Friday
We went to the Love and Life exhibit after morning Catechesis. This was by far the best pro-life experience I've ever seen. It was an MP3 headset guided tour through beautiful posters depicting the choices made by 6 young people.
The way it was set up, the powerful testimonials and the beautiful songs made for an emotional and memorable experience. Plenty of tissues were available.
In the evening, we saw the Way of the Cross.
We had part of our group hold a great spot. We were near Station 7, shown in the photo. The WYD cross moved from station to station, so we felt part of the experience. We did leave early so as not to be caught in the crowd again.
Saturday/Sunday
In the morning, we had a special Vancouver Archdiocese Mass with AB Miller. It was good to see so many familiar faces from home. After lunch, it was off to the air base for the Vigil. We made good progress but it was still too late. Our zone had filled up and it was challenging to squeeze parts of our group in. Some ended up going to the public area. It did work out in the end, though.
Having two spots allowed us to escape the intensity of the forward areas for those that needed a bit of sleep. And being forward allowed us a better view of the stage and of the Pope as he drove by.
Read Mat 8:24-27 before continuing.
The airbase was a sweltering 40 deg C. The ground was dry and the feet of well over a million pilgrims were raising enough dust to make breathing challenging. Water was the key, but the refilling station line-up was considerable, (not to mention that it was far from where we were sitting). People were fainting and the lack of space was frustrating. So perhaps more important than the water, was prayer.
Our prayers were answered in a big way during the Vigil. As the Pope welcomed us, distant flashes of lightning echoed his greeting. Us hardy Vancouverites tried to weather it out, but the wind escalates and sent waves of cold rain water on us. We were not prepared for this, and as i crouched under my Thermarest, I noticed in the one videotron that was still working, that the Pope remained where he was. With a peaceful calm, he looked out over the storm as the pilgrims took shelter and chanted "Benedicto!". Within 30 minutes, calm returned; the faithful's prayers were answered.
After an evening of singing and celebrating, a very tired group of pilgrims joined the Holy Father for Mass in the morning. At the end of the Mass, it was announces that the next WYD will be in 2 years in Rio!
- Posted by Ray Tarnai using BlogPress from my iPhone
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