ukpilgrims

Wow, this is the first post in 2012!

Today was the East Anglian Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, in Norfolk. We decided that this would be a fantastic opportunity to officially launch WYD 2013 and so that’s exactly what we did!

At this moment in time, there are 18 young people from East Anglia going to WYD in Rio. This is simply great, as we have found out that there are some dioceses in England and Wales that are not going, for one reason or another. We felt that it is important that we go, as Bishop Michael Evans, who died just before we left for WYD 2011, loved WYD and encouraged us all to go. We are still without a bishop, and Bishop Michael is still very much in our hearts.

Anyway, as you can see, I have attached pictures of our lovely (green….) hoodies that we will wear for fundraising, or just general get-togethers. Apologies for the red one underneath – it was very cold and wet at Walsingham today! I thought I’d put them on so that those of you who are unfortunately not coming to WYD 2013 can still share the spirit and join in! Also apologies for the quality of pictures (and the model!) but it was the only camera I had to hand!

I will keep you updated with what is happening in East Anglia for WYD Rio, like fundraising efforts and other events!

Ruth

In our blog today, we’re concentrating on the Opening Mass in Madrid.

We gathered in our small groups, then we left and proceeded towards Mass. As we crowded on the roads that were shut off for Mass, we realised that there was hardly anywhere to sit. It was extremely cramped as we had to sit where we stood. We have been given a Magnificat, so that we can follow all the services that happen. However, this Mass was particularly hard to follow, because we couldn’t hear some parts of the Mass, due to the microphone not really working properly, and everything was in Spanish (which we kind of expected, but we were expecting some help!). However, the experience to of sitting with people from all over the world was brilliant, because we were mingling with them and it was good to be part of such a big crowd. The World Youth Day song was played at the start and it was good to hear everyone singing and joining in, as it sounded really catchy! It also reflected the essence of World Youth Day.

The next morning, we began our Catechesis sessions in local parishes . Various English-speaking countries were put together, from Canada, America, Ireland, the UK, South Africa, etc. We had a Canadian Bishop to lead the Catechesis and he was speaking very clearly of how faith is a gift from God and at the same time our response to His call. He gave us different steps for remaining “Firm in the Faith” and likened it to our baptismal promises. After a long question-and-answer session, we finally had an English Mass! This was really lovely, as we were able to understand exactly where we were in the Mass, even if we did say everything a bit fast!

Tomorrow, it’s the Yellow Group! They’ll be covering the Welcoming Ceremony, as the Pope landed at 12 today and is, as I type this, around the streets of Madrid.

The Red Group

Sorry it’s a bit late – have only just been given it, plus dodgy internet! Hope you enjoy:

Today is the turn of the Purple Group, i.e. the Ribenas! Each day, we have grown closer as a team and we have a lot of love for each other!

We left Zaragoza after a wonderful few days, making a final stop in what seemed to be a random car park to pick up our last lot of vomit sandwiches [I'll explain in another post]. Thankfully, there was also a tuna sandwich to get us through the hunger!

Back on the coach, our journey didn’t seem as long as it should have done, due to the fact that we had spent best part of 2 and a half days on the coach, so another 3 hours wasn’t going to make a huge difference! Well, it wouldn’t have done, had it not been for the police stopping us on the way into Madrid, the horrendously busy service station, being served by stroppy bar staff and the systems failing at the registration point. However, this gave us the opportunity to mingle with other excited pilgrims, play games and sing songs! Mother and Son team, Anne and Sam managed to slip in a cheeky ballroom dancing lesson, which helped bond nationalities. Anna and a few others were even treated to a quick tour of an American coach. It was an opportunity for those who considered themselves ‘strapping’ to volunteer and help carry our pilgrim packs from the inside out to the coach. This included our very own Stefan!! They managed to pray the entire Rosary in the time they were waiting and still had an hour to spare!

There was a combination of tiredness, relief and hunger upon arrival at our rooms. We actually have BEDS!!!! A quick turnaround saw us back out for dinner in no time at all. The Spanish have done really well with regards to the food vouchers! Gone is the Sydney slop; our vouchers get us into most restaurants in the city. Us Ribenas, along with Team Tango, The Smurfs, and The Aliens, found a little Mexican (that’s a restaurant, not a person, just in case you were wondering!) and enjoyed a real meal, especially Sabrina, as she was constantly saying how much she was loving it! We also played games. I’m going to call it the hand games, as it doesn’t actually have a title yet! Philip showed his cocktail mixing skills as he put together all our drinks and, surprisingly, it tasted like cucumber! Weird, huh? Back at our accommodation, the boys enjoyed a touch of make shift, wheely chair, midnight jousting. They certainly don’t  lack imagination!

We woke up to a lovely breakfast and a very smiley Spanish lady. Everyone seemed considerably chirpier after the beds(!!!) and semi lay-in. We then set off in teams to the Vocations Fair. Perhaps it will bring about a new set of priests and nuns from East Anglia! Although, we did have what we would like to call a proposal from Ciaran to Emma, after mentions of Emma becoming a nun. Ciaran is, of course, still being teased about it – good old Freudian slips! At the fair, we were given lots of freebies, met many people from all over the world and swapped our badges and bits. Chrissie proved good at bargaining and got herself a Malaysian shirt! Araba, Sabrina, Claire and Anna went street and learnt to rap the Hail Mary with a boombox carrying Texan! This was when we weren’t dodging the woman who insisted on sticking stickers on us repeatedly. Excitingly, we met lots of English groups, our favourites being the group from Portsmouth, who were very friendly and excited to meet us. WYD is only just kicking off and have plenty more in store – it’s only going to keep getting better and better, so keep checking back to see our progress!!!

Love and prayers

Chrissie, Araba, Joe, Anna, Claire, Stefan, Philip, Vanecia and Sabrina (The Ribenas!)

Day 6: 15^th August – Orange Group

We are now adjusted to Spanish time with people using the free time in the middle of the day for its intended purpose – a siesta, otherwise known as a nap. However, those with enough energy to spare after a very active first few days headed to a nearby outdoor pool to cool off and make use of the showers!

In the evening, our hosts organised an amazing concert of Spanish music and dancing. Some attempted to copy the dance steps and ended up doing dome impressive ballroom dancing, whilst others decided the Macarena approach was better and proceeded to engage a large group of followers of various nationalities. It was also a great opportunity to swap items with the other groups. The highlight of this was that we managed to gain an Italian cowboy style hat in exchange for a bottle of ketchup. This Italian clearly felt passionate about the red stuff! (And we clearly did not…)

Another conquest for our team was the persuasive bartering for a German hat that Lewis managed to succeed in. They didn’t seem to want to give in easily, as they love their hats! But, after a while, and a lot of negotiating, the German gave in and Lewis got his hat!

The following say was the last in Zaragoza, so in the morning, there was a farewell Mass, which was incredibly hot! Although it was much longer than a normal Mass, due to numerous translations of some parts, it was a nice end to our time in Zaragoza.

We are now very excited for what awaits in Madrid!

For now, it’s back on the coach… Again….

The Orange Group – The Tangos

Day 4: 14th August – The Green Group

Saturday afternoon began with a relaxing swimming session at the open air pool: the group decided to go in together and cause a splash.

After dinner, we attended the Rosary Vigil at the Basilica de Santa Engracia, where all the groups from WYD staying in Zaragoza were and it was amazing. The Five Mysteries of the Rosary were read in a different language, as well as blessings from the Cardinal of Bordeaux and Archbishop of Zaragoza.
We all received a candle, which was lit, lighting the Square beautifully. We spoke to and exchanged gifts with young people from other countries, including Syria, Venezuela, etc. which was great fun!

After the joys of Saturday evening, we were met with an extremely impressive Mass, with the WYD Zimbabwe group and the music and dancing raised the roof! The Mass was conducted in 3 languages and we all engaged in various aspects of the Mass. The Zimbabwe group were very friendly and after Mass, we exchanged gifts, talked and took lots of photos.

The Green Team (The Dream Team)

After waking up in Zaragoza on our very first day, we had a short wait for showers before we had breakfast at a local cafe. We then walked to the Basilica de Santa Engracia. Santa Engracia was a woman who was martyred for refusing to marry and renounce her faith. Unfortunately, this information was a little hard to come by, as the tour was in Spanish and it was hard to hear the English translation.

After this, we walked towards the area where we receive our food. Most people were glad to eat some warm food, and we were lucky enough to have chicken, Italian salad, bread and a bottle of water. While we were eating, people from other countries danced and sang, so we obviously had to join in! After meeting lots of other young people from around the world, we left there to continue our pilgrimage.

In the afternoon, some of us went swimming at the local outdoor swimming pool , which was lush! The water was freezing, but as it’s so hot here, I don’t think anyone was complaining too much! In the swimming pool we were having races across the width of the pool. Harriet challenged some of the boys to a race and ended up winning! Some of the boys even dropped out! All-in-all, everyone had lots of fun.

In the early evening, we gathered for Mass, celebrated by our pilgrim priests and one of our host priests. We were also joined by some local parishioners. Fr Michael’s homily focused on the importance of God in our daily lives and he provided us with prayer cards on St Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, to emphasise this and provide us with a prayer to help us to remember and serve God in all we do. Some of us are still adjusting to the heat and were swooning a little in Mass, but we shall soon acclimatise.

Dinner was Spanish omelette, an apple, bread and coleslaw which was very tasty. Many different countries were also having dinner, giving a great atmosphere. After dinner, lots of dancing was happening, especially with the French and Brazilians. Great fun! We sang and danced the Hokey Cokey, which Fr Luke was appalled at, but everyone else enjoyed it!

After Mass, we went to the Shrine to complete our 3 Shrine challenge. As we walked, we came into a huge square with a fountain at one end and the shrine stretched across one side with beautifully coloured roofs. In a corner, by the Shrine, we saw a proposal taking place, which was really cute and lovely to see! When we got to the doors of the Shrine, we were able to go in, but for one minute only, as they were closing. We had time to say the Hail Mary, which was great. Afterwards, we all went exploring round the square. A number of us met up with an Italian group and took photos with them while paddling in the fountain.

Before we went to the Shrine, we went to the La Seo Cathedral. While waiting to go inside, we had our first taste (or feel) of Spanish rain! The cathedral was Gothic in style with a highly decorative High Altarpiece. Within the Altarpiece, there were ten niches, three of which contained the ‘heads’ of Saint Valero, Saint Lawrence and Saint Vincent.

In the morning, we took a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar, accompanied by a Spanish priest, who is looking after us so well while we are here. The Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar was just amazing. We got to see come beautiful historical paintings and side chapel where we spent a little time praying and meditating. The priest also explained to us about the Patron Saint of Spain, St James, to whom Our Lady appeared on a pillar and told him that this place will be a Catholic place.

Tomorrow – the Green Group!