24 hours after we had left Groningen, we arrived in Sydney on July 7. After a year of preparations, we were finally there where everything was going to happen: Australia. From the airport we went by bus to Goulburn: a city two hours south of Sydney. Here we would stay for the first week, together with pilgrims from all over the world, to participate in the International Youth Forum (IYF). This was a sort of preparation for the World Youth Days (WYD) . After a mass in the local parish and a snack and a drink, everyone older than 18 years was met with their host families. Everyone younger than 18 and went to an abandoned nursing home where they could stay for the week. According to Australian law it was namely not allowed for them to stay in a host family, because they were minors.
After a day off on which many of us went on trips with their host families, the IYF started on the 9th of July. However, since the program did not begin until late in the afternoon, I first went shopping in Goulburn. I (and many others with me) had mistaken myself very much in about the weather: it was much colder than expected. As a matter of fact, Goulburn was having one of the coldest winters in times. For a day Goulburn was taken over by pilgrims hunting for scarves, gloves, jackets, etc. In the afternoon we walked towards the Showgrounds (a recreation area) for the opening mass. This was a big formless and badly insulated barn where it was freezing cold throughout the day. Despite of the latter, the opening mass was absolutely beautiful. It is very special to celebrate the Eucharist with so many young people from around the world. And then to think that Sydney was going to be bigger.
For the few next days the program had roughly the same daily set up. Every morning the program would start and after thata mass. In addition, there was a lot of time spent on testimonies, long stories and much praise. The latter is very typical for the Emmanuel community that the organized the IYF. However, it soon became clear that the Dutch had little feeling with this kind of set up. Some parts were in my opinion too elaborate, especially when you consider the fact we had to sit still in the freezing cold. Therefore the leaders of our group decided a couple of times to organize an alternative program for us. Amongst others we visited a scouting camp, had a mass in the open air (in the "bush") and Mgr. Van den Hende visited us one afternoon. On July 12 we went to a youth festival in Canberra with all the pilgrims who were in Goulburn. Here pilgrims from the surrounding communities of Canberra came together to listen to have a little pre-WYD party. The festival ended with a mass. It was really impressive to be together with 10,000 young people, to see a line of more than 100 priests and a couple of bishops climb the stage, and to see how young people from Samoa in their traditional costumes helped with the preparation of the holy communion.
On July 14 the day had finally come to leave for Sydney. After havind said goodbye to my host family, the bus ride to Sydney began. After a journey of about three hours, all of the Dutch pilgrims came together in a parish in the north of Sydney, where we were also going to have our daily bible study. Here we could have a snack and a drink while waiting for the trucks that transported our luggage. After this, we walked to a secondary boys school where our group was going to stay.
The next morning we departed went to the centre of the city. All of the pilgrims were given a pilgrim-pas by the organization with which we had free use of public transport. Since where we were staying wasn’t exactly within walking distance from downtown, this was very convenient.
Our first activity that day was a visit to the cathedral. The sun was shining brightly (which it did during our whole stay in Sydney) and soon everyone was walking around in T-shirts and the cold of Goulburn was forgotten. It was very busy at the cathedral, so we had to stand in line for quite a while. But who cares when there is dancing everywhere, music to listen to and there are more than enough new people to meet?. After a while we could finally climb stairs of the cathedral, which was the perfect location for a group picture. Inside the cathedral it was shown that a large crowd can also be very quiet. The cathedral in itself is a wonderful place to visit, but during WYD it was extra special, because the coffin of the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was present. Furthermore, there was also a very beautiful exhibition about his life.
After lunch we went to Barangaroo for the opening mass of the WYD. The introduction of the mass was provided by indigenous people of Australia with dance and music. Very impressive indeed. Also it was very special to experience the universality of the Catholic church: no matter in what language, all pilgrims prayed the same prayers and sang the same songs. After the mass, some of us went to get dinner for our group. We had to wait for more than an hour before they finally had gotten the food and had made their way back to the crowd. Yes, the WYD surely teaches you what ‘patience’ means. While we were waiting, however, a concert began on the main stage with several Christian bands. So we spend our time, jumping around, singing, and dancing and weren’t bored for a minute!
The next day (as well as the two days thereafter) started with a program especially for the Dutch delegation (every country had its own program in the morning). This program had the following basic structure. First praise, each time provided by a different international artist. Then a short film about one of the patrons of the WJD. Then bible study by one of the bishops with subsequent time in which the bible study was discussed in smaller groups. At the end of the morning the program was ended by a mass. On this day, the bible study was provided by Mgr. Van Burgsteden bearing the theme 'love'.
Since there was nothing on the program for the rest of that day, we had the afternoon and evening off to go where we wanted. Therefore, I went into the city with a small group of friends. Among others, we visited the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Furthermore, we went to the various festivals that were organized throughout the city.
The next day began again with the Dutch program. This time, the bible study was led by Mgr. Van den Hende with the theme "hope." After lunch we left with the entire group for Barangaroo where the Pope would arrive. Since we had to stand in an area farthest away from the main stage, we didn’t expect to see much. As soon as we arrived, however, we saw that the boat on which the Pope would arrive was supposed to anchor right in front of our noses. We had front row seats! I must say that the arrival of the Pope was one of the highlights of the WYD for me. We were so close! Unbelievable…
On Friday morning, we first had bible study again, this time provided by Mgr. De Jong with the theme 'faith'. After lunch we left again for Barangaroo for the Stations of the Cross. This was going to be performed in the streets of Sydney by actors, which we would then be able to follow on the big screens at Barangaroo. Because the screen close to our area wasn’t working properly, we missed the first part of the Stations of the Cross. After twenty minutes or so the screen worked again, and I was able to see most of the Stations. And I must say, the organization did a great job. The Stations of the Cross were portrayed in a very beautiful and touching way.
On Saturday morning it was time to pack our backpacks and make ourselves ready for the pilgrimage to Randwick Racecourse, where the Evening Vigil and the Holy Mass with the Pope would take place. We could choose between a route of 3 or 12 kilometers. With a small group I decided to walk the 12 kilometers. The best part of this route (which was not included in the 3 kilometer one) was the fact that we were allowed to walk across the Harbour Bridge which was closed down for all other traffic.
After an exhausting walk and with hoarse throats of all the singing and screaming, we arrived at Randwick. Fortunately, the part of the group that took the short route had kept some space open for us to put down our air mattresses and sleeping bags, because the race track was already crowded with people. At dusk, while watching the sun go down, the Evening Vigil began lead by the Pope. Another event that will stay with me forever. At a certain point during the Vigil, candles were handed out to all the pilgrims which were then lit by a flame that was started by the Pope. Wherever you looked you saw thousands of candles, taking away the darkness of the night bit by bit. Incredible!
After the Evening Vigil and a few hours of festivities, it was really time for us to get some sleep. We wrapped ourselves in aluminum-blankets to protect ourselves against the cold. All in all, I have to say that sleeping in the open air wasn’t as bad as I had expected. I slept really well and didn’t get cold at all.
The next morning we celebrated the Closing Mass with the Pope. Before this started, the Pope first rode a round on the race track. And again, we were terribly lucky. Together with a group of friends we were standing at a fence and saw the Pope drive by not more than 3 meters away from us! The mass itself was very nice and the fact that all this happemed in the open air with thousands of other young people from around the world, made the event even more special. After the announcement that the next WYD will be in Madrid in 2011, the WYD was closed with fireworks.
On Monday we had to leave the school we stayed at, because classes started again that day.For our last two days in Sydney, we therefore stayed at the Olympic Park area. During these two days we had free time to explore Syndey even more. On Wednesday we left for Ballarat where arrived after spending 15 hours on a bus. During the next couple of days, we visited various places in the area. First of all we went to Souvereign Hill, a museum in an old gold mining city. In this 18th century town, people walked around in traditional costumes and we could experience all sorts of activities typical for those days. Next to this, we went to Melbourne, and we made toured on the Great Ocean Road seeing the beautiful southeast coast of Australia.
All in all, this trip made big impression on me. During the WYD each of us experienced the Holy Spirit in one way or another. But even beyond: in the different cultures, the friendliness of the Aussies and the breathtaking Australian nature.
