Joy and wonder with the Holy Father

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.