Bringing the Spirit down upon the world

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.