Hasta Luego Madrid!

Just got back from Madrid after a visit with Pope Benedict. Had a good time as the Pope and 1.5 million of his closest friends hung out, heard mass, listened to music, slept under the stars, and generally chilled. It was a blast. The following is a report I wrote about the trip for my church newletter. Hope you don't mind the more journalistic style.

A group of seven persons—three chaperones and four youth—represented St. Ambrose Church at the World Youth Day (WYD) gathering in Madrid, Spain. Our group was part of a larger, 300+-member delegation from churches within the Archdiocese of Detroit. Officially, all participants in WYD are known as pilgrims.

Though WYD officially opened on Tuesday, August 16 with an evening, open-air mass in downtown Madrid’s Cibeles Square, the St. Ambrose pilgrims arrived two days earlier on Sunday, August 14. WYD officially concluded with another open-air mass following an overnight vigil on Sunday, August 21. Pope Benedict presided at that mass where an estimated 1.5 million pilgrims were gathered at a Madrid air field. “Firm in the Faith” was the theme for WYD 2011. The St. Ambrose pilgrims returned to Michigan on Wednesday, August 24.

Among the highlights the visit: touring the world-renowned Prado Museum; mass at the stunning Almudena Cathedral in central Madrid; singing, catechism, worship and mass featuring Cardinal George Pell of Sydney Australia; Stations of the Cross in downtown Madrid; a catechism session led by Cardinal Francis George of Chicago; the 8-kilometer hike and day-long vigil prior to the closing mass; a day-trip to Toledo; and an afternoon visit to the Royal Monastery at Escorial.

These events each were unforgettable. But there were other treats as well. For example, we all were greatly relieved by the quality of our overnight accommodations. Our group was housed at the Autonomous University in Canto Blanco, a suburb north of Madrid. The modern dorm rooms were clean and included two beds. Each room was air conditioned and had its own private bathroom.

Other pluses of our accommodations included a cafeteria where we could buy inexpensive food and drink and the ability to meet and mix informally with pilgrims from other U.S. states and foreign countries. Our group met Californians, North Dakotans, Scots and Australians in the dorm. St. Ambrose pilgrims forged a particularly close bond with the pilgrims from Good Shepherd Church in Lincoln Park. We ended up sharing many experiences with the Lincoln Park pilgrims during the week and we look forward to continuing our new friendships.

Our accommodations also were located on a stop on Madrid’s excellent train/subway system. Each pilgrim received a pass giving us free passage on the trains for an entire week. This allowed our group to travel freely around Madrid. We became quite good at reading local maps (Bernie Degnan truly excelled in finding routes) and we found every WYD event held in locations scattered across the city.

More than events and meetings, people connections made WYD a valuable experience. Our pilgrims met youth and adults from around the world. We traded pins and other items with pilgrims from every continent. As the week progressed, our youth became progressively more and more outgoing, freely approaching pilgrims on the street—unafraid to shake hands, trade items, share Facebook names, sing songs, and feel the deep, common bond of faith that brought us all together. These connections will not be soon forgotten.

Finally, it was eye-opening for our youth to see how joyful a life guided by faith in Jesus Christ can be. We all proudly wore crosses, said rosaries, went to reconciliation, sang hymns enthusiastically, and listened with rapt attention to catechists and speakers. Further, we saw hundreds of priests and religious persons who freely shared their experiences and encouraged youth to consider their own callings. For this week, faith was not a quiet, personal matter, but something we shared easily and openly. This is something our young pilgrims had never previously experienced.
At the end of the week, however, the pilgrims left the mountaintop and returned home. Pope Benedict himself personally urged all pilgrims to find ways to share the WYD experience with their friends and fellow parishioners at home. This is a challenge the St. Ambrose pilgrims freely embrace.

As we look forward to the next WYD that will be held in July 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the St. Ambrose pilgrims are determined to encourage more youth and young adults from our parish to share the WYD experience. Further, we know that through prayer and study we can better prepare ourselves for a future encounter. Because the next gathering is less than two years away, we will share with our parish throughout the year lessons learned at WYD 2011. Then, by next August, our efforts will focus on WYD 2013.

Thanks to Fr. Tim and all those from St. Ambrose who prayed for us and offered excellent advice and support that helped make our experience so meaningful.

Stay tuned—more to come!