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???? :-)