Journal of My Experiences
Tickets to see the Pope
This morning, Andrew Bourque and I traveled into town early in order to pick up our tickets for the seminarian gathering. We arrived right outside the Dom. We spent the first touring around the Dom, where there were huge crowds. Once again the hype was at the Max � it was so exciting navigating around the crowds, which was a little easier given we were a group of two. We met Canadians at every corner. I wanted to try and go to the Dom immediately, but Andrew thought it best we wait � it was a wise decision. We ended up going the wrong way to St. Pantaleon�s at first, and ended up along the Rhine. We retracted and found the proper route. Close to the Church, a kind local helped us find the way to the Church.
The line-up for tickets to our Papal Audience was short. We got in and were able to get our tickets fairly easily. We were told that we were in the GREEN section, which meant that we would be outside. However, we were promised that the Pope would walk by us and greet us. We were also told that translation of the talk would be available if we brought our radios.
Mass at the crypt of St. Pantaleon's Church.
We then went to tour the Church. Outside, they were selling �St. Pantaleon�s Liqueur� for only 4 Euros. I wish I had had the courage to buy some, but shied away from it. The church was very well decorated with a very elaborate grill which separated the cloister from the public (It held a cloister at one time). (Currently the church is under the Pastoral care of Opus Dei � a fact that was sure to arouse a little controversy). The relics of the Cure of Ars were on display and we took some time to venerate them.
This church had been set aside throughout the World Youth Days as a spiritual center for priests and seminarians. Priests were able to come there if they had no place to say Mass. Throughout the church, in different chapels, Mass was being said in different languages. Since we had come into Cologne early, we had missed Mass with the rest of our group. We asked one of the sacristans if we could attend Mass there. He told us that within the next hour Masses were being said in French and German. Since Andrew understood French, we decided we would attend the French Mass. (I myself had only a limited understanding of either language) It was to be celebrated by the Bishop of Belley-Ars France, Guy Claude Bagnard. It took place in the crypt underneath the church where St. Bruno, the archbishop of Cologne during the late tenth century, is buried. Andrew spoke with one of the concelebrating priests to let them know we wished to join them.
The Mass began in the crypt with the Bishop, some concelebrating priests, seminarians from France, Andrew and myself. Partway through the Mass, a relatively large group of Spanish speaking pilgrims entered the crypt. The group included families with children. After the Gospel, the Bishop asked if he could give a Homily in French, but they replied that they did not know French.
Mass continued. At least half of the participants, including myself, had only a poor understanding of French, if any. Nevertheless, we had little trouble following the Mass. I was especially moved when one of the French seminarians intoned the �Sanctus� or �Holy, Holy, Holy� in Latin. Almost everyone, including the Spanish families knew the tone and were able to join in. This continued for some other parts of the Mass as well. At the end of Mass, the Salve Regina was chanted, all participating.
For me, this was a very intimate experience of the universal church. In a very small chapel underneath the church, we had people from at least 3 different countries, who spoke three different languages celebrating Mass together. We were able to pray in unison with the Church�s official language. There were people of all different vocations and different ages: a bishop, priests, seminarians, married, single, and children. We were in the presence of the body of a saint � reminding us of our union with the Church triumphant in heaven through the communion of saints. The antiquity of the chapel reminded us of the rich history of the Church, and those who passed the faith on to us from the past.
Later, Andrew and I attended a special meeting of seminarians presided by Cardinal Meisner of Cologne. We discovered that the bishop who celebrated Mass with us was one of the main presenters at the meeting. St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the patron saint of priests was from his diocese. This bishop had brought the heart of the Cure with Him to St. Pantaleon�s for the seminarians to venerate throughout World Youth Day. It was the first time ever that the relics had left France.
In his speech upon the Rhine, our Holy Father also wished that World Youth Day would be a �liberating experience of the Church.� I had such an experience in the crypt of St. Pantaleon�s. For me, The universality of the church was more clear during this short and simple Mass in a tiny chapel, than the gathering of thousands for the Papal Mass on Sunday. On Sunday we saw how large the church is � comprised of every nation and tongue. But on Wednesday I saw how small it was � though separated throughout the world we are actually quite close together, intimately united through the Eucharist. In this little chapel, the barriers that separated us seem quite small in comparison to the Precious Gift of Christ that unites us. This experience has changed the way I look at Mass, even here in my own parish. In each Mass, the communion of saints is present � spiritually we are very close to the entire church throughout the world, in heaven and on all the corners of the earth.
After our very personal and providential Mass in the crypt, we went out to find a place to eat. We choose a rather fine establishment, which was housed inside a brewery. I ordered a schnitzel. The waitress looked at me funny and said �Do you know what that is?� One of the side dishes, I don�t remember what it was called was something similar to BloodSausage. Since it was a side dish I said �That�s O.K., I will try it.� After she brought our meals, I tried the Bloody treat, which was a dark red and had the consistency of a pie filling. It was actually quite tasty, the spices something like a pumpkin pie or some type of cookie. When she came back I said �Lecker!� She laughed �I don�t even eat that�. It was fun trying the local cuisine.
Seminarian's Meeting with Cardinal Miesner
We returned early to St. Pantaleon�s and got good seats in about the fifth pew from the front. I ended up sitting beside a seminarian from Edmonton, who was studying at St. Joseph�s seminary. We had a good little chat, although I forget his name.
The seminarian meeting was wonderful. Before it began the various countries were introduced. It was quite a different atmosphere than the rest of World Youth Day. As each country was called out, the pilgrims simply raised their hands with no hooting or hollering whatsoever.
The service was presided over by Cardinal Miesner of Cologne. Practically everything was translated into English. This was quite humorous, as Cardinal Miesner had a very passionate and charismatic personality and the translator was very mellow. It made for quite an interesting contrast. The service began with some prayers to venerate the relics of the Cure of Ars. My favorite part was an introduction by the Cardinal in which he said we were blessed with the presence of two pontiffs at this World Youth Day, John Paul II in heaven and Benedict XVI on earth. (I found out later that he began almost every single one of his speeches with this line � everyone at World Youth Day was a broken record J) Bishop Guy Claude Bagnard spoke to us, along with the Prefect for Catholic Education. I don�t remember their speeches.
We had evening prayer together, and Cardinal Miesner spoke on the Gospel of the day, the treasure hidden in the field. He said that the fields were our own lives and that we had to look deep in ourselves to find our vocations. He spoke eloquently of how the sacrifices we make in our vocations are nothing compared to the treasures that we receive from the Lord. We are truly like the man who sold everything he had for the treasure.
We also had Eucharistic Adoration and a Litany to Jesus the High Priest. The choice of music was quite peculiar. The choir was a children�s choir of what looked like 10-12 year olds. The opening hymn for the service was an international version of �Shine Jesus Shine.� This was also the post benediction Hymn, something that many of the seminarians commented on. During Exposition we sang �Adoro Te Devote�, a fine choice, but in German instead of Latin. Nevertheless, the music was of good quality and there was a great variety throughout the meeting.
At the meeting, we ran into Jeff, Charbel and Brad. They were in a hurry to run off and see the Prefect of Opus Dei. We were going to go, but then declined after realizing it was a far distance away. We also met Kevin Belgrave who told us of some neat spots not listed in the program � this included the crypt of St. Albert the Great, and a Praetorium at one time the residence of Constantine. Unfortunately we were unable to make it to the later.
Visit to the "Dom" - The Cologne Cathedral
We decided we wanted to see the Dom. Brad took us in the Subway so far. Inside there were numerous posters by �Catholics for a Free Choice�. They were quite ridiculous. One said �Good Catholics wear a Condom� another �I believe in God, I believe in the Church, I believe in wearing a Condom� The silliest had two teens lying on a coach in make out position, a spotlight in shined on them and they turn, shocked. It says, �Abstinence has a high failure rate� Where do these clowns get their money?
After Brad left us, we were lucky to run into some kind German girls who helped us find our way. Along the way, we saw another man with a sign that said in numerous languages �Celibacy is an inhumane perversion� I think he was part of an Evangelical protest as there were numerous around. I booed him with fervor. One of our guides gave a thumbs up. I�m not sure if she thought we were booing a group behind him as they seem to think I was. Another international disaster caused by overzealous seminarians.
We did some shopping around the Dom before we went inside. Andrew met a large group of about nine young Polish girls. I gave them medals and they were ecstatic, they hugged and kissed us enthusiastically � a somewhat awkward situation for two seminarians, but Andrew assures me that it is just part of their culture.
We got to see the Dom which was quite a site to see. Luckily by this time, around 8pm, there was only a small crowd and no real waiting time. We were able to walk right on in. Although not as ornate as some of the Belgian Churches we saw, it was humungus and had a truly ancient feeling to it. The pillars were decorated with statues. There was a very large one of St. Christopher. My research later found that much of the decorations were from as far back as the fourteenth century. We took numerous pictures, trying to stick our hands through iron gates to capture the elaborate side chapels. Few of these pictures turned out though. Due to the smaller crowds, we were very lucky to be able to spend some time in prayer before the relics of the three wise men. I said my litany to young saints and brought my various intentions for the trip before them. It was a truly spiritual experience.
Inside the Dom we met some Newfoundlanders and talked. They had come with Fr. Steve Courtney a newly ordained priest I knew from St. Augustine�s.
Travel back to Dusseldorf
We were about to go see some other sights, but thought it best to make the trip back to Dusseldorf, since there were big crowds and we didn�t want to miss the transit. The train station was very crowded. There was also confusion about which train was coming in where. Some locals told us that we were on the wrong track, and we left, but found out that we were on the right. By now we were at the back of the crowd and there was no way of catching the next train. We grabbed something to eat and Andrew Ingeniously found a way for us to get around the crowd by going up the elevator with some other youth. We ended up being the second people to get on the train. Truly Providential.
On the train we ended up sitting with an older man from Germany. He spoke no English. There was also a Mexican beside him who pretended he understood German, but we soon found out that he did not. Surprisingly however, we were all able to carry on a Conversation that was quite pleasant. I was very happy I had learnt German, it endeared me to the locals. One funny run in was a German who had a real strong American accent. We found out that she had studied in Texas for a year. It was strange.
We arrived home and shared with everyone our exploits. What an awesome day, surrounded by providence, everything truly worked out to our benefit. It was hands down, my favorite day on the trip.
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