(Reprinted from the Southern Cross).

Image links to additional images accompanied by International version of the WYD 08 theme song "Recieve the power" by Guy Sebastian and Paulini.

A group of 14 pilgrims from Saint James Parish, Savannah, 10 teens and 4 adult chaperons, together with a teen from Perry, traveled to World Youth Day 2008 in Australia. The pilgrims gathered for Mass with 500,000 people and listened to Pope Benedict’s message describing the power of the Holy Spirit in the world. For the youth who attended, the once-in-a-lifetime experience made a powerful impression. At the invitation of Bishop J. Kevin Boland, who also participated, some of the young people submitted their impressions and recollections of their pilgrimage. Andy Christensen and Victoria Brennan submitted the recollections that follow and Sandra Nazareth contributed a reflection (see page 7 of the pdf edition). Andy will receive a $200 prize from Bishop Boland. Victoria and Sandra each will receive a $50 runner-up prize.

Andy Christiansen (Saint James Parish, Savannah, and Benedictine Military School): Before I went to World Youth Day, I had a simple logic about Christ and his Church. It went like this: if you went to church, you got a point; if you missed church, you lost a point, and if you understood the homily you got an extra point! And that worked for me.

When the long-awaited day came, I was excited, my brother Anthony was excited, and my mom was terrified that we would both be gone for two weeks. We spent such a long time in the air—I think it was somewhere around 20 hours.

Victoria Brennan (Saint James Parish, Savannah, and Savannah Arts Academy): On every plane we met people who were headed to Australia for the same reason. It was astounding the number of young people going from so many places. I sat next to someone from Mexico and talked to people from all over the U.S. on the flights alone.

Andy: We finally got to Sydney on July 11. A short three-hour flight later, there we were in Cairns, Australia (pronounced “cans”) in the state of Queensland. It was the dead of winter and a cool 75-80 degrees.

The next day we were scheduled to take a trip to the rain forest. I took my first train ride on the Kuranda scenic railway to the top of a mountain and saw some of the most scenic and awe-inspiring sights I have ever seen. I saw Barron Falls, and it hit me that God can do so much—he can create such beauty at the flick of a switch. I got back to the hotel and I realized that I had lost my music player. I was upset. It was expensive and I thought that my parents would kill me.

The next day we got up early to go to the Great Barrier Reef. We got on a high-speed catamaran, which wasn’t so high-speed, with wet suits for all, because the water was cold. But we saw some of the most beautiful sights. God’s power to create seemed almost surreal.

The day after that we had to get up way early to get out of Cairns to go to Sydney. When you’ve done one 14-hour plane ride, you’ve done them all. When we got to Sydney, our hotel rooms were not ready yet, so we took a tour of Sydney and saw the Sydney Tower and some cliffs, and the harbor bridge, which I learned is the largest single arch bridge in the world, and then I saw it— the Sydney opera house. If you think you have seen big, you’ve seen nothing yet.

Victoria: When we got to Sydney, our group walked down the street following the American flag carried by Greg Speir, to be met with cheers and greetings as other groups from other parts of the world would pass. Throughout the celebrations, I met people from Argentina, danced with people from Zimbabwe, played games with people from France, learned with people from Ireland, and prayed with people from hundreds of other places. Seeing, meeting, and talking to all of these teens showed me how truly universal the Catholic Church is. It was a faith bolstering occasion that I really needed because recently there had been times in my life when I felt like the only surviving Catholic my age.

Andy: We attended the opening Mass in the afternoon. We had good seats up on the right side of the stage and it incorporated the different cultures of the world, which was really cool. Kevin Rudd, the prime minister of Australia, gave an opening welcome in a dozen different languages. I met so many different cultures it made my head spin. When I heard priests mention that our church is a universal church, I thought that it was really more of a North American and European religion and did not really span into Africa and Asia. I was never more wrong. I have never seen so many Asians, South Americans, and Africans in my life. And I was proud of that, to see that our church is really a universal church.

Victoria: The opening Mass was a great kickoff to the World Youth Day celebrations, followed by an uplifting concert and games started by various pilgrim groups. Then for three days we had catechesis sessions centered around this year’s WYD theme: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” These sessions reminded me of the Holy Spirit’s role in my life as consoler and guide, giving me strength to be a witness to Christ, a task I had begun to push more and more out of my life.
Andy: I am glad the Holy Spirit was the theme, as I had a lot to learn about him.

Victoria: The papal arrival was inspiring as Pope Benedict XVI rode by only a few feet away in the Popemobile. Everyone from everywhere showed their support for the Pope and he showed his respect for us.

Andy: It was so cool because we were so close to him—I was within 10 feet of the pope, the head of our great church. I was awe-struck that the head of church, one of the most powerful men on the face of the planet, and the successor of Peter had come to see me and all the others. That made the trip right there.
Victoria: The third event, the Stations of the Cross, greatly affected me. The very solemn, very realistic recreation of Jesus’ Passion and death reminded me of his sacrifice and love for us. It was a renewal of my drive to do the will of God. All these events brought me closer to God, to others in the Church, and to understanding myself.

Andy: The Stations were acted out all over Sydney, which was a way I have never seen it done before.

Victoria: 500,000 people gathered on Saturday for an all-night vigil, to sing, pray, light candles for Christ, and attempt to sleep throughout the night.

Andy: It was a cold night in Sydney. My sleeping bag was not thick enough, but I met so many people from the four corners of the globe. I met the nicest guy; his name was “Simba” (yes, like the Lion King) from Zimbabwe. It was so dusty, but all went well.
Victoria: On the Sunday morning Pope Benedict XVI came and celebrated Mass for everyone.

Andy: The final Mass with the pope was amazing. At Mass, a class was confirmed. I would kill to be confirmed by the Pope (no disrespect, Bishop Boland). They were so lucky. The Mass was indescribable. I have never been so proud to be in that group. The group I am talking about is the Catholic youth of the world. That people would go to the ends of the earth to find God with 500,000 other people is amazing.

Victoria: It was an uplifting experience that left everyone feeling that they needed to go out and spread the Good News—after taking a shower.

Andy: The next two days were just days of leisure, so we went to a shrine in a city called Mulgoa, which is in the middle of nowhere. The shrine, which has a very long German name, was very nice. The sister there was talking about that our possessions control our lives and that we should not stress over losing our phone or our music player, but should be worried if we lose our relationship with God. This struck me because I had lost my music player earlier in the trip, and after that I did not stress over it any more.

Then I saw an animal that I have always wanted to see—a kangaroo. The animal was proof that there is a God, because only God could create an animal so powerful.

Victoria: For me, World Youth Day in Sydney was a once-in-a- lifetime experience that I will never forget. There were amazing people, amazing prayers, amazing Australian sights, and amazing grace that will stay with me forever.