Hello Readers,
I'm not sure if anyone is still checking this but just in case I thought I'd write a blog from the States. Pat and all the students arrived safely home last Friday. Since then, I have been fighting off the jet lag and trying to keep myself in good spirits. At times both tasks have been difficult but I feel myself growing each day as I think back to what I experienced over those three weeks in Australia.
Today, I reread the Holy Father's messages to us over the World Youth Day week. Much like the Holy Father said, I grew up knowing much about the Father and the Son but not much about the Holy Spirit. Coming off WYD I can say that has changed. Never before in my life have I felt so on fire with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and so aware of where I am being called. I have had trouble articulating exactly what I experienced in Australia and the changes it has brought about in me. That is where much of my frustration with others has come from lately. However, upon rereading the Holy Father's final message of World Youth Day at the final Mass, I have found a way to sum it up: "Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this Twenty-third World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room, from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him! Amen." I doubt I speak just for myself in saying that I truly left the racecourse that day and have returned home desiring nothing more than to witness to others the glory of God's love for the world. That coming together of so many Catholic youth from around the world truly was a living example of the gathering of the Apostles and Mary in the Upper Room.
And now, the Holy Father has sent us forth to the ends of the earth to speak of the Good News in all the tongues of the nations. That is ultimately what we are all being commonly called to do. In this, we are truly serving one another through the love of Christ. We must encourage others to take advantage of the graces that can be received through the Sacraments. I have come to realize just how important taking time to just sit with the Body of Our Lord can be in refocusing myself to serve him and others. While talking about Adoration on the trip, someone said, "It is such a gift to be able to sit in front of the Body of Christ. Just as you can find joy in sitting in front of him, he also finds joy in seeing you there." The Father wants us to come to Him. So He sends forth the Holy Spirit to guide us. It is up to us to listen to the call.
As I approach my senior year at Fordham and all the busyness and stress that comes with it I cannot help but be grateful that I had this time in Australia. I pray that I am able to use the graces I received to really go deeper in all that I do in the upcoming school year. I also pray for the wisdom to discern what I am being called to do and what is not the best for me.
Thank you all for taking the time to read and comment on our blogs. Thank you also to Rox and Dave for being the biggest writers. I have read their blogs and I could not have put our experiences in better words myself. The Spirit is truly ablaze within them.
I leave you with a quote from Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, to whom I now have a great devotion. He inspired me so much over the course of the pilgrimage and I know he was helping to guide me to push myself to go "to the top" in all that I did:
“To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing.”
Peace be with you and God Bless!
-Michael-
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
The View from Down-Unda....
Hello Everyone! It has been quite the adventure here in Australia, and we are only days away from being back home with all of you. I apologize for my lack of updates as of late, but I hope to make it up to you now with a bit of a lengthy post complete with pictures! We are currently in the Hervey Bay/Fraser Island area (about 4 hours north of Brisbane), enjoying a little bit of some warmer weather and retreating with one another after a very busy World Youth Day week. The following montage will endeavor to summarize the physical and spiritual journey we have taken over the past 3 weeks. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Enjoy! -Rox
Here is most of the group during our first full day in Brisbane (see the city center in the background). We paused to take a quick group pic as we hiked up to Mount Coot-tha, a popular lookout over the city of Brisbane.
Vince, Michael, Kristina, and Katy feed kangaroos on the first day of our MAGiS experiments in Queensland, Australia.
God's MAJESTY, fully evident....One of our first views of the Australian Gold Coast....
Steve represented the Americans at a Lamington (Aussie chocolate sponge cake) Eating Contest. He did us proud as he ate 4 Lamingtons in under three minutes, beating out 9 other countries! GO USA!!! :)
Here is the entire Fordham group (from l to r: TOP - Michael, Steve, Kristina, Diana, Joe SJ, Ethan, Vince SJ BOTTOM - Katy, Roxanne, Jason, Pat, and Dave) as we finished our MAGiS experiments and got ready to head back to Sydney for the Ignatian Gathering and WYD Week.
This is the inside of the St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. Quite beautiful, isn't it?
Dave at Bondi Beach, a popular destination in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. A few of us followed the message of "Come to the Water" as we traveled from the city to a concert hosted by the Franciscan Friars.
Everyone and everything (even the clouds!) converged at Barangaroo for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI....
IL PAPA !!!!!!!! Welcome to Sydney, Australia!!!!!
Steve and Diana on our 4k pilgrimage walk to Randwick Racecourse, where the Overnight Vigil with the Pope and the Closing Mass would be held. 
Dawn breaks over all of the sleeping pilgrims at Randwick Racecourse....
Here is most of the group during our first full day in Brisbane (see the city center in the background). We paused to take a quick group pic as we hiked up to Mount Coot-tha, a popular lookout over the city of Brisbane. Vince, Michael, Kristina, and Katy feed kangaroos on the first day of our MAGiS experiments in Queensland, Australia.God's MAJESTY, fully evident....One of our first views of the Australian Gold Coast....Steve represented the Americans at a Lamington (Aussie chocolate sponge cake) Eating Contest. He did us proud as he ate 4 Lamingtons in under three minutes, beating out 9 other countries! GO USA!!! :)Here is the entire Fordham group (from l to r: TOP - Michael, Steve, Kristina, Diana, Joe SJ, Ethan, Vince SJ BOTTOM - Katy, Roxanne, Jason, Pat, and Dave) as we finished our MAGiS experiments and got ready to head back to Sydney for the Ignatian Gathering and WYD Week. 
Michael and Ethan help carry the World Youth Day Cross as it arrives at St. Ignatius College, Riverview. At one point, almost every Fordham pilgrim was carrying the cross together....what a powerful moment! 
Here I am at around midnight trying to finish making our Fordham group banner. Since we forgot to bring our own banner from school, we decided to use a little bit of our ingenuity to make our own! Using two long pieces of canvas cloth that we found and sewed together, and some acrylic paint, we were able to finish our banner and show a bit of our Fordham Pride!
This is the inside of the St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. Quite beautiful, isn't it?
Diana, Ethan, Pat, and Roxanne wearing our "I Love NY" t-shirts and carrying our completed Fordham WYD banner. We were on our way to Barangaroo for the WYD Opening Mass.
The WYD Opening Mass at Barangaroo with George Cardinal Pell presiding. We were seated about a half mile away from the altar, but luckily, my camera had some amazing zoom! :)
Dave at Bondi Beach, a popular destination in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. A few of us followed the message of "Come to the Water" as we traveled from the city to a concert hosted by the Franciscan Friars. Everyone and everything (even the clouds!) converged at Barangaroo for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI....IL PAPA !!!!!!!! Welcome to Sydney, Australia!!!!! Steve and Diana on our 4k pilgrimage walk to Randwick Racecourse, where the Overnight Vigil with the Pope and the Closing Mass would be held. 
The group, setting up camp at Randwick for our Vigil Sleep-Out and Closing Mass ceremonines.
Dawn breaks over all of the sleeping pilgrims at Randwick Racecourse....
....And the sunrise heralds another beautiful grace-filled day from God.
Pope Benedict celebrated a beautiful WYD Closing Mass and announced to the world that the 2011 World Youth Day will take place in Madrid, Spain!
Personally, my favorite message from the Pope's closing remarks was when he said: "What constitutes our faith is not primarily what we DO, but what we RECEIVE." I have received so much from this pilgrimage that it is so difficult to sit here now and try to relay what I am feeling and thinking. All I can say is that I am so very thankful to our leaders (Vince, Joe, and Pat) for guiding us so well on this journey, both physically and spiriually.
I am thankful for all of my group-mates and friends who have helped me to grow and mature so much on this pilgrimage. Thank you all for opening your hearts to me and for sharing your faith with me. It was so very easy to see and experience God everyday in each and every one of your beings.
Thanks to our families and friends back home for your constant support, thoughts, and prayers. Without them, we wouldn't have been able to receive so many of the graces we have experienced here in Australia, so thank you ever so much!
And finally, the greatest thanks are raised up to the Lord, through whom all things are possible. The greatest gift we could ever receive is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and God has so graciously and willingly given His Spirit to us. Thank you, Lord, for your constant presence in our lives, and for your unyielding devotion to our well-beings. I hope that we may take all that we have learned and experienced during this pilgrimage and make it a part of our everyday lives, even through all of the difficulties, struggles, and stresses of the secular world. May the power and strength of the Holy Spirit make us true witnesses of Your Word in all aspects of our humanities, especially as we return to our hometowns and to the larger Fordham community. I ask only that You may grant us the grace to always do Your will and to trust in the guiding power of Your Spirit all the days of our lives. Praise and Reverence to You Always...Amen.
+AMDG
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Culmination: Sending Out
Yesterday, we joined almost 200,000 pilgrims at Randwick Race Track for an overnight prayer service and vigil. I will update with more details later (right now I don't have my notebook on me).
The emphasis of yesterday's vigil, as well as Today's World Youth Day Mass was on commissioning. We, the young Catholics of the world, are called to be agents of renewal and change.
The vigil's prayer service explored the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and included testimonials from pilgrims. One spoke in English, one in Polish, one in Spanish, one in French, etc. It culminated in Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Today, the Pope continued to expound on his calling to eliminate relativism and materialism, which has brought about a growing "spiritual desert." How can we do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit. We're called to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and work through us, to transform our whole person so that we act as instruments, vessels of the Holy Spirit.
I read a Sydney based newspaper today, and it seems that World Youth Day has been positively received by the secular, "tough to please" Sydney crowd. At the very least, it seems that Sydney residents appreciated the "positive energy" that the pilgrims have brought along. On the walk out from the Mass, I encountered many residents waving. Hopefully this WYD will bear fruit that lasts in Australia. Chances are that this is what the Lord has intended all along.
Pope Benedict, in his letter inviting Youth to WYD, challenged us all to bring one person to Christ during our pilgrimage. It hit me the other day that our willingness to venture out to "the great Southland of the Holy Spirit," endure the rigors of travel, as well as the hassles of attending a large-scale event, is in itself an act of witness. How we carry ourselves is a testimony to what we believe, and how serious we are about it. I hope and pray that Fordham's presence here has helped to testify to God's love, greatness, and mercy.
Along the way, as well, I've realized that we have brought each other to know Christ in a deeper way. Many thanks are owed, firstly to the Lord, and next to our leaders, who prepared us so well for this journey. Then, there is thanks to the rest of the team, and to all of our family and friends that donated to make this possible.
This is not the end, however. Sometime between now and the flight back to New York, I'll likely blog again, in a sort of Epilogue to this chapter, because Fordham and WYD aren't over...
Three years from now, Fordham will go to Madrid, Spain for the 26th World Youth Day.
In any case, I hope all is well back home with all of you. Thank you for following along. Hopefully we'll have photos up soon to show you. And of course, I'll go more in depth in this post (I'll signify that there is an update with the proper note) with the content of the Pope's homily today. All I can say right now is that Benedict XVI is pretty amazing.
Now it's time to take all of these things back home, and to share them with all.
Love,
Dave
The emphasis of yesterday's vigil, as well as Today's World Youth Day Mass was on commissioning. We, the young Catholics of the world, are called to be agents of renewal and change.
The vigil's prayer service explored the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and included testimonials from pilgrims. One spoke in English, one in Polish, one in Spanish, one in French, etc. It culminated in Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Today, the Pope continued to expound on his calling to eliminate relativism and materialism, which has brought about a growing "spiritual desert." How can we do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit. We're called to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and work through us, to transform our whole person so that we act as instruments, vessels of the Holy Spirit.
I read a Sydney based newspaper today, and it seems that World Youth Day has been positively received by the secular, "tough to please" Sydney crowd. At the very least, it seems that Sydney residents appreciated the "positive energy" that the pilgrims have brought along. On the walk out from the Mass, I encountered many residents waving. Hopefully this WYD will bear fruit that lasts in Australia. Chances are that this is what the Lord has intended all along.
Pope Benedict, in his letter inviting Youth to WYD, challenged us all to bring one person to Christ during our pilgrimage. It hit me the other day that our willingness to venture out to "the great Southland of the Holy Spirit," endure the rigors of travel, as well as the hassles of attending a large-scale event, is in itself an act of witness. How we carry ourselves is a testimony to what we believe, and how serious we are about it. I hope and pray that Fordham's presence here has helped to testify to God's love, greatness, and mercy.
Along the way, as well, I've realized that we have brought each other to know Christ in a deeper way. Many thanks are owed, firstly to the Lord, and next to our leaders, who prepared us so well for this journey. Then, there is thanks to the rest of the team, and to all of our family and friends that donated to make this possible.
This is not the end, however. Sometime between now and the flight back to New York, I'll likely blog again, in a sort of Epilogue to this chapter, because Fordham and WYD aren't over...
Three years from now, Fordham will go to Madrid, Spain for the 26th World Youth Day.
In any case, I hope all is well back home with all of you. Thank you for following along. Hopefully we'll have photos up soon to show you. And of course, I'll go more in depth in this post (I'll signify that there is an update with the proper note) with the content of the Pope's homily today. All I can say right now is that Benedict XVI is pretty amazing.
Now it's time to take all of these things back home, and to share them with all.
Love,
Dave
Friday, July 18, 2008
Catechesis From Fordham Alum, and Review of Theology of the Body Workshop
Wednesday Catechesis:
"Called"
Our Catechesis yesterday had a Fordham flare: Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa was our teacher, and he graduated with a BA from Fordham some time ago (1967 I believe). We got a great photo with him; I know Fr. McShane will be pleased. Archbishop Predergast is a simple guy; he's very friendly, and clearly has a strong relationship with the Lord. He communicates at a very personable level.
He shared with us the initiative of four young men whom he met while serving as Bishop in Halifax. These men wanted to start a hostel for young men of faith, and their initiative grew into a whole movement that still continues in Canada today. "The Holy Spirit institutionalizes the charisms of movements." He encouraged us to discover our spirituality, and thus discover Jesus Christ.
He listed four ways in which the Holy Spirit acts:
Power- he cited the tale of the Landowner in Mark, where the Landowner gives his servants a share in his authority to run the estate. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses, to perform deeds, etc.
Presence- the Holy Spirit is Jesus' continued presence in our lives; In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus commissions his disciples to "Go out and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... Remember that I am with you always, until the end of time."
Paraclete/Protector- Parakletos means many things, but chiefly, it can mean assistant, advocate, protector. The Holy Spirit stands besides us and advocates for us.
Person- In Luke and Acts, the Holy Spirit is personified: it is "power from on high." Its presence is powerful.
He also noted that often, what appears to us as a negative (such as a tough situation, a tragedy, etc) becomes a positive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of his final comments, which came during question and answer, was his clarification of what holiness means. "Holiness is being sanctified in the world." This is something worth reflecting on. It's not simply going to Mass and following the 10 Commandments, but doing so while in dialogue with this world.
Christopher West's lecture on the Theology of the Body
He's pretty incredible. This post is long enough as it is, so I'll keep it sweet and simple: Our society has been settling for less than we deserve. We have separated God from our sexuality, and that's not good. The Bible itself shows that human sexuality and God are woven together, and in fact, that sex only finds its full meaning within the context of the Sacrament of Marriage. He's quite dynamic. You'd think you were watching an Evangelical preacher on Sunday morning television.
Thusday Catechesis and Events:
Catechesis from Bishop Greg O. Kelly
To summarize his main point, it is that we as Catholics need to develop our spirituality, and we also need to do so within the context of Church. The Church is a major instrument of receiving God's revelation and the Bread of Life, so we need to find ourselves within the Church.
"Christ is the sacrament of God, and the Church is the sacrament of Christ." This was a reference to Karl Rahner.
Benedict XVI's Arrival at World Youth Day
The Pope arrived via boat-a-cade to Barangaroo, and presided over a prayer service. His Homily addressed relativism and secularism in particular, and he reminded us young people that Christ's Good News is for everyone. To encourage us, he explained that the Apostles were ordinary men; they even denied Jesus. Yet, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, they became "transfixed on the Gospel." He also addressed the need for environmental awareness, sustainability, and true equality and protection of life.
I'm excited to hear him speak more. Today, tomorrow, and Sunday will be really great!
Today: Morning Catechesis, Stations of the Cross with Benedict XVI, Receive the Power Live (featuring Matt Maher, Darlene Zscheck and Hillsong United)
Peace.
-Dave
"Called"
Our Catechesis yesterday had a Fordham flare: Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa was our teacher, and he graduated with a BA from Fordham some time ago (1967 I believe). We got a great photo with him; I know Fr. McShane will be pleased. Archbishop Predergast is a simple guy; he's very friendly, and clearly has a strong relationship with the Lord. He communicates at a very personable level.
He shared with us the initiative of four young men whom he met while serving as Bishop in Halifax. These men wanted to start a hostel for young men of faith, and their initiative grew into a whole movement that still continues in Canada today. "The Holy Spirit institutionalizes the charisms of movements." He encouraged us to discover our spirituality, and thus discover Jesus Christ.
He listed four ways in which the Holy Spirit acts:
Power- he cited the tale of the Landowner in Mark, where the Landowner gives his servants a share in his authority to run the estate. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses, to perform deeds, etc.
Presence- the Holy Spirit is Jesus' continued presence in our lives; In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus commissions his disciples to "Go out and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... Remember that I am with you always, until the end of time."
Paraclete/Protector- Parakletos means many things, but chiefly, it can mean assistant, advocate, protector. The Holy Spirit stands besides us and advocates for us.
Person- In Luke and Acts, the Holy Spirit is personified: it is "power from on high." Its presence is powerful.
He also noted that often, what appears to us as a negative (such as a tough situation, a tragedy, etc) becomes a positive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of his final comments, which came during question and answer, was his clarification of what holiness means. "Holiness is being sanctified in the world." This is something worth reflecting on. It's not simply going to Mass and following the 10 Commandments, but doing so while in dialogue with this world.
Christopher West's lecture on the Theology of the Body
He's pretty incredible. This post is long enough as it is, so I'll keep it sweet and simple: Our society has been settling for less than we deserve. We have separated God from our sexuality, and that's not good. The Bible itself shows that human sexuality and God are woven together, and in fact, that sex only finds its full meaning within the context of the Sacrament of Marriage. He's quite dynamic. You'd think you were watching an Evangelical preacher on Sunday morning television.
Thusday Catechesis and Events:
Catechesis from Bishop Greg O. Kelly
To summarize his main point, it is that we as Catholics need to develop our spirituality, and we also need to do so within the context of Church. The Church is a major instrument of receiving God's revelation and the Bread of Life, so we need to find ourselves within the Church.
"Christ is the sacrament of God, and the Church is the sacrament of Christ." This was a reference to Karl Rahner.
Benedict XVI's Arrival at World Youth Day
The Pope arrived via boat-a-cade to Barangaroo, and presided over a prayer service. His Homily addressed relativism and secularism in particular, and he reminded us young people that Christ's Good News is for everyone. To encourage us, he explained that the Apostles were ordinary men; they even denied Jesus. Yet, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, they became "transfixed on the Gospel." He also addressed the need for environmental awareness, sustainability, and true equality and protection of life.
I'm excited to hear him speak more. Today, tomorrow, and Sunday will be really great!
Today: Morning Catechesis, Stations of the Cross with Benedict XVI, Receive the Power Live (featuring Matt Maher, Darlene Zscheck and Hillsong United)
Peace.
-Dave
Thursday, July 17, 2008
WYD Closing Mass
If you want to watch the Closing Mass with Pope Benedict, it will be aired on EWTN on Saturday, July 19, at 7:00 EST, 4:00 Pacific Time.
Watch. I guarantee you that his Homily will be of the utmost importance.
Watch. I guarantee you that his Homily will be of the utmost importance.
Monday, July 14, 2008
WYD Starts Today!!!
Headed to Opening Mass; will update after Mass.
Love you all!
-Dave
[Update]
The Opening Mass for WYD was pretty incredible. There was definitely a different feeling with the influx of pilgrims from around the globe.
I really enjoyed the welcoming remarks of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the homily of George Cardianl Pell (Archbishop of Sydney), and the closing remarks of Cardinal Rylko (the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity). Here's a few snippets of their remarks:
P.M. Rudd noted that Christianity has formed Australia in many ways: they contributed schools, hospitals, services for the poor. It is not often that the head of a governing body affirms the contribution of religion to society. He also noted that faith and reason should indeed coexist, and complement each other (which is the crux of Benedict XVI's argument about contemporary thought).
Cardinal Pell's homily was simple and effective; he was neither too general nor too theological. In reflecting on the tale of the Bones in Ezekiel 37, Galatians 5, and Luke 8 (the Parable of the Sower), he emphasized responding to the theme of WYD by being open to the power of the Holy Spirit. He also challenged us to be practicing Catholics who are willing to take the next step and go deeper. "He also admonished us early to bring this home after WYD ends, because "the reality is that next week, we will all go home... When we part, let us never part from our loving God and his Son Jesus." Like the army of bones that came to new life, he encouraged us to become an immense army that will evangelize and serve.
Cardinal Rylko echoed his good friend John Paul II by saying, "You are the springtime of the world and of the Chuch... experiene a new Pentecost, and open the doors of your lives to the Holy Spirit."
Overall, it was a wonderful Mass. The theme song is quite powerful. You should check it out. Tomorrow we have catechesis and different stuff. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
Thanks for following. Keep up the prayers!
-Dave
Love you all!
-Dave
[Update]
The Opening Mass for WYD was pretty incredible. There was definitely a different feeling with the influx of pilgrims from around the globe.
I really enjoyed the welcoming remarks of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the homily of George Cardianl Pell (Archbishop of Sydney), and the closing remarks of Cardinal Rylko (the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity). Here's a few snippets of their remarks:
P.M. Rudd noted that Christianity has formed Australia in many ways: they contributed schools, hospitals, services for the poor. It is not often that the head of a governing body affirms the contribution of religion to society. He also noted that faith and reason should indeed coexist, and complement each other (which is the crux of Benedict XVI's argument about contemporary thought).
Cardinal Pell's homily was simple and effective; he was neither too general nor too theological. In reflecting on the tale of the Bones in Ezekiel 37, Galatians 5, and Luke 8 (the Parable of the Sower), he emphasized responding to the theme of WYD by being open to the power of the Holy Spirit. He also challenged us to be practicing Catholics who are willing to take the next step and go deeper. "He also admonished us early to bring this home after WYD ends, because "the reality is that next week, we will all go home... When we part, let us never part from our loving God and his Son Jesus." Like the army of bones that came to new life, he encouraged us to become an immense army that will evangelize and serve.
Cardinal Rylko echoed his good friend John Paul II by saying, "You are the springtime of the world and of the Chuch... experiene a new Pentecost, and open the doors of your lives to the Holy Spirit."
Overall, it was a wonderful Mass. The theme song is quite powerful. You should check it out. Tomorrow we have catechesis and different stuff. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.
Thanks for following. Keep up the prayers!
-Dave
Friday, July 11, 2008
God In All Things....
Hello Friends and Family!
This is Roxanne, reporting in after a wonderful week of MAGiS experiments here in Brisbane. I see that Michael has already done a wonderful job of summarizing our group experience, so I'll try to not be too repetitive.
Vincent SJ, Pat, Michael, Katy, Kristina, I were part of the Queensland 2 group, whose experiment theme was: "Surfing and Spirituality." Needless to say, we were all very excited to embark on this pilgrimage. Throughout the week, we went to see several different beautiful attractions around Brisbane where we sought to experience the glory, magnificence, and love of God in everything around us. Well, let me tell you, God is truly good and we were easily able to see all of His wonderful graces every day that we've been here -- from the kangaroo feedings, to the amazing star-filled nights, and to our daily interactions with all those around us...God was there every step of the way!
The biggest grace we all received, though, was seeing God in one another. Throughout this week, we have all grown in fellowship not only amongst ourselves, but also within the context of the larger Church community. We have met and formed strong bonds with people from all over the world; bonds that are continually being reinforced by our common faith and love for the Almighty. It has been an absolutely amazing experience seeing the vastness and diversity of the Catholic Church, and we can only hope to continue to experience the majesty of God's international congregation over the next couple of weeks.
We ask that you continue to pray for us and for all the youth of the Catholic Church, in general. As Dave mentioned before, the theme of this World Youth Day pilgrimage has centered around the Scripture reading from Acts 1:8 --> "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses..." Keeping this theme in mind, we will continue to endeavor to see the workings of God in everything around us and open our hearts to His abundant love, especially through our interactions with other pilgrims from all over the world. I, personally, will also continue to pray for the courage to listen to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit within me as we begin our time in Sydney. Hopefully, the journey will not conclude in Sydney, but rather, continue long after we've returned home to America.
Please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers always. Thank you for all of the wonderful comments, emails, and well wishes....they are truly appreciated and they definitely uplift our hearts here in Australia! Above is a picture of most of us (unfortunately Vince didn't come with us into the city that day) at the Sydney Opera House. Within the next week, we will be working to try to put more pictures up for you all to enjoy and to reduce to distance between us. In the meantime, God bless and G'Day!
-Roxanne
Queensland 2 Group Reporting In
How ya going?
Michael here reporting from the Stuartholme School in Brisbane. The group has been reunited after our week apart and we are all excitedly sharing our stories of adventure with each other. After our short reunion we headed off to a big Aussie barbie in a park. It was very moving to get a little taste of what we'll be doing for the next week. The food was absolutely delicious and our very own Steve Hill brought home the gold for the United States in the Lemington (chocolate and coconut frosted cake) eating competition! Diana then competed in the flip-flop fling competition but we let the other countries win that one.
I'll give you a little update on what the Queensland 2 group did over the week. The name of our experiment was "Surfing and Spirituality." We stayed at Loreto College in Coorparoo, Queensland. The school was very welcoming and made sure we felt right at home. We were there with one person from Malaysia, one person from Ecuador, three people from England as well as eleven Hungarians. We were able to learn many new songs, games, words, and dances from the Hungarians. We visited downtown Brisbane a bit, got to take a river cruise to see the city at night, spent some time on the Gold Coast, cuddled koalas, fed kangaroos, and learned about the Aboriginal people to name a few things.
God was definitely with us throughout the week. We were able to form strong bonds through the love of Christ with our MAGiS companions that we hope to keep for a long time. While we did not do the service project we had originally thought we were going to do, God has His way of working in us the way we needed. We all recieved the grace of openess and learned from the compassion of our brothers and sisters from around the world. Our God is so wonderful and we are so blessed to have spent our week enjoying His beautiful Creation "down unda." Thanks so much for all the comments and prayers. We hear and feel them all!
More to come soon!
May the peace of the Lord be with you all!
Michael :)
Michael here reporting from the Stuartholme School in Brisbane. The group has been reunited after our week apart and we are all excitedly sharing our stories of adventure with each other. After our short reunion we headed off to a big Aussie barbie in a park. It was very moving to get a little taste of what we'll be doing for the next week. The food was absolutely delicious and our very own Steve Hill brought home the gold for the United States in the Lemington (chocolate and coconut frosted cake) eating competition! Diana then competed in the flip-flop fling competition but we let the other countries win that one.
I'll give you a little update on what the Queensland 2 group did over the week. The name of our experiment was "Surfing and Spirituality." We stayed at Loreto College in Coorparoo, Queensland. The school was very welcoming and made sure we felt right at home. We were there with one person from Malaysia, one person from Ecuador, three people from England as well as eleven Hungarians. We were able to learn many new songs, games, words, and dances from the Hungarians. We visited downtown Brisbane a bit, got to take a river cruise to see the city at night, spent some time on the Gold Coast, cuddled koalas, fed kangaroos, and learned about the Aboriginal people to name a few things.
God was definitely with us throughout the week. We were able to form strong bonds through the love of Christ with our MAGiS companions that we hope to keep for a long time. While we did not do the service project we had originally thought we were going to do, God has His way of working in us the way we needed. We all recieved the grace of openess and learned from the compassion of our brothers and sisters from around the world. Our God is so wonderful and we are so blessed to have spent our week enjoying His beautiful Creation "down unda." Thanks so much for all the comments and prayers. We hear and feel them all!
More to come soon!
May the peace of the Lord be with you all!
Michael :)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Are We Having a Great Time? Yes... But It Gets Better!
"G'day, mates!"
Joe Hill SJ, Steve Hill, Ethan, Diana, Jason and I just returned from our Experiment in the Glasshouse Mountains. It was an incredible time, to say the least. We climbed two of the mountains (don't worry, it was more of a hike than a climb), visited a waterfall, saw a Kangaroo, we had a barbecue on the beach. The food was excellent (we've been really well-fed in general, so you need not worry about that), and the companionship was marvelous.
And companionship, dear family and friends, is what our experiment was all about. It's about getting to know each other, ourselves, and developing our relationships with each other and with God.
While I did not get to perform the community service that I thought I would (I originally signed up for service, but the Holy Spirit decided that I should go on this pilgrimage; boy was He right), I have learned much about what companionship with Jesus and with each other is all about. Our experiment group included people from Taiwan, India, and France, and we all grew together as a group. We shared stories, laughs, great food, walks and talks. I've certainly gotten much closer to my fellow Fordham folk. I've also been able to spend more quality time reflecting on how God has been present in my every-day life. I've really enjoyed the Mass readings lately: the First Reading has come from Hosea. Check em out at http://www.usccb.org/nab/.
Together, we learned how to play rugby, frisbee, football. Together, we explored our relationship and understanding of God with the gorgeous backdrop of the Glasshouse Mountains or the shore near Brisbane. We learned about Steve, the owner of our camping ground. Steve held the world record for driving the largest horse-drawn carriage in 1990 (it has since been broken, but he is working to challenge the new record). His life is pretty fascinating in general (if I blogged about him, this entry will be 10x longer than it already is). We learned about the Lifesavers, a club of volunteers who patrol the beaches and educate the public on beach safety. They serve the public for free. We were guided in our reflections by our very own Joe, Clive (Australia), David SJ (Australia), JJ SJ (Taiwan), and Fr. Selven SJ (India). Despite speaking different languages and having different customs, we all found a strong common bond in our faith. We've had some pretty awesome Masses and prayer services. JJ wasn't feeling well earlier, and we all prayed over him. It was pretty powerful.
Simply being in Australia is pretty cool, but this experiment was great.
The incredible thing is, it will get better. When I get the opportunity to, I will share with you the schedule that we have for the next week and a half. To simplify it, let's just say it will be AWESOME.
We'll have photos up, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon when we return to St. Ignatius, Riverside. Australia is a beautiful land, indeed. I've never seen such a clear sky at night.
In any case, it's dinner time. "First in, best dressed," is what they say here.
Peace and love.
-Dave
Joe Hill SJ, Steve Hill, Ethan, Diana, Jason and I just returned from our Experiment in the Glasshouse Mountains. It was an incredible time, to say the least. We climbed two of the mountains (don't worry, it was more of a hike than a climb), visited a waterfall, saw a Kangaroo, we had a barbecue on the beach. The food was excellent (we've been really well-fed in general, so you need not worry about that), and the companionship was marvelous.
And companionship, dear family and friends, is what our experiment was all about. It's about getting to know each other, ourselves, and developing our relationships with each other and with God.
While I did not get to perform the community service that I thought I would (I originally signed up for service, but the Holy Spirit decided that I should go on this pilgrimage; boy was He right), I have learned much about what companionship with Jesus and with each other is all about. Our experiment group included people from Taiwan, India, and France, and we all grew together as a group. We shared stories, laughs, great food, walks and talks. I've certainly gotten much closer to my fellow Fordham folk. I've also been able to spend more quality time reflecting on how God has been present in my every-day life. I've really enjoyed the Mass readings lately: the First Reading has come from Hosea. Check em out at http://www.usccb.org/nab/.
Together, we learned how to play rugby, frisbee, football. Together, we explored our relationship and understanding of God with the gorgeous backdrop of the Glasshouse Mountains or the shore near Brisbane. We learned about Steve, the owner of our camping ground. Steve held the world record for driving the largest horse-drawn carriage in 1990 (it has since been broken, but he is working to challenge the new record). His life is pretty fascinating in general (if I blogged about him, this entry will be 10x longer than it already is). We learned about the Lifesavers, a club of volunteers who patrol the beaches and educate the public on beach safety. They serve the public for free. We were guided in our reflections by our very own Joe, Clive (Australia), David SJ (Australia), JJ SJ (Taiwan), and Fr. Selven SJ (India). Despite speaking different languages and having different customs, we all found a strong common bond in our faith. We've had some pretty awesome Masses and prayer services. JJ wasn't feeling well earlier, and we all prayed over him. It was pretty powerful.
Simply being in Australia is pretty cool, but this experiment was great.
The incredible thing is, it will get better. When I get the opportunity to, I will share with you the schedule that we have for the next week and a half. To simplify it, let's just say it will be AWESOME.
We'll have photos up, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon when we return to St. Ignatius, Riverside. Australia is a beautiful land, indeed. I've never seen such a clear sky at night.
In any case, it's dinner time. "First in, best dressed," is what they say here.
Peace and love.
-Dave
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Greetings from Brisbane
Hello Family and Friends!
We are now in Brisbane; we found out that some plans were altered before we all left for our experiments. One half of our group was scheduled to go to Melbourne for their service trip. Instead, they've joined us going to Brisbane. It was a beautiful and peaceful 13 hour drive. We said the Rosary in five different languages along the way. We arrived last night at Stuartholme school, and today, we viewed the city from Mount Coot-tha. When I get the chance, I'll upload some of our group's photos onto the site for your viewing pleasure.
Members of local parishes joined us for Mass and lunch today; it was a beautiful mass. Afterwards, we had lunch with everyone. Right now, there's some down time before we all meet and prepare for our experiments.
Our sense of unity is incredible; our group here includes members from the Visayas (spelling?) in the Philippines, India, Hungary, Taiwan, and Australia. We're bonding really well, and we've spent a lot of time talking, tossing the frisbee around, and more. The source of our unity? Of course, it is God. It made Mass and the ensuing lunch really glow with love and joy. It's a beautiful thing.
Throughout our blogging and reflecting, we'll be focusing on graces that we will receive from God along the way; for me thus far, it has been God in our community, but I know that this is but a taste of what God has in store. We've had many great talks, laughs, and moments thus far, and One thing that I'm really focusing on is the calling to be a witness; as you'll see below, the theme to WYD 2008 is based on Acts 1:8. As I've grown in my understanding of Christianity, and particularly my Catholic faith, I've found a real need for more and better witnesses. I think events like World Youth Day are great models for revitalizing young Catholics and transforming our worldview into one where we do everything with faith. It's like that song, "And they'll know we are Christians by our love..." This will be an opportunity for me to examine my own faith, my knowledge, my actions, and work towards improving them and grounding them in God.
In the meantime, I need to get back to the group and prepare for the next several days. I think there's an option in which you can subscribe to this blog and receive e-mail updates; if you can find that, I'd suggest going for that.
Steve will be added to our list of bloggers soon. For future blogging this week, Roxanne and Michael are working around Brisbane on a service project; Steve and I are headed into the Glass House Mountains for some camping.
God bless,
Dave
P.S., here's a link to WYD info, including a general schedule of events.
http://www.catholic.org/wyd08/
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses... in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." -Acts 1:8 (the theme for WYD08)
We are now in Brisbane; we found out that some plans were altered before we all left for our experiments. One half of our group was scheduled to go to Melbourne for their service trip. Instead, they've joined us going to Brisbane. It was a beautiful and peaceful 13 hour drive. We said the Rosary in five different languages along the way. We arrived last night at Stuartholme school, and today, we viewed the city from Mount Coot-tha. When I get the chance, I'll upload some of our group's photos onto the site for your viewing pleasure.
Members of local parishes joined us for Mass and lunch today; it was a beautiful mass. Afterwards, we had lunch with everyone. Right now, there's some down time before we all meet and prepare for our experiments.
Our sense of unity is incredible; our group here includes members from the Visayas (spelling?) in the Philippines, India, Hungary, Taiwan, and Australia. We're bonding really well, and we've spent a lot of time talking, tossing the frisbee around, and more. The source of our unity? Of course, it is God. It made Mass and the ensuing lunch really glow with love and joy. It's a beautiful thing.
Throughout our blogging and reflecting, we'll be focusing on graces that we will receive from God along the way; for me thus far, it has been God in our community, but I know that this is but a taste of what God has in store. We've had many great talks, laughs, and moments thus far, and One thing that I'm really focusing on is the calling to be a witness; as you'll see below, the theme to WYD 2008 is based on Acts 1:8. As I've grown in my understanding of Christianity, and particularly my Catholic faith, I've found a real need for more and better witnesses. I think events like World Youth Day are great models for revitalizing young Catholics and transforming our worldview into one where we do everything with faith. It's like that song, "And they'll know we are Christians by our love..." This will be an opportunity for me to examine my own faith, my knowledge, my actions, and work towards improving them and grounding them in God.
In the meantime, I need to get back to the group and prepare for the next several days. I think there's an option in which you can subscribe to this blog and receive e-mail updates; if you can find that, I'd suggest going for that.
Steve will be added to our list of bloggers soon. For future blogging this week, Roxanne and Michael are working around Brisbane on a service project; Steve and I are headed into the Glass House Mountains for some camping.
God bless,
Dave
P.S., here's a link to WYD info, including a general schedule of events.
http://www.catholic.org/wyd08/
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses... in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." -Acts 1:8 (the theme for WYD08)
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Journey Begins.....
Hello from SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA to everyone back home!
We hope you are all doing well this Fourth of July -- have fun, enjoy the fireworks, and eat extra hot dogs for us! :)
On our side, we spent the 4th of July getting to know Sydney a little bit better. After about 20 hours of traveling (more in Michael's case), we finally landed in Australia at around 8:30am this morning. After going through customs and baggage claim, we were all very excited to begin this pilgrimage and experience all that Australia has to offer. We were met by one of the Magis volunteers at the "aeroport" and he drove us (on the left side of the road) to St. Ignatius College in Riverview (a suburb of the city).
Despite a bit of rain, we were all able to get settled in and do some exploring around campus and the city. Even though we're a bit jet-lagged, we still did so much in only a few hours.... We had mass in one of the tiny chapels on campus, presided by a newly ordained American Jesuit named Fr. Phil. We even were already able to see and take pictures at the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Overall it was a wonderful first day in Australia and an excellent introduction to this wonderful continent. Tomorrow, we will all be leaving at 5am and heading to Brisbane where we will be splitting up to do our Magis Experiments. We pray for your continued support and thoughts as we find communion with other Catholics around the world, while simultaneously strengthening our own Fordham community. God Bless you all, and thanks for all the love!
-Roxanne
P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister, Andrea, who is turning 20 on the 5th!!!
We hope you are all doing well this Fourth of July -- have fun, enjoy the fireworks, and eat extra hot dogs for us! :)
On our side, we spent the 4th of July getting to know Sydney a little bit better. After about 20 hours of traveling (more in Michael's case), we finally landed in Australia at around 8:30am this morning. After going through customs and baggage claim, we were all very excited to begin this pilgrimage and experience all that Australia has to offer. We were met by one of the Magis volunteers at the "aeroport" and he drove us (on the left side of the road) to St. Ignatius College in Riverview (a suburb of the city).
Despite a bit of rain, we were all able to get settled in and do some exploring around campus and the city. Even though we're a bit jet-lagged, we still did so much in only a few hours.... We had mass in one of the tiny chapels on campus, presided by a newly ordained American Jesuit named Fr. Phil. We even were already able to see and take pictures at the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Overall it was a wonderful first day in Australia and an excellent introduction to this wonderful continent. Tomorrow, we will all be leaving at 5am and heading to Brisbane where we will be splitting up to do our Magis Experiments. We pray for your continued support and thoughts as we find communion with other Catholics around the world, while simultaneously strengthening our own Fordham community. God Bless you all, and thanks for all the love!
-Roxanne
P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister, Andrea, who is turning 20 on the 5th!!!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
We're Leavin' On A Jet-Plane...
Hello Friends and Loved-Ones!
We are officially less than 24-hours away from our departure, and we are all excited to finally be on our way to Australia to begin the next leg of this wonderful journey! I was lucky enough to be at this past Sunday's mass at Fordham (Rose Hill) and received many well-wishes and prayers for our World Youth Day team. We are so fortunate to have so many people who love and support us, and who are keeping us in mind and heart as we travel to Sydney. For everyone who is currently reading this and to all those who will continue to check this page for our updates, thank you for your constant love and support and we will definitely be keeping you in our hearts and prayers as well. It is a true blessing from God to have you in our lives, and for that we will always be grateful! God bless, always!
We will be departing from JFK tomorrow evening (Wed., July 2nd) at around 7:30pm and head to California for a brief lay-over and to meet up with Jason and Katy who will be heading down from Seattle. From there, all 12 of us will finally get on the flight that will bring us to Sydney. I forget how long the flight actually is, but I know it'll be a doozy. I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it in the next post (which will be made from Australia). In the meantime, please continue to think about us and pray for us. As always, we appreciate it!
I'm off to finish doing some last minute packing....Check back soon! God Bless!
-Rox
P.S. Thanks to Dave for helping me to set-up blogging capabilities!
We are officially less than 24-hours away from our departure, and we are all excited to finally be on our way to Australia to begin the next leg of this wonderful journey! I was lucky enough to be at this past Sunday's mass at Fordham (Rose Hill) and received many well-wishes and prayers for our World Youth Day team. We are so fortunate to have so many people who love and support us, and who are keeping us in mind and heart as we travel to Sydney. For everyone who is currently reading this and to all those who will continue to check this page for our updates, thank you for your constant love and support and we will definitely be keeping you in our hearts and prayers as well. It is a true blessing from God to have you in our lives, and for that we will always be grateful! God bless, always!
We will be departing from JFK tomorrow evening (Wed., July 2nd) at around 7:30pm and head to California for a brief lay-over and to meet up with Jason and Katy who will be heading down from Seattle. From there, all 12 of us will finally get on the flight that will bring us to Sydney. I forget how long the flight actually is, but I know it'll be a doozy. I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it in the next post (which will be made from Australia). In the meantime, please continue to think about us and pray for us. As always, we appreciate it!
I'm off to finish doing some last minute packing....Check back soon! God Bless!
-Rox
P.S. Thanks to Dave for helping me to set-up blogging capabilities!
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