XXIII World Youth Day
Sydney, Australia
 7th – 23rd of July 2008
“And now, as the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst nourishes our faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. We entrust to the maternal guidance of Mary most holy, the future course of the young people of the whole world.”    His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, 21 August 2005

Photos from World Youth Day 2008... Click Here!

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WYD News

Ozanam Centre WYD Reunion Weekend

Over the weekend of 17th-19th October all those from the Liverpool WYD08 group who could make it went to Snowdonia. It was a weekend for people to catch up and think about what they’d experienced, how it’s changed them, and what they can do now. As well as spending time in sessions exploring these ideas, there was time for a bit of sports and an afternoon in Glasfryn Parc, which gave people the opportunity to go quad biking, go karting or bowling. We were also treated to some amazing performances from ‘the choirboys’ on Saturday night and basically had a great weekend.

Radio Merseyside

Well done to all those who have been feeling famous over the last few weeks and have done brilliantly on both live and recorded radio. Clare and Andy did some great work while we were out in Oz with some live link ups and also on our return Amy, Helen and Lizzi did a great job of firstly being awake on the Friday after we got back but also for a great interview! Well done once again!

World Youth Day Diary

It’s not been long since a group of 39 of us got back from Australia after experiencing the uniqueness of World Youth Day. Here is a basic diary of what we got up to while we were away including Sam Erskine’s account of the Days in the Diocese:

Monday July 7, 2008 the morning arrived when everyone was meeting at Lowe House at 4:30 (only a few hours after Youth Alive) to start our epic journey to Sydney via Heathrow (where we met the wonderful girls from the Isle of Man) and Hong Kong airport. Even at 17+ everyone seemed to excited to sleep on the plane!!!

Tuesday July 8, 2008 by now we were still on a plane, had crossed the international date line, and arrived in Sydney at 20:00 local time. Everyone was glad to make it to the hotel and an actual bed so we grabbed a quick meal, chilled for a bit and headed off to bed ready for our Oz adventure.

Wednesday July 9, 2008 it was nice to wake up in a bed and have a shower this morning rather than still being on a plane and we started our day by heading to Sydney cathedral for morning prayer and an experience of the city by day before we were getting on a coach ready for Days in the Diocese

Days in the Diocese

Travelling from Sydney we had arrived in Singleton on Wednesday evening and introduced to our Host families whom greeted us with a very warm welcome. Spending the Thursday with them we explored the many wonders of the Singleton Coal Mines, Dairy Farms, Museum, Aboriginal Cave and the Largest Sundial in the Southern Hemisphere (2nd Largest in World). Then later on we celebrated mass in St. Patrick’s Parish with the Liverpool WYD Pilgrims and the Singleton parishioners joining together as one community. Following mass was an International Party with food and music from both sides of the globe at St. Augustine’s Hall.

Friday 11th July 2008, we celebrated morning mass at St. Patrick’s Church and then moved on to Allroy Nursing Hostel, were we had a chance to share mass, afternoon tea and perform to the elderly citizens of Singleton. We then attended a BBQ at St. Catherine’s Catholic College. Attended by the mayor of Singleton who helped us plant an Olive Tree for Peace, to play a small part in cancelling out our Carbon Footprint and to be a reminder of our stay in Singleton. We then progressed to the Rotary Club of Singleton Art Gallery then on to a 10 Pin Bowling Tournament and various Rugby and Football Matches between the Liverpool Pilgrims and the Singleton Pilgrims also attending World Youth Day. This was followed by Fr. Brendan’s Birthday Party at St. Augustine’s hall with entertainment from Singleton’s star singer Alex performing for us and a Quiz with group challenges and concluded with a spiritual candlelit night prayer to reflect on the day.

Saturday 12th July 2008. Having Morning Prayer at St. Augustine’s hall before we travelled to Maitland-Newcastle for the Xian Youth Festival for all the World Youth Day Pilgrims spending their days in the diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. With a stage full of performers from all over the World, international food stalls, a carnival and surfing beach this was a fantastic day with meeting pilgrims from all over the world. We later returned to Singleton for a lovely evening meal and fantastic games and more singing from the Liverpool Pilgrims.

Sunday 13th July 2008. We travelled to St. Joseph’s parish in Cessnock, attended the regional WYD mass and moved on to the McGuigan’s Wines in the Hunter Valley gardens for a picnic and wine tasting. Then back to Singleton to the famous All Saints Church for a tour and afternoon tea. Once evening came we were back to St. Augustine’s for a BBQ along with Elizabeth’s birthday surprise and entertainment from Singleton’s top violinist and Daniel the international whip cracker.

Monday 14th July 2008. After celebrating morning mass together at St. Augustine’s hall we had time to prepare for the Catechesis in Sydney and lunched at Gerry’s Chinese Diner. We departed for Sydney and said a fond farewell and thanks to our hosts who could not have done any more to make us feel at home. By that evening we were back in Sydney ready to start the days of encounter.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 as with every morning we started our day with morning prayer which was quite chilled before the chaos of 100’s of thousands of people started. Due to fundraising by many people in the group we were able to afford a luxurious start to the day as we were treated to a Lunch Cruise around Sydney Harbour which was a highlight of many people’s trip and very calm compared to what followed when we joined groups of thousands of people walking to an area called Barangaroo for the opening mass with Cardinal George Pell. Celebrating mass with so many people was an eye opening experience and prepared us all for what it might be like at the final mass. The celebrations continued with many bands playing while we had our first meals with our WYD pass.

Wednesday July 16, 2008 this morning we went to our first catechesis which we were introducing and leading, sort of like a warm up act for Bishop Terence Brain of Salford Diocese. This was followed by mass celebrated by the Bishop which we played a full part in through music and liturgical movement. As we were having catechesis in Bondi Junction we decided to do all you can do when you are so close, and went to Bondi Beach!!! It was a great experience and quite funny seeing lots of people wrapped up warm on the beach while we went to play in the sea! That evening we met for evening prayer as we did each evening and chillaxed at the hotel before heading to bed very tired once again.

Thursday July 17, 2008 today everyone woke with an air of excitement as today the pope was officially arriving. Before that excitement we were treated to some very inspirational catechesis from Bishop Joe Grech in the morning which everyone found very encouraging and thought provoking. We headed down to see Pope Benedict’s boat-a-cade arriving at Barangaroo after sailing down Sydney harbour. This was followed by a welcome and prayer service lead by the Cardinal and Pope Benedict. It was great to be part of such a unique experience along with many, many thousands of people.

Friday July 18 2008 it was a strange experience on this particular morning because due to other complications with venues we ended up having a reconciliation service on Sydney harbour, something that I’m sure really is a once in a lifetime experience. Afterwards we managed to find a good spot in a local park which had a big screen to watch the stations of the cross which was very moving (although slightly cold!). The evening was a great celebration with a big concert in Barangaroo with some great bands and speakers throughout the night.

Saturday July 19, 2008 we woke this morning in the knowledge that we were going to be starting our pilgrimage walk in a few hours to Randwick racecourse. On our journey we were presented with an opportunity to take the theme of being a witness to heart as we walked past an anti-Catholic protest and our group of 39 silenced them with a rendition of ‘How great is our God’ followed by ‘How great thou art’ which was supported by members of the public sitting outside a café who applauded and joined in. I think this was a special moment on the pilgrimage for the group who took that opportunity to stand up for their faith in an amazing way. The night that followed was an experience that everyone was over awed to be a part of. Approximately 300,000 people from around the world joined together in prayer with Pope Benedict all holding a candle that lit up the darkness of the night.

Sunday July 20, 2008 after an interesting night of sleeping out under the stars we woke to the noise of many different languages and the sound of people hustling for a spot at the toilets and sinks to freshen up in the morning. Today the Pope returned (he didn’t fancy the floor of the racecourse for the night!) and celebrated mass with over 300,000 people as many turned up that morning to make sure they didn’t miss out on being a part of the huge event. It was a great climax to the journey we had all been on which had started over a year ago for many. On our return to the hotel we said goodbye to Fr Stephen who headed onto a plane straight to Lourdes for yet another pilgrimage. After which we went out for a meal together to finish the amazing day.

Monday July 21, 2008 as all the festivities and activities going on around Sydney came to a close we had a day to explore the city however we wanted and in the case of a small group of us this included heading back down to the harbour and visiting the wildlife centre which was great fun while some enjoyed their day shopping and sight seeing. We came back together in the evening for a meal to end our pilgrimage and spent the night chillaxing in the hotel once again.

Tuesday July 22, 2008 as part of our last day in Sydney we celebrated a final mass together which included a time of praise and worship and prayer ministry which was a special time for many of the group. There was a final chance to explore Sydney before we got on our plane in Sydney to head back to Liverpool on an epic 35 hour journey.

Wednesday July 23, 2008 after such a busy few weeks none of us remember much of the trip home as everyone was tired and sleeping lots when they weren’t complaining of being bored or wanting to be back in Sydney! Hehe! Once we got back to Liverpool there were some tearful goodbyes and plans being made for reunions throughout the summer! An incredible experience was over for the group…or maybe it’s just the beginning!?!