WYD Madrid 2011: A Mountaintop Experience!

It is now Thursday, August 25th, and all of the CGS pilgrims are back home . . . safe and sound with their families. Although we had a few close calls, we lost nobody. :-) We hope everyone is resting and reflecting on the amazing "Transfiguration Mountaintop" experience we had over the past eleven days together. So many of us wanted to continue the journey and were saddened to have it all "end" as we flew back home to the Detroit area, but as Pope Benedict XVI reminded us many times, "This is not the end, but only the beginning."

As we return to our "normal lives," we know that things will never be "normal" again. We have been changed by this experience, and Christ asks us to bring this experience, the prayer, the love, the brotherhood, and the faith to all those we encounter. Like Peter, James, and John, we may have wanted to stay on top of the mountain forever . . . to build tents and stay there in the glory of Jesus. But our Senor tells us that we must go back down the mountain and bring His transforming love to all of those in our lives.

We are so proud of the CGS Pilgrims who endured some truly intense phsical, mental, and spiritual experiences over the last week and a half in Spain. We send out our love and gratitude to Nick, Matt, Phil, Barb, Emily, Callie, Maria, Poke, Gibby, Stephanie, Alice, and Laurie. It was not easy, and there were some true struggles, but we made it through together. Because of this experience, we will be stronger in our faith and in our service to those in need. You are the salt of the earth, always bringing Christ to the world! Thank you for the opportunity to experience this pilgrimage with you.

With love and gratitude,
Holly and Aaron

Welcome to WYD Madrid, Jornada de Juventud (JMJ) 2011!!!

"We are Pilgrims on a journey; we are travelers on the road; we are here to help each other; walk the mile and bear the load."

We hope to continue to update this blog over the next couple of weeks with some reflections and lessons learned from our WYD Pilgrimage, and with some additional photos as well. We also hope to gather the Pilgrims together at Good Shepherd to share some photos and stories with our parishioners . . . let us continue the good work begun in us!

So what's next Pilgrims . . . WYD 2013 in Rio, Brazil???? :-)

Time in Toledo and at the Monastery of San Lorenzo at El Escorial!

Woot! Toledo!!!                             August 22, 2011

It was so awesome to be able to sleep in for once. Although we skipped breakfast, everyone seemed very cheerful when we met downstairs to head to the train station. From Charmartin, we hopped onto bus number two and hit the road to Toledo.  It didn’t take very long to get there and our breath was taken away by the beauty of the city. The town looks like something out of a fairy tale with castles and everything. When finally arriving to Toledo, we found out that they had recently put in escalators, instead of climbing the stairs to the heart of the city. What awaited us was the most picturesque view of the city and mountains.

Our guide showed us the main historical sites they had to offer. The streets were narrow and there were many steep inclines. It was very hard to believe that cars got through there and people, as well. One of the most beautiful things we visited was the cathedral. It was so ornately decorated, it was hard to decide what to look at first.

A surprising item for most of the pilgrims was the rock that Mary stepped on. We actually got to touch this piece, which was the most wonderful experience ever. Also on display at the cathedral were the robes worn by Popes and Bishops. During the rest of the tour, there were many remarkable pictures.  You could really feel the presence of God in the cathedral.

~Gibby and Poke

CGS and St. Ambrose Pilgrims admiring the city of Toledo from afar

The beautiful city of Toledo

The monstrance used by Pope Benedict XVI the night

of our Vigil with him. It was on loan from the cathedral

in Toledo (first time in 500 years). We were able to see it when

we arrived!

On Tuesday (our last full day in Spain), we decided to take a tour of the Monastery at San Lorenzo at El Escorial. It was built by King Felipe II in the 1500's and it is absolutely amazing. The monastery contains several famous paintings by artists like Velazquez, and the entire ceiling of the library inside are beautiful frescos. Outside the gardens are amazing . . . and inside, the chapel (which really looks like a cathedral) is amazing, too. King Felipe's bedroom was situated just to the right of the altar and windows allowed him to see everything that was happening in the Church.

The lower level of the monastery contains the Pantheon where all of the kings of Spain are buried. It is an amazing room of marble and gold! The kings and their wives are buried in tombs in the wall across from each other and their names are listed on gold plaques underneath. As we continued on from the Pantheon, we saw the tombs of the children of the kings. The strange thing is, even though we were in a "royal graveyard," it was actually very peaceful and beautiful.

The day ended with shopping in the Puerta del Sol (and seeing all of the street performers) and a delicious dinner of paella in the Plaza Mayor. What a beautiful way to spend our last night!!! We will miss Madrid and the life-changing pilgrimage experience we had here at World Youth Day 2011.

In the main square at the Monastery of San Lorenzo

de El Escorial . . . what an amazing place!

Some of our Pilgrims anxiously awaiting paella

in the Plaza Mayor

An evening (and morning) with the Pope!!!!

Our group just returned to the dormintory a few hours ago from the most amazing and yet difficult experience that probably many of us have ever had!

On Saturday at 7:30am, the St. Ambrose and Christ the Good Shepherd Team left to walk on our pilgrimage to Cuatro Vientros Airfield to claim our spot at the overnight vigil with Pope Benedict the XVI. We took the Renfe Train system to Principe Pio, where we began the 8 kilometer Green Route walk through parks and alongside rivers-- carrying everything we needed for the overnight journey on our backs! We started with only 21 of us, and as we continued along the way, we joined with hundreds and hundreds of more people on their way!

We finally arrived to Cuatro Vientros in the early afternoon and claimed our territory! We set out our emergency blankets, sleeping bags, and tarps in section C7 -- closer to the stage and the Pope than we originally thought!

After baking in the hot sun and 115 degree heat for six hours, the Pope finally arrived at the vigil site at 9. We celebrated Eucharistic Adoration at 10 with the Holy Father. Right before the Adoration, a torrential downpour with thunder and lightning hit the vigil site. But, we all prayed with the Pope for the storm to stop and it stopped during the Adoration. It rained a little afterwards, but went away soon after. Most of us fell asleep right after the Adoration while others walked around the site, and talked and traded with other pilgrims from around the world. At 7 oclock, we were all awaken from the big booming voice on the speakers and had breakfast while we anxiously awaited the Mass with the Pope.

Finally at 9:30, we had a beautiful Mass with the Pope with all 2 million pilgrims listening to the huge and beautiful sounding orchestra, and listening to the Pope’s prayers and homily. We all loved how we somewhat knew what was happening in the Mass even though it was in Spanish. All of us loved the Mass even though we were on dirt and prickly grass and pushed and shoved by the pilgrims surrounding us. This experience has changed our lives forever with praying and being with the Holy Father. And I am sure this vigil mass has made us all stronger, better, and kinder people to everyone.

Afterwards, due to Alice’s determination, we went to a Real Madrid futbol game for 5 euros! We got a discount because it was a farewell and a thank you to all the millions of pilgrims. It was Spain VS. The Rest of the World which were players from all over the world. And in the end the Rest of the World won 2-1. It sprinkled for awhile in the beginning of the match, but it was way worth it!

We got back late from the game,  and were trying to find a restraunt to fill our hungry stomachs. And after searching for over an hour we found no open restaurants that late. So we decided to go back to the dorms and eat all our extra food and snacks as a potluck dinner. We only had one problem though…we missed the last train to the dorms! We ended up taking taxis back and arrived there safely. We finally finished our potluck at 2:30ish and went to bed. The good news was that we got to actually sleep in the next morning because our bus doesn’t leave till 1:00 to Toledo. WOOOO!!!! More than 5 hours of sleep!

Sincerely,

Holly and Matt

Pilgrims cheering "Benedito" as the Pope arrives for Mass

(see the top of the PopeMobile driving by!)

CGS and St. Ambrose Pilgrims after spending

24 hours at Cuatro Vientros Airfield

(we made some great new friends!)

WHAT A DAY IN MADRID!

Day 5 in Madrid and we had another blast! 

We started our day going to Catechesis at the beautiful San Francisco Deborya church right across from the U.S. Embassy! Go USA! The bishop had lots of wonderful advice and stories about all of us being missionaries sharing the gifts Christ has given us. Afterwards, we went to the Paseo de Recoletos where all the beautiful 15 stations of the cross were waiting for the procession with the Holy Father later tonight. We had an amazing and tasty lunch and then we were off to Reconciliation in the Parque de Retirio where tons of people were waiting to be forgiven by over 200 priests all over the beautiful park. Lots of us went to Reconciliation and had amazing priests who gave us great and inspirational advice and penance. One of our priests was from Brooklyn, New York and reminded us of Father Tony! Go Father Tony!!!

We got dinner to go and hiked to a big monitor to see the stations of the cross, led by the Pope. And then, we were on a quest to see the Eucharstic Adoration with 10,000 others, but the subways were so filled with thousands of crazy and enthusiastic people so we didn't get to go. But on the bright side, we had an awesome prayer session with another youth group from Grosse Pointe and sang "Do Not Be Afraid" which inspired many of us for our worries for tomorrow's 8 kilometer hike to the overnight vigil site with the Pope! We are so excited to be ready to leave the dorms at 7 in the morning and stay up all night with over 2 million people praying with us in many different languages about our awesome love for God and our rejoice over all the youth and World Youth Day!

Sincerly,
Matt
and yes mom i am feeling fine(:

Beautiful Statue used for the procession of stations of the cross

Us in the Paruque de Retirio getting ready for Reconciliation

Reconciliation in the Park with over 200 priests!



World Youth Day Wonders!

The festivities of World Youth Day have begun, and since we have been with an uncharged laptop for the last few days, this might be a bit of a whirlwind of a blog entry! Thank goodness  for Ben, our Corporate Travel representative, who loaned us his three-prong electric converter!  

The World Youth Day Festival officially opened on Tuesday with a Mass at Cibeles Square -- youth from all over the world marched down the streets of Madrid toward the fountain (which represents the natural world and is the symbol of Spain) with flags and enthusiastic cheers for their countries. We have since met people from Portugal, Italy, Latvia, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, Angola, New Zealand, Germany, Philippines, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Iraq, Cambodia, Indonesia, and so many more places! Everywhere around the city, youth walk up to each other as total strangers, trade a bracelet or pin, and walk away as friends (I think there will be some new Facebook "add" requests when we get back).

After the Papal Welcome!

We can't believe the crowds here. We heard that there were going to be over a million youth here in Madrid, but until you really experience it, you have no clue! Just ask one of our young people about the subway -- holding backpacks over your head is usually a must! (And yes, we have already experienced half of our group getting off the train at one stop and the other half getting caught on the train behind the automatic closing doors . . . trading t-shirts and hats with the French! We blamed the French priest on that one, although the half of our group that got off the train might say differently). :)

On Wednesday, we attended our first catechesis session and Mass at the Palacio of Deportes with a cardinal from Sydney, Australia. We attended Mass with over 10,000 people! We found a great place for lunch that day (some liked it for the "American-tasting" food they were able to get, others liked it for the lentil and garlic soups, and others liked it for our cheerful waiter and waitress). In the evening, we met up with all 400 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Detroit at San Demaso for a special Mass led by our new AOD Bishop, Bishop Hanchon! Some parts of the Mass were in English and others were in Spanish since our hosts from Madrid joined us, as well as youth from Ecuador, the Cayman Islands, and Germany.

We attended our second catechesis session at a basilica near the Atocha train station this morning, and it was amazing! It was so full that people were sitting on the floor along the aisles and along the back of the basilica (we were one of those groups sitting on the floor in the back -- guess that's what happens when you're late!) As the bishop was giving his homily, the church bells began ringing loudly to signal that the Pope had entered Madrid! And later in the day, we got our first glimpse of the Pope! (Only on the big screen for now -- some of us were along the route with cameras in hand, but the PopeMobile decided to take a different route to Cibeles Square). The space in front of the huge screens was completely filled with hundreds of young people -- dancing and shouting cheers for the Pope (Ben-e-di-to!!!!) It was so amazing to dance and cheer with people from all over the world! I've never seen anything like it!

Tomorrow . . . Stations of the Cross with statues from all over Espana!  

Awesome Day....we haven't even seen the rest!!!

On day two in Madrid, before WYD started, we began to explore the sites. But, first, we attended mass because it was the feast of the Assumption, which was given in Spainish. We got to experience the mass in their culture. One of the Spainish women came up to us and told us that she was so glad that we were there. She was so happy. She told us to hug and kiss all of the members for being there. 

Some of the Madrid sites we took in today included: Puerta de Sol (door of the sun [plaza]), Plaza Mayor (major square), Parque de Retiro (central park). Parque de Retiro was where many amazing things were happening! There were many avenues, fountains, beautiful landscapes. We split into groups to explore this beautiful park. Phil, Nick, Stephanie, and Laurie found huge fountains . . . and nothing like they've seen in Detroit. Callie and Maria, found a few hundred confessionals all ready for WYD tomorrow. Emily, Gibby (Emily Gi), Matt, Alice, Mrs. C and Poke, wandered around and saw a breath-taking monument on the lake. We walked down further and noticed that there were some characters we're all familiar with, Mickey and Sponge Bob. We decided, since Emily had on her teen forum shirt, she should get a picture with Mickey.

We all met back up and decided to go and grab dinner. We all decided to get a few dishes and share them so we all could experience the food, rather than only one seperate dish (tapas). A personal experience from Phil when he tried the calamari, "I thought I was eating potatoes!" (but it was really squid). A personal experience from Poke. "I was surprised by how much I like their food. I thought I was going to be very picky and not want to try any food.....but I was wrong and tried everything. I even like calamari (squid). I have Gibby to thank for that." 

Then we went back to the major city, Puerta de Sol. There were so many people. We found people from Pittsburgh, then Mexico, Canada, and then finally Egypt and got pictures with them. Well, the culture is really cool! What this really comes down to is meeting people from different cultures, but we are all there for the same reason . . .  GOD . . . and to grow closer to our faith with him! There will be more amazing WYD stories to come!

Lastly, we found out, back at our dorms, that we were going to be sitting really close to the pope at the WYD Vigil on Saturday. We are close enough to see him without the screens. Aaron thinks that we are close enough to see him smile!

Please continue to keep all of the WYD pilgrims in your prayers!

This was composed by: Phil and Elizabeth (Poke)

After Mass at San Demaso

The amazing Parque Retiro

We joined up with Canada and Mexico:

the North American pilgrims (later Egypt joined in)!

FIRST DAY IN SPAIN!!!

FIRST DAY IN SPAIN!

Well, it was a fabulous day of travel. After 11 hours of flying and 2 extra hours of lay over in Amsterdam, we arrived safely at the beautiful air conditioned dorms at Residencia Erasmus Campus Cantoblanco in Madrid, Spain. But before we got to our dorms,we went on a lovely tour of the city on a tour bus. It was a great way to spot the landmarks, so Aaron could memorize them, that we will visit later. Some of us got sick from the turbulence on the flight, but everyone's okay now!

Some suitcases just made it by one pound. Some of us were praying the Hail Mary so our suitcases would weigh under 50 pounds. But Matthew's and Callie's bags were 2 pounds under! Thank God! The weighing clerk saw that Matthew was praying that the suitcase was under 50 pounds and she put her leg on the scale and scared him to death. Just all of a sudden it was 20 pounds more! He now realizes it was funny, but at the time he was freaking out.

We had an awesome Spanish dorm food dinner right on the porch at the cafeteria which was very delicious- asparagus and eggs, toasted bread, salad, and strawberry yogurt. We are all going to get a good night's sleep and go to 10 o'clock mass at San Demaso church for the feast of the Assumption of Mary...yay! And then a great adventurous day in Madrid, Spain sightseeing, picture taking, eating Spanish food, and walking around with our brothers and sisters celebrating World Youth Day! Who's excited!?!?

Sincerly,
Sensational Team- Aaron, Gibby, Alice, Matthew

The WYD Madrid Pilgrims at the

McNamara Terminal in Detroit

(we loved the fountain there)!