Day 1 – Wednesday 16 January: Depart Australia – Arrive in Mexico City, Mexico.
Day 1 – Wednesday 16 January: Depart Australia – Arrive in Mexico City, Mexico.
Blue Broken Bay WYD T-shirts were out in force at Sydney Airport this morning, as our pilgrims and their families gathered at the United Airlines check-in counter at 8.30am. Everyone was there on time and there was an excited buzz in the air as we gathered for a farewell blessing by Fr David, who prayed that God would surprise us along the way, as well as the obligatory group photo. 
15 hours on the flight to Houston was not so much fun, a few slept soundly, but most of us struggled to get any shut eye and passed time by catching up on movies from the inflight entertainment. We had a four-hour transit at Houston Airport. My little group decided to grab lunch at Ruby’s Diner: “Hi, what do y’all want,” the waitress greeted us. Texas hamburgers and milkshakes we decided. Turns out their milkshakes are what we would call thickshakes back home, super heavy. The burgers were massive. Jaden was the only one who actually finished his whole meal. We all hate the concept of tipping, but left 20% anyway. Wish they would just pay staff properly instead.
Waiting in the transit lounge, Ian had his head in a science revision book, but I took the chance to ask Skye and Jaeden how they were feeling about things so far. “I’m feeling good,” said Skye. “Tired but excited. I’ve come along as the whole concept of World Youth Day interested me. To experience an international gathering as well as to experience the cultures of Mexico and Panama. I originally had a group of friends who were going to come, but they all pulled out for various reasons. It would have been fun if they came, but I still wanted to go anyway. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, sightseeing the cultures in the places we go and also how people from all around the world share the same religion.”
“I’m feeling excited,” said Jaeden. “I’m not tired actually, I napped on the plane. I’m coming because of my experience at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival a year ago. It was such a great experience on a local level, I want to experience it on a global level with millions of young people. It was a great opportunity that the school was offering. As I’m in Year 12 now it’s my last year of school to create memories and experiences. I want to experience the difference cultures. The faith in central America seems like it will be more personal and lively. I’m also excited for the food. I like to eat! I’m not too adventurous, but I’m looking forward to trying new things. I’m also looking to seeing the Pope, I feel I can understand him better than previous popes, he is a unique figure who really engages the youth. I’m a bit nervous about not knowing Spanish and being in Spanish speaking countries.
We had an easy two-hour flight to Mexico City. I was so sleep deprived by this stage I actually got more sleep on this flight than on the first one. We got to Mexico Airport to find that one student from another group’s bag hadn’t turned up. United Airlines called Houston Airport – “Houston, we have a problem!” – and sure enough the bag had been left there rather than being forwarded on to Mexico. I discovered that the top corner of my own hard shell suitcase had been smashed in somewhere along the way. United Airlines was great, giving me a brand new replacement which is bigger than my original. I now have room for souvenirs to bring home!
A bus ride through Mexico City led us to our accommodation at the Sheridan Hotel in the old city centre. After dinner at the hotel the Leo's group went for a wander around the block. Heaps of locals out walking around the city on a Wednesday night, colourful food and merchandise stalls on the street corners, street art as well as lots of classical statues around Alameda Central park which is across the road from the Sheridan.
It’s been a pretty gentle start to the pilgrimage so far – a travelling day or so, starting to get to know the other pilgrims and leaders on this trip. I’m rooming with muso extraordinaire, Simon Hyland. Jaden and Ian have a room together a couple of doors down. Skye has a roommate Maddy from St Joseph’s College at East Gosford. We’re all looking forward to a big day tomorrow, with a bus trip to Teotihuacan to visit the Temple of the Sun as well as a couple of churches.
This is the fifth World Youth Day I’ve been on myself. My first was to see Pope St John Paul II in Rome in 2000, the year of the Great Jubilee. That was an important time of discernment for me I had left the seminary and had been going out with Cristina for about a year. It was at the night Vigil with the Pope that I decided that I wanted to ask Cristina to marry me. I didn’t have a mobile phone in those days so asked a friend if I could borrow her phone so I could call Sydney and propose there and then. Fortunately she refused and said I had to do it in person! Cristina picked me up from the airport and I proposed (and she said ‘yes!’) as soon as we got back to my place. Every WYD I’ve been on has been special to me in a different way. For Sydney 2008 with Pope Benedict, the Good Samaritan Sisters asked me to be the Coordinator for the Catechesis venue at St Scholastica’s at Glebe which hosted students from Benedictine communities from around the world. The highlight of that for me was the Stations of the Cross at Barangaroo, we were just a few hundred metres from where the crucifixion took place with the breathtaking backdrop of sunset over Sydney harbour. I was the liturgy coordinator for Broken Bay Diocese for Madrid WYD in 2011. My God moment from then was when we were turned away from a catechesis venue as it was too full. Fr Jim McKeon and I decided to run our own catechesis in the park across the road. We started off with a group of about 50 but were joined by others from around the world ending up with hundreds of people from Europe, the Americas and Asia. I led music with my trusty guitar, and found speakers from different countries to jump up and give spontaneous testimonies, finishing with a reflection by Bishop David. Still my favourite catechesis ever! My highlight of Krakow in 2016 was participating in Adoration led by Matt Maher in one of the basilicas. He walked out and knelt with his guitar, never looking back or acknowledging the crowd at all, his whole focus on the Blessed Sacrament. Just him and his guitar led one of the most prayerful experiences of worship I have ever had.
I don’t know what my highlight of Panama will be… But as Fr David prayed before we set off, I’m open to being surprised by God. Every WYD has given me something special. I’m in a time of discernment myself – I feel pulled in three different directions at the moment: between youth ministry, my work in the Marriage Tribunal as well as by my diaconal ministry in the parish. I’m hoping that the sacred times and spaces on pilgrimage will give me the space I need for reflection and help me to find some clarity on where God is calling me to today.
It’s been a long day - actually we just experienced two days of January 16 - and it's now just after midnight and time for me to turn in. Buenas noches.
- Adrian Gomez, Mexico City
Comments
Post a Comment