QUEENSLAND’S World Youth Day pilgrims came together again last month, three weeks after celebrating Mass with Pope John Paul II and 800,000 others in Toronto, Canada.
At a dinner with members of their families, Catholic youth ministry staff and Brisbane Archbishop John Bathersby, along with young Catholics from throughout the state, spoke of the exhilaration, fun and difficulties experienced during their week in Canada. The dinner was held at the Fr Kevin Aspinall Centre in Upper Mt Gravatt parish.
Angelique Melrose, of St George in south-west Queensland, said the trip may have been a whirlwind one but it was one she would never forget.
‘The events that took place, the experiences and the memories will stay with us forever.
‘It was a trip with a deep underlying meaning for us all, which was the fact that we were there because of our faith.
‘Then on the same note we were not there to go quietly, we were there to celebrate it. This was one of the major reasons I wanted to go. To celebrate Mass and my faith, to sing and rejoice and the truth is we did that in great Aussie style.’
One of the parents at the dinner, Peter Webb from Grovely parish in Brisbane, said that for many of the young pilgrims’ families, it had been a journey of mixed emotions.
‘There was the waiting to hear they had arrived, the excitement of the phone calls and the feeling that they were a long way away,’ he said.
‘For many parents, your experiences of community with Christians from all over the world are our dream of what the Church can be. We see a glow about you, a sense that you have had a deep realisation of who you are as young people of faith and purpose.
‘We are grateful to the staff who took such good care of you and we can see that, for Archbishop Bathersby, Bishop Brian Heenan of Rockhampton and Fr Morgan Batt, your company has been a liberating and energising experience,’ Mr Webb said.
He said that, in turn, the pilgrims were privileged in their opportunity to share the time of prayer, reflection and journey with them.
Archbishop Bathersby said it was a great pleasure to join the young people on pilgrimage. He said that he had never received as many hugs as when he and the pilgrims parted company on their return, something bishops don’t seem to get much of these days.
