We arrived in
Sydney 
early Sunday morning.
This time we didn’t have to wait for hours at the airport.
We were soon being brought to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in
Randwick which was just a few blocks away from the Randwick Race Course which was to be the site of the Papal Mass.
That was to our relief because it meant we wouldn’t have to walk a long way to get there.
We found out however that our foster families were not expecting us until the evening of the 14
th.
So everyone started calling on their relatives in
Australia to look for a place to stay for the night.
I brought along with me Phil and Atty. Lea to Plumpton which was an hour’s drive from the city. We were lucky because Erwin Buensuceso who was picked up by his aunt was also going that way and gave us a ride. I was able to get in touch with Ate Remy Fairweather, sister of Sis. Rita Fernandez.
She was kind enough to give us a place to spend the night.
Gigi and Queenie stayed in Gigi’s cousin’s place near the city.
In
Sydney, Fr. Chris and I were still housemates but this time we stayed in the same house with Msgr. Ding, Fr. Eugene, Fr. Jojo and Fr. Roy.
We were warmly received by Stephanie Burke and her family in their house along
Coogee Bay.
July 15 was the actual starting date of the WYD 2008.
It was such a memorable first day for most of us priests.
We had to line up at the Opera House for the accreditation of priests for us to be able to concelebrate in the Papal Mass.
We started lining up around
8:30am and finally got out of the Opera House around
5:30pm.
Imagine, nine hours of lining up with thousands of other priests and only 5 computers available for registration. That would have been an hour longer than our flight back to
Manila. And because of that queue, we never got to concelebrate during the Opening Mass at Barangaroo.
From July 16-18, we joined catechetical sessions in the morning at the Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Kensington.
The catechism sessions had bishops and Cardinals as speakers.
The main focus of the catechism was the theme of the WYD 2008:
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes, and you will become my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
In the afternoon of July 17, we joined thousands of ecstatic young people in Barangaroo for the grand Papal Arrival.
The highlight of any WYD celebration is the overnight vigil before the last day.
And so was it in
Sydney.
Around
1:30pm of Saturday, July 19, we began our pilgrim walk to the Randwick Race Course.
There was a festive atmosphere in the streets of
Sydney.
Young people from different nations were marching towards the same direction while chanting their love for Jesus and for the Pope.
Equally moving and heartwarming were the Filipinos based in
Sydney who were as ecstatic whenever they see us and the Filipino flag being waved in the air.
They were so proud to see their countrymen and even joined us in our chants of “Boom Tarat-tarat.”
That was also the most challenging part of the WYD. Remember, it was the heart of winter. By 5pm, we were already struggling with the biting coldness to think that the vigil had not begun yet. The Pope arrived around 8pm and the prayer vigil lasted until 10pm. By the end of the vigil, we were freezing to our bones. Four layers of winter clothing, sleeping bags and thermal blankets were not enough to ward off the stinging coldness. But there was no giving up on this once in a lifetime experience. Everyone was courageous enough to take the extra challenge. Four hundred thousand young people slept under the Southern sky anticipating the Pope’s closing mass the following morning.
It was all worth the sacrifice. Although most of us were not able to really get a good night’s rest, everyone was as energetic as the previous day as we awaited the Closing Mass. The Pope’s message reverberated around the race course. Power can only come from the Holy Spirit, a power so different from what the world can offer. The Papal message was full of hope for the young people of the world.
There are still so many things to write about the WYD. One blog entry will never be enough. I am just giving you a summary of the events that transpired during those unforgettable days in Sydney and Melbourne. In fact I haven’t told you about the Blue Mountains, about the food, koalas, kangaroos, lamingtons, Tim-tams …and WYD 2011 in Madrid! Hasta la vista!!!
