Worth the Trip

Certainly when Youthtowne and Bishop Zubik made plans for the Pittsburgh contingent's visit to World Youth Day they hoped the young people attending would bond at the event. But they may have realized that goal even before the 500+ people traveling on the Youthtowne Charter left Pittsburgh. During a 14-hour flight delay at the Pittsburgh airport, kids tossed frisbees, hit beach balls, played cards -- and judging by overheard conversations had some pretty heady discussions about life, dreams, parents, etc. Their comportment and patience during the long day were remarkable. The Bishop heard confessions and circulated and talked to many participants during the long wait -- connections that likely made lasting impressions on the young people he spent time with and on the Bishop himself.
Despite exhaustion, arriving in Sydney was exhilirating and as they waited for buses to take them to their lodgings, Pittsburgh's young people joined in dance and song with pilgrims from all over the world. As I write this in the media center -- trying to obtain a video feed of WYD events -- the Bishop of Sydney is presiding over a mass for thousands of pilgrims on the rim of the harbor. An amazing sight.
The city is stunning, and the section where the media center is located is grittier than the tourish images one typically seems of Sydney, which adds to its texture. There is a vortex of ethnicities and nationalities that demonstrates that Australia is less an extension of British culture than a vital hub of the Pacific Rim and South Asia.