Journal of My Experiences
This morning I went touring with Matt Graves. We spent some time at the Adoration tent, I prayed morning prayer, and we tried to warm up. (It was funny the number of youth who camped out there and slept throughout the night). Next, we went to the vendors to get some coffee � important after only one hour of sleep. I should have gotten something solid to eat as well, as my stomach was upset later and the provided food was not that appetizing.
On our way back we met up with some people from the Neocatechumenate from Quebec. We talked at length with them. Some of the seminarians from Toronto came with them, but unfortunately were not around at the moment. I was blown away by the number of Neocats we met. They were everywhere and from every country on the globe: Canada, US, Spain, Poland, Brasil, etc. We even ran into them at our Hotel in France. I heard from them that Kiko, their founder had an audience on the 17th after WYD and about 100,000 members were present. WOW!!! Almost one tenth of the participants in World Youth Day were affiliated with the Neocatechumenal way. This experience has made me very curious about the movement. They are THE THING in the church for the new Millennium.
Near our site we met some youth from Lithuania. This was quite exciting, as it seemed a very foreign country. They were happy with my �Viva Lithuania� Cheer.
As we returned to our site, the JP2 bell rang, and they began a Morning prayer service, which I joined in on. We stayed put as commotion began preceding the Papal Mass. The song �Jesus Christ, you are my Life� began again with great enthusiasm from Spanish and Italian youth nearby. Quite impressively, the opening hymns, and other hymns used throughout the Mass were traditional German Hymns such as �Now thank we all our God� and �Praise to the Lord the Almighty�.
During the Mass, the Pope spoke of the importance of Sunday Eucharist in our lives. I don�t remember a great deal more. However, I was impressed by his command of languages. It was quite comparable to John Paul II � he greeted pilgrims in Swahili, Tagalong, and Polish.
Now that the Mass had ended, I negotiated to trade my nationalistic articles. I traded my flag for a flag of the Dominican Republic. I traded my maple-leaf shaped hat for a flag of Italy. Unfortunately, I lost the Dominican Flag. I hope whoever found it gave it the respect it deserved.
We had a very long walk back to the bus. Due to my improper eating habits, I had severe digestive troubles and had to stop more than once. This meant I got behind the rest of my group. I ended up walking in the same direction and found that there was no one around � I knew I had to be going in the wrong direction. Luckily some locals pulled over. They allowed me to use their cell-phone. I was very glad I had gotten Brian�s number. This was very kind of them, since it was a Canadian number, meaning the call would have been expensive. After a long time we were able to figure out where the bus was and they dropped me off. I gave them a Pope Benedict post card in thanksgiving. Luckily I called when I did. The bus was about to leave without me!!
I don�t remember what happened that night. I imagine we ate, showered, packed and crashed. It was a long few days.
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