The Lights, the Stories, the Shadows: Chronicles of WYD08, Part 2, by Christopher Ong

WYD happened right smack in the midst of winter. Thankfully though, the whole week was replete with sunshine, something that seemingly everybody in the country loved. Monday the fourteenth of July was listed as the start of this auspicious point in history, but the true beginning was the next day. Pope Benedict XVI arrived on Sunday the thirteenth and a lot of other pilgrims touched down on Monday. Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney was transformed into a virtual melting-pot of various cultures. I vividly remember the news report saying that a total of thirteen international flights came to Sydney early that morning, eight more than the standard number. Fervent citizens from the well-represented Catholic nations chanted their national slogans and waved their flags. The camaraderie was surreal, not something to be felt everyday.

Tuesday, the fifteenth of July was when the action really heated up. Our parish group gathered at Saint Brigid’s (our parish) at around noon, waiting till later as others arrived. This was followed by a train ride to the city, stopping at eight stations and arriving twenty minutes later. Then it was a test of patience as we walked a modest distance for over an hour. During the whole time when we seemed to go a meter a minute, I feared that the searing heat of the midwinter sun would cause me to nosebleed since I am quite prone to it. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Barangaroo, a 22-hectare former inner city port was the venue for the opening Mass celebrated by Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney. It was one sizeable open space in the midst of a bustling city and was the only part of Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) big enough to accommodate the 150,00 people who turned up. A lighter moment during the day was when Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia, said ‘Malugod ko kayong tinatanggap dito sa Australia.’ I guess he should just stick to English, which is why I wasn’t surprised when he had a rejoinder: ‘and I apologize for that.’ What was truly remarkable was when we offered among ourselves the sign of peace; strangers hugging in the night were heart-warming.

It was the beginning of hitting the sack late and waking up early. The next morning at nine was the start of catechesis for three days. This mainly involved ‘sharing and learning about faith and life,’ as described in the Pilgrim Guide. It involved a variety of activities, ranging from Q and A to testimonials by pilgrims to a concluding Mass. The community aura was still there as people from Malaysia, Argentina and even Scotland gathered in Saint Brigid’s, one of the 300 different locations for the said event in and around town. From Wednesday till Sunday there were the Youth Festivals, a series of activities ranging from concerts to workshops to a Vocations Expo. Wednesday was a busy day for Youth Festivals as there were no other major events scheduled that day. There were a horde of options to choose from and I really wanted to attend the Activ8 Love concert featuring Fr Stan Fortuna CFR, a rapper from the Bronx, New York City, who coincidentally is also a priest. As it turned out you needed to book in advance and by the time I realized this, it was too late. So I settled for a workshop on the voice of the Catholic media, presented by a journalist who works in the Holy See. After this, I planned to go to a performance by the University of Cebu choir in the same venue, yet apparently the trustworthy Youth Festival Guide was wrong and it started an hour in advance.