Ben Emmel, second from right, poses with friends and fellow pilgrims at Manley Beach in Australia

The pilgrimage to Australia for World Youth Day 2008 is now over and completed, and I’m sure at this moment most of the young people are still trying to figure out the best way to recover from the exhaustion brought on by the journey. I for one am fighting off jet lag, as my brain tells my body that it is indeed 3AM like Sydney.

This latest bout of fatigue is nothing, really, compared with the previous pains and trials experienced in Sydney. Sleeping on hard tile floors, taking three-minute showers in a temporary wooden box, spending countless hours on one’s feet waiting for the Holy Father, eating the same pilgrims’ food for a week: this was all happily endured by the young people throughout the globe for World Youth Day.

None of this is worth complaining about, either. It’s all part of the pilgrim’s way. And all of it was worth it. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical traveling to Australia: will we actually be able to see Pope Benedict? Will this be a disorganized and uncontrollable event, with thousands of international visitors running wild over Sydney?

Flags from many different countries fly in front of the bishops assembled for the opening Mass at Barangaroo in Sydney, as the sun sets over the harbor behind. (Catholic Herald photo by Ben Emmel)

But now I can safely say: every young Catholic needs to attend at least one World Youth Day. It is an incredible faith uplifter, a global experience, a glimpse of the universal Church. The first Mass at Barangaroo strikes me as the perfect example of this: Pope Benedict XVI hadn’t even arrived in Sydney, yet the thousands of pilgrims were cheering Cardinal George Pell like a rockstar. Flags from places as diverse as France and Fiji, Sri Lanka and Singapore, the Emirates and Eritrea: all were flying high and proud as he invoked the Holy Spirit upon the start of World Youth Day.

The theme song of WYD, “Receive the Power” was played over and over again at the many events, and everyone in Australia certainly has become familiar with the song. Kai Vang, a fellow pilgrim from Wisconsin, told me his thoughts about a line from that song: “Every nation, every tribe, comes together to worship You.”

“I was really amazed to see people from all over the world gather in one place to pray together in unity and diversity,” he told me after we had returned to the States. In many ways, this is a perfect example of the international gathering. Every nation truly did come to worship, gather with the Pope, and strengthen their own Catholic faith. All the young people came to “receive the power from the Holy Spirit,” as the song continues. We gain support from each, power in each one’s presence.

Pilgrims waves their country flags at the Final Mass at Southern Cross Precinct. (Photo by World Youth Day)

I feel that, now landed back home as an American, that I have received the power: I would not be so proud to say that I possess the Holy Spirit in his entirety, but I do know that I have been changed in some way by my fellow pilgrims, by their witness to Christ. Perhaps that’s why it’s so important for every young Catholic to scrimp and save in order to travel to Madrid in 2011: we need to see that Christ came for all, for every last pilgrim, every last person on Earth. Then we need to bring the Gospel to them. The message of the WYD theme rings true: now we will be Christ’s witnesses, unto the ends of the Earth.

As I close this Journey of Faith blog, I want to thank you, the readers, for following us pilgrims on the way from Madison to Melbourne, Sydney, and beyond. Your prayers have supported us greatly throughout the way — especially in the return of our missing luggage last week! The Pope spoke several times on the importance of those participating in WYD spiritually — you certainly have made a difference in our trip. Thank you also to those who supported the pilgrims materially — without your help, Madison would have had no presence in Australia.

I leave you with the WYD08 theme song, now a favorite of Bishop Morlino. And as Pope Benedict said, “I look forward to seeing you again in three years’ time. World Youth Day 2011 will take place in Madrid, Spain. Until then, let us continue to pray for one another, and let us joyfully bear witness to Christ before the world.”

The pilgrims sing the WYD theme song "Receive the Power" one last time at the Bishop O'Connor Center Friday. (Catholic Herald photo by Kat Wagner)

MADISON — All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes, and the Diocese of Madison pilgrimage to WYD08 has too come to a close. The 75 pilgrims arrived back in Madison Friday afternoon exhausted and fatigued, but full of the Holy Spirit after “receiving the power” in Sydney, Australia for the past two weeks.

The pilgrims flew from Australia Thursday morning, arriving in Japan and spending a night’s lay-over until Friday morning. They then departed from the Narita Airport, arriving again in Madison on Friday due to traveling over the International Date Line.

The night’s stay in Japan was an added bonus to the Australian pilgrimage. Many of the young people had not been in the East Asian country before, and took the opportunity to spend the night in the small airport town of Narita. Many simply experienced for a short while the Japanese culture — a few took advantage of the local cuisine, while a group of seminarians sang the night away in a karaoke bar.

Returning home, however, brings its mixed blessing on the pilgrims. Certainly, all are enjoying the rest and respite from the non-stop schedule of traveling, Days in the Diocese, and World Youth Day. But for many of the Madison pilgrims, they return to Wisconsin changed, imbued with the Holy Spirit and ready to carry out their missions as Catholics in the world, as says the WYD theme: “You will receive power from the Holy Spirit, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

Anica Schmitz, pilgrim on the diocesan tour, said that she was spiritually renewed at several points throughout the trip, especially when being around Pope Benedict and the thousands of other Catholic youth. But it was also the small moments on the journey that kindled the Spirit within her.

Fr. Paul Arinze shows off his thank-you gift, a shirt signed by all the pilgrims.

“There was one time when I went to go pray in the church (Sacred Heart in Mosman) for adoration,” she said, “but it was closed. So I ended up just praying for an hour in front of the crucifix outside.” Schmitz added that this instance was the most fruitful of her times in Australia.

The pilgrims have already started to make plans to keep the “spirit” of the journey alive. Many are connected though social networking Web sites, such as Facebook, or the official WYD site XT3.com. Fr. Paul Arinze said that a reunion of the pilgrims will take place some time later this year, and encouraged the young people to stay in contact.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his final address to the young people at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, spoke of these challenges of returning to one’s home countries after World Youth Day. It can be difficult, the Holy Father said, but the young people must be the witnesses to the world.

“Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity,” said Pope Benedict.

“The Church also needs this renewal!” he challenged. “She needs your faith, your idealism, and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit.”

After seeing all the pilgrims of the world, the Church looks alive and young in the Spirit indeed.

Two pilgrims run home in excitement. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses."

Bishop Robert C. Morlino recites the prayers of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, commonly known as the Tridentine Mass, at St. Augustine Parish in Sydney (Catholic Herald photo by Ben Emmel)

SYDNEY — Bishop Robert Morlino capped off the diocesan pilgrimage to Australia for World Youth Day by celebrating an Extraordinary Form of the Mass Wednesday.

In comments before the Mass, Bishop Morlino said that the celebration of this older form of the Mass was a moment to understand the power of the Holy Spirit, present in both the older Mass and the new.

“We’re doing this today because we’re trying to experience the Holy Spirit in our time,” remarked Bishop Morlino. “He’s not present in one generation more than another. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church every moment throughout history.”

This Mass is not deficient, nor is the current Novus Ordo Mass. “The Holy Spirit rules over the liturgy, and calls young women and men though it. But my intention is that you realize that this liturgy is what the (Vatican II) council fathers celebrated. It’s not pre-Vatican II: it is Vatican II.”

The celebration of the Tridentine Mass also ties into the theme of World Youth Day, Bishop Morlino said. “We’re trying to understand the Holy Spirit. This is about how the Holy Spirit works through every generation.”

Bishop Morlino also provided a short catechesis on the meaning of the phrase “active participation” that arose out of the discussions and documents of the Second Vatican Council. “The council fathers deliberately chose to use the word ‘actuosa’ for the word ‘act’ and not use the word ‘activa.’”

“Activa means get as many people in the sanctuary as possible, for example,” Bishop Morlino said. “The council fathers deliberately rejected this.”

Bishop Morlino presents the Eucharist to the faithful at the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

The bishop remarked how “actuosa” is the correct teaching of the Church, with moments of contemplation within the Mass. “This is the teaching of the Church, this is actuosa: when the silent moments of the Mass are important.” The importance of silence is especially crucial in the understanding of the Extraordinary Form, as much of the Mass is spent by the lay faithful in silent and private prayer.

The different forms of response in the Mass do not reflect a rip or break in the teachings of the Church, however. “There is a continuity in the liturgy,” Bishop Morlino remarked. “Pope Benedict is very much concerned with this. If there is no continuity, then there is no Holy Spirit.”

The bishop ended by exhorting the young people to participate fully in the Mass. “The participation that counts is the actuosa, the spiritual faith life,” he said.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI thanks the pilgrims during the Final Mass at Southern Cross Precinct. (Photo by World Youth Day)

The Final Mass was held at the Randwick Racecourse, the site of the previous night’s vigil with the Holy Father. The pilgrims had slept outside at the racecourse during the night, bringing sleeping bags and blankets and pitching out on the ground. Some slept, while others prayed or took advantage of the all-night adoration and reconciliation tents set up on the grounds of the Southern Cross Precinct.

“It was cold, and our backs were sore,” said Lauren Zelinksi of St. Henry Parish, Watertown, “but celebrating Mass with the Holy Father made it all worth it.”

Her sentiments were echoed by many of the pilgrims, who were joyous for the Pope’s final words to the young people in Australia. In his homily, Pope Benedict remarked that the power of the Holy Spirit was evident in the past few days in Sydney.

“In this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit’s presence and power in the life of the Church,” Benedict said. “We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ.”

This power of the Church fills the life, remarked the Pope, but also flows within us. He then challenged all the young people: “Let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure?”

Benedict continued, “How are you using the gifts you have been given, the ‘power’ which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make?”

During the Mass, the Holy Father confirmed 24 young people from around the world, allowing them to experience in a real way the power of the Holy Spirit. This group included one American.

Spanish pilgrims celebrate after His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 2011 World Youth Day is going to be held in Madrid, Spain during Final Mass at Southern Cross Precinct during World Youth Day Sydney 2008 on July 20, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by World Youth Day)

After the Mass was finished, Pope Benedict made the announcement of the next host city of World Youth Day: it will be held in Madrid, Spain, in 2011. The Spanish pilgrims actually ruined the Holy Father’s announcement: before he had finished his speech thanking the pilgrims and announcing the next host city, a group of young people from Spain ran out on the stage and starting waving their national flags and colors (they were quickly silenced by the papal MC’s).

The Holy Father then departed from the stadium, flying back to Rome on Monday, and bringing an end to World Youth Day 2008 — Sydney.

Pope Benedict XVI greets the Sisters of Life as they reach out to touch him at the Mass and Dedication of the Altar held in St. Mary's Cathedral Saturday (Catholic Herald photo by Ben Emmel)

SYDNEY — At a time where most in the city were sleeping, including many pilgrims exhausted by the non-stop activity of World Youth Day, the seminarians for the Diocese of Madison were awake, dressed in cassocks, and standing outside St. Mary’s Cathedral in the brisk morning air.

These young men studying for the priesthood were not out for some early evangelization, however. Instead, they had arrived at the gates of St. Mary’s in order to ready themselves for a Mass with the Holy Father and (truth be told) be first in line so as to have the closest location to Pope Benedict XVI.

Leaving their parish over five hours before the start of the 9 AM Mass, the Madison seminarians were rewarded for their efforts by being able to line the sides of the main aisle as Pope Benedict entered the cathedral. Some were able to shake his hand, while others touched the edge of his vestments as they passed by.

“It was an moving experience,” said Joe Johnson, seminarian studying at Seton Hall University, NJ, for the Diocese. “To see all that love and affection for (Pope Benedict) on the part of the seminarians really escapes my ability to put it into words.”

The Pope dedicated the main altar at St. Mary’s cathedral during the Mass, which was held for the Australian bishops, benefactors of WYD, seminarians, and religious in formation. In his homily, the Holy Father likened the consecration of the altar to the own calling of the people of God.

“We too have been consecrated, set ‘apart’ for the service of God and the building up of his Kingdom,” he said. “Today’s liturgy offers an eloquent symbol of that progressive spiritual transformation to which each of us is called. These rites invite us to re-live our own consecration in Baptism.”

Pope Benedict also had special words for the seminarians, who as a result of the limited space in the cathedral, had to stand before and thoughout the Mass. “Let this altar, with its powerful image of Christ the Suffering Servant, be a constant inspiration to you.”

He continued, “Certainly there are times when every faithful disciple will feel the heat and the burden of the day (cf. Mt 20:12), and the struggle of bearing prophetic witness before a world which can appear deaf to the demands of God’s word. Do not be afraid! Believe in the light!”

These words led the seminarians onward after Mass as they began their own pilgrims’ walk.

From left, Theresa Ptak, Anna Schiedemayer, Lucy Ptak, and Erik Duhn prayer with the Holy Father at Randwick Racecourse Saturday night. (Catholic Herald photo by Ben Emmel)

“We need to understand the person of the Holy Spirit and his vivifying presence in our lives,” Benedict explained. “This is not easy to comprehend. Yet we do know that it is the Holy Spirit who, though silent and unseen, gives direction and definition to our witness to Jesus Christ.”

This idea of witness through the Holy Spirit, the theme of WYD, is essential for the Christian in this “fragmented world,” he said. But it can only be done in unity with the entire Church, powered by the third member of the Trinity.

“This is the Spirit’s role: to bring Christ’s work to fulfillment,” Benedict remakred.  ”Enriched with the Spirit’s gifts, you will have the power to move beyond the piecemeal, the hollow utopia, the fleeting, to offer the consistency and certainty of Christian witness!”

The Holy Father’s own witness was inspiring to the Madison pilgrims, who listened intently as the Holy Father spoke. Tyler Dickinson remarked that the Pope was “here for the whole Church.”

“Being in the presence of the Holy  Father is really amazing, and he seems so responsive to youth,” Dickinson said after the event. “That’s really inspiring that he’s looking to having us filled with the Holy Spirit. He wants us to experience Christ. He’s here for us.”

Pilgrims make their way to South Cross Precinct during the Pilgrimage Walk at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Photo by World Youth Day)

The experience of Christ’s suffering was shared in some small way by the pilgrims before the Vigil, as they completed a 5.5 mile pilgrimage walk thoughout the city of Sydney. Starting at the North Shore of the Sydney Harbor, all young people at WYD walked across the iconic Harbor Bridge, past the Opera House, and through the city to the “South Cross Precinct,” an area of the city used for the WYD vigil and Mass.

The young people carried their backpacks, sleeping bags, and mats on their backs as they traversed through the city on a trip that took several hours. But in the spirit of traditional pilgrims’ walks, such as those taken by medieval pilgrims from Europe to the Holy Land, the walk was filled with song and joy.

Many groups participating on the journey had brought guitars, tambourines, and other instruments, and sung their way to the racetrack. Other pilgrims prayed the rosary and other devotions as they walked thought Sydney. The roads were packed with the traveling young people – the entire city had been brought to a standstill as over 200,000 youth walked to the Precinct.

Their spirit of unity and vitality in the fatigue and suffering from the pilgrims’ walked showed to all how true were Pope Benedict’s words on the Holy Spirit: “To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love.”

Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene is performed as part of Stations of the Cross at Darling Harbour during World Youth Day Sydney 2008 on July 18, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by World Youth Day)

SYDNEY – In what could be the most spiritual event yet at World Youth Day, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, joined an estimated 270,000 people around Sydney for the Stations of the Cross. The thirteen stations, based on a contemporary Scripture-based meditation, were located at all the major WYD events, including the Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbor, and the Barangaroo area.

The stations were acted out by group of professional thespians, who walked with the WYD Cross and Icon throughout the stations stops. This cross had previously traveled around the World to every continent as part of a pre-WYD pilgrimage of faith.

The stations were quite moving, especially at the final three, which were located directly in front of the Madison pilgrims at the Barangaroo shore. The stripping of Jesus’ clothes, his death, and taking down from the cross were accompanied by Scripture readings, prayers, and song.

These events set the stage for tomorrow night’s pilgrim’s walk across, a 5.5 mile journey across the Sydney Harbor Bridge to the Randwick Racecourse, where the Pope will join the 250,000 pilgrims in a prayer vigil that then continues throughout the night. He then will celebrate the closing Mass of WYD Sunday morning. In addition, the seminarians for the diocese will join with religious and young people in priestly formation throughout the world with the Holy Father at a Dedication of Altar and Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral early on Saturday.

Carrie Bowden, left, and Theresa Ptak, both Madison pilgrims at World Youth Day 2008, show their joy at the presence of the Holy Father in Sydney, Australia. (Catholic Herald photo by Ben Emmel)

SYDNEY — After months of anticipation, and years of preparation in Sydney, the Holy Father made an grand appearance in Sydney today for the young people gathered at World Youth Day 2008. Thousands of pilgrims were gathered at sites around the city of Sydney, where the Pope first appeared in a “boat-a-cade,” traveling on a yacht through the harbor and greeting the youth amassed on shore.

The pope then disembarked the yacht and gave a short address to the youth of the world, leading them in a prayer service. “What a delight it is to greet you here at Barangaroo, on the shores of the magnificent Sydney harbour, with its famous bridge and Opera House,” the Pope began, moving on to speak on the witness of those people who had immigrated to Australia with their Catholic faith, and were led by the Holy Spirit to continue their worship of God.

“Their whole lives were a selfless Christian witness,” the Holy Father remarked. “They became the humble but tenacious builders of so much of the social and spiritual heritage which still today brings goodness, compassion and purpose to these nations.”

After the speech, Benedict transferred to his vehicle (the so-called “popemobile”) and then drove in the streets of Sydney to several other WYD locations, including the Domain, a garden and open area where the Madison pilgrims stood to watch the motorcade pass by.

The Wisconsin youth were very excited to see the Holy Father. The seminarians, the majority of which had seen Pope Benedict XVI before in Rome and New York City, led the group in cheers before the Holy Father passed by. Other youth joined in singing the WYD hymn, “Receive the Power” as the Pope ended his address.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI makes his way through the Sydney gardens in the Papal Motorcade after the Papal Welcome at Barangaroo during World Youth Day (Photo by World Youth Day)

Monica Kmak, from St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville, was seeing the Holy Father for the first time. “It was pretty amazing,” she said after the event. “He went by pretty fast (in the car); the atmosphere was incredible.”

Jessica Murphy, of St. Ann Parish in Stoughton, and on her third WYD pilgrimage, said that while the Holy Father looked tired from his journey, he still had an affect on the crowd, making it seem “real” to the youth. “Seeing the pope really put me in the mindset of ‘Yes, this is World Youth Day’,” she said.

Other pilgrims were taken in by the multicultural spirit of the event. Flags and banners were all present in the crowd at the Domain, as they have been in every WYD site since the beginning of the week. At one point during the wait before the Holy Father’s arrival, Fr. Paul Arinze, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville and group leader for the diocesan pilgrimage, led a large section of the field in a back-and-forth chant of “We love Jesus yes we do!”, preparing the youth for the Pope’s presence.

“I’m inspired by all the people,” said Nancy Anderson, chaperone from Dodgeville. “It’s amazing.”

Tomorrow, the pilgrims and all the young people of the world will join Pope Benedict in celebrating the Stations of the Cross, located at sites throughout downtown Sydney.

A view of the Sanctuary during the Opening Mass of Welcome of World Youth Day Sydney 2008 at Barangaroo on July 15, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by World Youth Day)

SYDNEY — World Youth Day has begun! Cardinal George Pell of Sydney celebrated the opening Mass of Welcome yesterday, and the pilgrims of the world (not just Madison!) are ready to celebrate their faith, no matter what the difficulty.

And there have been troubles, not the least of which was the missing luggage of many young people, domestic and international pilgrims, who had traveled from Melbourne. The bags of the Madison youth were dropped off Tuesday evening, a blessing, but not soon enough for the days events.

This led to the Wisconsin pilgrims exploring Sydney in less-than-satisfactory conditions for a pilgrimage, considering that sleeping bags and pads were missing as well. However, none of this spoiled the joy and moods of the Wisconsinites, as all had smiles on their faces as they explored the city of Sydney and attended the opening Mass with the thousands of pilgrims throughout the world. As Msgr. James Bartylla mentioned at the beginning of this trip, small sacrifices are part of the pilgrimage experience, and can help aid the suffering souls of the world.

Besides, dirty laundry, hard floors, unheated classrooms, and showers contained in a pine box seems insignificant when one considers that they are celebrating their faith with thousands around the globe. Tadfaszwa Kushamba, seminarian for the Diocese of Madison, said it best when he was describing the youth in Sydney. “No one knows where they all came from and how they got here, but the love of Christ brings them together,” he said.

Cardinal Pell acknowledged that suffering in the world in his homily at the opening Mass as he welcomed the gathered youth, especially “anyone, anywhere who regards himself or herself as lost, in deep distress, with hope diminished or even exhausted.”

“Christ is still calling those who are suffering to come to him for healing, as he has for two thousand years,” Cardinal Pell told the youth. “Christ is calling you home; to love, healing and community.”

The power and force of the Holy Spirit is the theme of this World Youth Day, and Cardinal Pell encouraged the young people to use this Spirit, and the time in Sydney, to listen closely to the call of God. “Our task is to be open to the power of the Spirit, to allow the God of surprises to act through us,” he said. This is often hard, and our human wills and inclinations make it difficult to follow the will of God.

But happiness truly comes from doing our duty and meeting the obligations that God and man has put upon us. “Don’t spend your life sitting on the fence, keeping your options open, because only commitments bring fulfilment,” Cardinal Pell remarked. He also told the pilgrims that the time is short, and soon they will return to normalcy and their homes. But “let us never part from our loving God and Jesus Christ.”

“And so I pray. Come, come O Breath of God, from the four winds, from all the nations and peoples of the earth and bless our Great South Land of the Holy Spirit.”