181 Days To Go!

That's right! Only 181 days to go. I know that this sounds like a long time away, but we have been fundraising for this trip for over 2 years now, and all of us are getting excited to be on our way. I wanted to let you know a little about what World Youth Day is, and who is going on our pilgrimage. This way, you can follow along as we ready ourselves for this awesome adventure!

The U.S. Bishops explain WYD this way: "World Youth Day is an unbelievable weeklong spiritual journey where pilgrims from all over the world unite to share their faith. The week includes prayer, song, concerts, drama, sharing, liturgy, catechesis, and an unforgettable vigil and closing mass with The Holy Father." World Youth Day is celebrated annually in our parishes, and every 2-3 years on an international level.

We will be traveling to Sydney on July 12th, by way of 4 different planes, with the major one being on Quantas Airlines from LAX to Melbourne, Australia. This flight will take approximately 15 hours and 15 minutes. (Good thing I love to fly.) From there, we will catch a flight to Sydney. Once we arrive, we will have a charter bus pick us up for an orientation tour of the city. Hopefully we will get to see where the harbour, beaches, cultural centers, sporting arenas, and the entertainment district is. (Sydney Opera House anyone?) After the tour, we will be dropped off at our hotel, the Swiss Grand Resort & Spa on Bondi Beach. (Believe it or not, it was the cheapest one offered! Here is a link if you'd like to know more: www.swissgrand.com.au) It really looks nice! We will have three people to a room. (Once again, for cost effectivenss. The teens didn't mind having more than three to a room, but the hotel doesn't allow it.)

The World Youth Day Celebrations start the next evening with the Opening Ceremony scheduled for Olympic Stadium. Each day after that is filled with catechetical sessions with participating Bishops in the morning, and a youth festival with shows, music, prayer, and reconciliation opportunities in the afternoon and evenings. On Friday night, there is a Dramatic recreation of the Stations of the Cross. This takes us to Saturday when we have the pilgrim walk to the site of the Evening Vigil, sleeping out under the stars, and finally the Closing Mass with Pope Benedict.

Due to the large numbers of pilgrims descending on Sydney, we were told we couldn't get a flight out until the 23rd. This gives us two days to "explore" the area. With only 19 of us going, we shouldn't have any problem getting in wherever we want at the same time.

Our participants are Karen A, Brandon C, Pam E, Audrey E, Carolyn E, Mary Jo E, Erich G,
Brad G, Cathy H, Christine H, Emily J, Patrick J, Caitlin K, Daniel K, Andrew M, Patrick M,
Eric W, Maria Z, and myself! (We have 6 chaperones and 13 teens. . . Sounds like a good ratio to me. jk)

I know that this is a ton of information, but if you keep watching the blog, I'll try to post updates as we get them. Please know that we are grateful for all of your support, and will keep you in our prayers also.