“Friendship with Jesus will also lead you to bear witness to the faith
wherever you are, even when it meets with rejection or indifference. We cannot
encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others. So do not keep
Christ to yourselves! Share with others the joy of your faith.”
Those were the parting words of
the Holy Father for the over one million pilgrims gathered at Madrid’s Cuatro
Vientos air base at the close of the World Youth Day 2011. Here, I would like to do
just that—share my joy—wrought by the Spirit that hovered in that one big
celebration of faith.
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| I.T.I. seminarians at the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI. |
I was able to go to Madrid
primarily because I had signed up with the YOUCAT press corps, by virtue of
which I got much of the travel costs covered. I worked with 12 other people
from different countries and our registration entitled us to three square meals
a day and some modest lodgings. I stayed in a classroom with seven Polish
priests with whom I managed to exchange nothing more than curious nods and a
few curt phrases.
“Catch the atmosphere” were our
marching orders. It practically meant any scoop we could get our hands on with
our rather limited equipage. Our operations were far from smooth-sailing and it
was often a test of patience—beginning with the smoldering heat, hard dealings
over certain aspects of bureaucracy, schedules getting thrown off, etc. I saw
how a magnificent event could turn into a nightmare full of foes and woes, so I
pulled myself together and buckled down.
Once I had decided to shake off all
reluctance and simply get out there, the days became difficult to keep track.
They were like flashes of places and faces gone in the blink of an eye. But the
experience has left a deep impression on me and my guess is that it would take
a while to unpack, long after I have settled back in.
My first World Youth Day in pictures...
I arrived in Madrid just before
midnight on Sunday, August 14, and not knowing where to lay my head, I found my way to IFEMA
where I found a group of Filipinos who formed part of the 30,000 strong
WYD volunteer brigade.
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| Volunteers' accommodations at IFEMA. |
My job consisted mainly in interviewing people,
taking pictures and writing articles. I had to capture the scenes and the spirit. What struck me was the whole city literally bursting with young people whose joy
could hardly be contained.
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| Interviewing Dominicans about vocations. |
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| Some YOUCAT co-workers. |
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| Prelates taking an afternoon break. |
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| Pilgrims in the subway. |
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| An Italian group pausing for repast. |
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| Singing priests prepare to welcome the Pope. |
