Mass. That was awesome. I played the traditional "YEs, Lord", and "Awesome God", and the whole place erupted. It was very encouraging, and most of our group said that was their favorite part of the day...

Following that, we kinda spread out in the Sydney area to get lunch on our own (they needed a break from the WYD meals), and again found stuff that most of them liked.

I think we are going to try to come back earlier tonight. So, I should be able to write a bit more, and give more details... Sorry, I'm am so short today, yesterday was just a crazy day...

God Bless and thank you for your continued prayers.

~Brian Walker

Tired

2008-07-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Another Great Day. Super packed Schedule (I literally don't think I got to sit down once today, except for any bus rides)... I'm tired, and need sleep. I promise a better update once I wake up (plus I'll try the pictures again)...

FYI: We delivered the "Surprise letters" tonight...

~Brian Walker

Pics from yesterday...

2008-07-15T13:15:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I've been trying... Either the internet here is slowing down, or the blog site is being weird... In either case, I'm not able to load the pictures. I will continue to try when I get a chance, but I really don't have a whole lot of time to try until after the final vigil...

Donna:
Joe is fine. He had a "little" limp yesterday, but he's not complaining, and it looks like it's getting better...

~Brian

Opening Day - World Youth Day

2008-07-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Today we started to taste the wrath of WYD... The morning started off franticly, as Fr. Ben knocked on my door slightly troubled by a conversation that he had with a fellow priest in the lobby. Apparently he needed to register as a Priest with WYD, or he would be unable to celebrate Mass, or hear confessions at the WYD events. So, this morning we spent scrambling around trying to get the info from St. Albert's (some of you probably got an e-mail on this), and then Fr. Ben had to wait in a 6+ hours line to get his correct pass (apparently we weren't the only ones with no idea about this "priest pass"). I can let you know that everything worked out in the end, and Fr. Ben will be able to rejoin our group for EVERYTHING tomorrow. Yippee! His presence was missed today.

Ok, so after the scramble in the morning (there is a egg pun somewhere in there), we went to a Diocese of Detroit Morning Prayer/Welcome. It was really nice, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Following that event, we headed down to the area where the opening ceremony was to occur, 4+ hours later. However, our group made the best out of those 4 hours. Just about everyone traded their items, joined in songs with other groups, and took numerous pictures with other pilgrims... On a side note, we must of had at least 1 person ask our group every 5 minutes to take a picture of our "it takes GUTS to be Catholic" quote on the back of our hoodies. Furthermore, whoever came up with the hoodie idea (Alfonso???), was ingenious. They are PERFECT for the temperature, and the orange is very useful... Additionally, getting there so early was very useful, as we got to get right up to the Altar/Stage (the closest that I've ever been).

Finally, after the Opening Mass, WYD held a concert with a lot of dancing and singing. Pretty much all of us got into the music.

The only downfall was the food situation. Don't worry, we all ate, but the organization and communication of the food distribution made it very confusing and chaotic (and time consuming). I'm hoping that they reexamine the situation for tomorrow.

All in all, everyone had a great time, and they were all whooped at the end of the day...

~Brian Walker

PS: I tried to post some pictures, but the internet wasn't cooperating... (and it's 12.15am right now). I'm heading to bed, and I'll try in the morning...

PICTURES!!!! More to come tomorrow (I'm tired)

2008-07-14T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Wheels on the bus go round...

What Australia would do without Gino? I have no idea...

Nice view of the Harbour...

Awww... Aren't they cute???

Gravity still works in Australia...

Not quite sure on the Pictures...

2008-07-14T02:38:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'll write the blog first, then try pictures next. I don't see anything jumping out at me saying "click here to post pictures". If I can't figure out the pictures on this website, I'll figure out another option, before I go to bed tonight...

So today we witnessed the absolute beauty of Sydney. As I mentioned, we went on a walk from "The Spit" to "Manly". Our tour guide, Sanchee, mentioned that the walk is pretty flat, and not very strenuious at all. Well, either she lied, or she wears a cape, and battles the forces of evil on the weekends. We basically walked up a "mountain", and then back down. We all did pretty well as a group. Joe T. twisted his ankle, but it doesn't seem to be slowing him down, and Lindsay fell in the ocean, while wading (she's going to kill me for posting that). However, it was all in good fun. Now, during the walk, there was plenty of views of Sydney Harbor, and a handful of neat rock formations, and cool wildlife. There was an area of spiders that had bodies the size of Jawbreakers, and legs about 3 inches long. Creepy, but the locals say they are harmless...

Everywhere we went, we spread our Catholic mojo, and more of the group is starting to initiate conversation with the locals (who were still EXTREMELY FRIENDLY today). We ate at a local, very small, quaint restaurant. I really can't compare it to anything in Dearborn area. But all of our group was impressed with the ambiance (including the bathroom), and everyone was happy with their food. All of this was done in the town of Manly. Manly, was almost identical to Long Beach, CA, if you've ever been there (surfers, skateboarders, surf shops, lots of people walking around, etc.)

Tomorrow WYD starts... We handed out the WYD passes today. Pray for us that no one loses their passes. We are planning on participating with the Diocese of Detroit for Morning Prayer, then later in the afternoon, we are planning on going to the Opening Mass for WYD.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. God Bless!!!

~Brian Walker

Any Joey Burgers???

2008-07-13T11:55:00.001-07:00

Well, we made it. Things have been busy and the settling in has taken some last minute organizing, but we seems to be pretty good...

So, it's 5:00am (Monday) in the morning here (3:00pm Sunday your time), and I've been up for about 2 hours now. I'm thinking it's the jet lag and/or the mismanagement of my airplane sleeping. However, I'm the ONLY one up right now, so maybe just my mind is going a 100 different directions. In either case, I have some time to write you. This will probably be a looong boring e-mail, but most of our last 24+ hours have been traveling, and not 'sploring, so we haven't seen to many things that you wouldn't see in America.

Travels:
Both planes went perfect. The first one was delayed slightly, which concerned us with a already tight layover in LA. However the LA to Sydney flight was delayed to, so we had plenty of time to take of business. The group has been absolutely AWESOME with sticking together, and reporting EARLY during check-in times. We got all of our luggage, and there was only 2 very minor hang-ups at customs/immigration (Joe T had to have some "data checked" at immigration which took less than 5 minutes; and Mikey declared Beef Jerky at customs so they had to find and remove it). But all in all, we had no fines, and very little delays. The actual flights were cool too, the Northwest flight was typical domestic flight (boring, but relatively short). The Qantas flight was MUCH longer, but they give you the "bells and whistles" for sleeping comfort and entertainment. It made the time go by quite easily.

Fr. Ben:
Father Ben has been outstanding!!! He must of given out 100+ of those little crosses, blessed by Pope Benedict. I know he doesn't expect anything in return, but so far it's given him a banana where no bananas were sold, Business seating on the Qantas flight (even though the TV was broke in his seat), and something else worth mentioning (but I just can't think of it; remember I've been up since 3am). Our tour director (who I'll mention next) was able to secure us extra hotel rooms (don't ask me how), but now we have a chapel in a hotel rooms. We celebrated Mass yesterday, and we are going to set up Holy Hour/Adoration times for the rest of the week, today. And, of course, he has been evangelizing EVERYONE he sees. The reaction of peoples face has been priceless after talking to him. We all know how awesome he is, but I think sometimes we sometimes take for granted how much impact he can have on our lives. Fr. Ben is a Huge Blessing to our Catholic faith, and I'm proud and Blessed that he was able to share this experience with our group.

Sanchee:
Our tour guides name is Sanchee. She also has been super. Her 4 hours through customs, was a bit over-estimated by about 3 hours and 55 minutes, but I guess that was a plesant surprise. Her biggest relief was, that she sat through the 5+ hours line for us, while we were in the plane, to pick up our WYD credentials. That save me a half of a day away from the group. As far as religion goes, see calls herself a "nothing (atheist???), but Fr. Ben is already working on her. And see wore her complimentary "It takes guts to be Catholic" hoodie yesterday at dinner. Yippee!!!

Internet:
The internet is quite accessible here, at the hotel. However, it is relatively expensive. There are 2 computers in the lobby, for $6 an hour. However, you can just through in change (like an arcade), so 10-20 minute chunks can be purchaces. Internet for your own laptop (like mine) is $12 hours (not cool), but Carrie, Toby and myself have sprung for the $99/week package. So feel free to e-mail me as much as your like. Until 3pm Sunday (your time) next week. We'll have to see where our money is at that time.

Phone Cards:
If you haven't heard from your child over the phone yet, it's because it's a huge pain in the butt. We have a bunch of different phone cards, and they all work differently, and only a few have had success. Your best bet is trying to call the hotel, and ask for they're last times (I think all of the names have been correctly assigned to the rooms). However, the youth are trying, so you might just need to give it another 24 hours???

Hotel:
The hotel is really nice. Much nicer than the preview pics that I found a couple weeks ago. We are REALLY close to a 7-11, and a MEGA-MEGA Mall is about 30 min. walk away. The neighborhood is much like Dearborn Heights. Most of the house are about 1000-1500 sq. ft., with some new build 2000+ sq. ft. houses sprinkled in. In general they look different, but it has a Dearborn-Heights comfort to it...

Weather:
Like we expected... Cool, but comfortable. Nighttime is coat weather (but just layering clothes seems to work too), but nothing like Michigan cold... Thank God!!!

MEGA-MEGA-MALL:
I would say that this is our first, cultural experience. The Mall is really cool, similar to Fairlane in size and look. However, all of the stores are different, and has a bit more of a "marketplace" feel to it. The one neat thing that I found was that one of their "food courts" was actually a grocery store in the middle of the Mall. You could buy meat, fruit, sushi, cheese, etc. right in the middle of the mall, and you can push shopping carts throughout the mall. Another thing, I'm so happy that everyone speaks English here. They make fun of our accents, but they are super-friendly. On that note, Barb, Mirinda, and of course, Fr. Ben, have been the best minglers (if that's a word) of the group. However, as we expected, the food is ALMOST double what it costs in US. Meaning "Extra-value meals" are anywhere from $9-$11... Thank God that most of our meals are included!!!

Pictures:
Some pictures have been taken, just not by me yet. I've only take video, which you probably won't be able to see until we get home. Like I said earlier, since most of our time here has been travel and settling in, we just haven't had too many kodak moments, yet. You can probably expect some pics later this evening (tomorrow morning for you). I'll try to post them to this "blog".

Today's plans:
We are going on a nature walk. It is a one-way, 4-hour hike from "the spit" to "Manly". I believe all of this is about 1 hour north of Sydney. I think this will be our first kangaroo encounter... Once at "Manly", we will be spending a couple hours there (I guess it's a "harbour town"), where we'll eat, and around 6pm (our time), we'll head back to the hotel. On Tuesday, we start the WYD festivities!!! Exciting...

I'm sure that this e-mail was relatively "all over the place", but I just typed as I "thunk it"... I will attempt to update this blog everyday at least until next Sunday. Pray that I can get the pictures going tomorrow...

Thanks again for your support, interest, and most importantly your prayers... GOD BLESS YOU!!!

~Brian Walker

FYI: We are praying for everyone here, BY NAME...