Tuesday 19th August was truly a sad day in Victoria as the Bill to legalise abortion was presented the Victorian parliament. The details of the Bill are horrendous. It is a time for us all to work hard for the defeat of this bill.
I had the privilege to attend a public lecture given by Eoghan De Faoite on “Defending the unborn in the Republic of Ireland”. Eoghan has organised and led nationwide pro-life information tours, directed highly effective political lobbying campaigns, and motivated the youth of Ireland to speak out against abortion. Youth Defence is the most active pro-life group in Ireland, defending the rights of the unborn child. Youth Defence believe that life is a right not a privilege, and in doing so, they actively seek contitutional protection for the unborn child. Eoghan’s talk was highly inspirational and motivating and certainly spurred us on to fight this evil here in Victoria.
To learn more about Youth Defence go to TRUTH TV an informative, educational & inspirational site on the issues of abortion.
Closer to home we have the RIGHT TO LIFE organisation -
Right to Life Australia is an organisation dedicated to the preservation of human life, in any form. From an unborn child to the elderly, a human life has the right to live, despite what the world around us deems as ‘socially acceptable’.
There are a number of ways in which we can help defend the sanctity of human life. If you are able and willing to fight this Bill then the RIGHT TO LIFE site is good place to begin your campaign.
There are a number of outstanding web sites to visit. Here are only a few but more links are found at each site -
ABORTION TV - for the facts about abortion.
MAKE A STAND - in response to important political issues.
WOMEN’S FORUM AUSTRALIA - A group committed to promote the well-being, advancement and freedom of women.
With any huge battle about to rage it is important to increase our prayers, and storm heaven for help.
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians …. Pray for us.
There are quite a few videos going up on You Tube which are great for some World Youth Day reflections. This one includes the WYD08 theme song Receive The Power by Guy Sebastian & Paulini.
Take some time out and enjoy……
Oil painting of Our Lady of the Southern Cross by Paul Newton - Commissined by Cardinal George Pell for World Youth Day Sydney 2008.
This beautiful painting of the patroness of Australia now hangs in St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians is also patroness of WYD08.
Although the painting is of Mary she is focused completely on the child Jesus who is the centre of this work, and the centre of our focus - our saviour. Also included in this painting are typical Australian symbols -the Southern Cross in the night sky, a garland of wattles and Australian landscape as a background which has been inspired by the works of Australian artists such as Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.
This is such a beautiful painting I just had to post about it. At the end of the Opening mass at Barangaroo in Sydney, a tall, unknown man came up to me and in great excitement he pointed out the Southern Cross in the night sky. The reason for his excitement was because the Southern Cross was directly above the alter….. and the WYD cross and icon were directly under it. Coincidence? I prefer to believe it was God-incidence. It’s one of those signs that sends an annointing through your body, and you just know it’s all part of God’s plan and that He has His hand over everything.
Wherever Jesus is present His blessed mother is also close by… it’s a special feeling to know this and to sense this at WYD08.
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians - Pray for us.
As I sit here writing this post the sun has decided to make a sneak appearance. But that won’t disguise the fact that it’s been raining all night and all morning. You might say “well that’s no big deal”, and I guess it’s easily said. Except that when your country has been in drought for a number of years and you’ve watched reservoir & dam levels continually drop over those years, and you’ve been living with water restrictions, and you know how hard this has hit all our farmers … indeed everyone, then rain does become a big deal.
Cardinal George Pell asked our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, if he would pray for rain for Australia. This was at the final mass at Randwick and indeed Pope Benedict prayed for rain. It held off for most of the day as pilgrims made their way out of Randwick to journey home …. then it began to rain.
Back home in Melbourne the rain has come on & off, little drizzles here and there but when you hear it fall heavily on your roof you can’t help but be thankful for the prayers and the rain that’s come. It’s been raining all night and all morning. OK, one night of rain won’t fill the dams but it will water the parched grounds and gardens. I pray though that this rain is also falling in our country areas, farmlands and catchment areas, and I pray that it will continue to fall.
For me, and I’m sure for others, this is a sign of blessings. So we keep on praying for the blessings to continue to fall …. and to overflow over all the earth.
“My word is like the snow and the rain that comes down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat. So also will be the word that I speak - it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do”
Isaiah 55:10-11
God Bless
Elena 
Australia has long been described as being at the ‘ends of the earth’. Cardinal George Pell also mentions this to the thousands of pilgrims gathered to celebrate the opening mass at Barangaroo (Tues 15th July). To many pilgrims attending WYD08 this would have seemed true, as the distance to travel here was far & time was long ….. and it certainly marked the beginning of a memorable journey for many, especially for those from Oceania who perhaps would never have dreamed it possible to come yet for the generousity of many people, not just in Australia but worldwide.
Many Australians may also see Australia as a ’Noah’s Ark’, because of the diversity of cultures and sheer number of nations represented here. Those who have left their homelands to call Australia “home”, and hoping for a new life and future for themselves and family.
For WYD week I had planned to make note in my diary the names of people (if possible) I’d meet and their country of origin. At the start I only managed to note a few names, then only the names of their homeland. But by the end of the day - Wednesday 16th, what came on my heart was to have pilgrims sign my Australian flag.
I walked around Sydney with a long Aussie flag, and a smaller Italian flag attached on the side, draped over my back. This represented my country of birth (as I am a first generation Australian) and my Italian heritage. And it was this Aussie flag that I offered to pilgrims to sign with their name and country.
The purpose for this was to then present the flag for prayer. Although I journied to WYD Sydney with my parish of St Anthony’s GlenHuntly, I am also part of the Holy Mountain of Praise - established by the will of God as a house of prayer, to praise & worship the Lord and to pray for all the nations of the world. So it seemed the right thing to do, to present the nations of the world to the Lord at the celebration of the Eucharist at the Holy Mountain, on return from WYD.
The mass was a special time because we were also privileged to have with us pilgrims from Holland, France, US, Brazil, Slovakia …… Including members of the Emmanuel community. Father Eric from Holland celebrated mass for us & the children presented my Aussie flag of ’signatures of nations’ in the mass. There was much sharing about WYD experiences, which I think will go on for some time, and lots of talk about Madrid 2011. ….. And indeed the flag was present again at mass at St Anthony’s GlenHuntly.
Just a note regarding naming all the nations. Of course, I wasn’t able to find pilgrim representatives for All the nations, so to ensure not a single nation was missed I added to the flag - “WYD08 …. Every nation, every tribe come together to worship you”.
So from ‘the ends of the earth’ Every nation will be prayed for, including every pilgrim who will now go out to complete the scripture from Acts 1:8 ……. “and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth”.
Love you all in Jesus’ name.
God Bless,
Elena
Pope Benedict XVI message to the young people of the workd for World Youth Day 2008 -
“There is a need for young people who will allow God’s love to burn within them and who will respond generously to his urgent call, just as many young blesseds and saints did in the past and also in more recent times. I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the Good News of Jesus to your comtemporaries.”
Being together with so many of one faith would inspire many to be the bearers of the Good News of Jesus. And now, especially strengthened by the Holy Spirit, many who participated would be able ot say to each other those words we read in Luke 24: 32 on the walk to Emmaus -
“Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
We pilgrims could easily say today - “Did not our hearts burn within us while we were in Sydney?”
World Youth day is not only a week of activities and events; it is not only for an experience which comes but once every 2-3 years, but it is ongoing. It is WYD and beyond.
In the scripture, the two who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus urged Jesus to stay with them as it was getting late. This ‘lateness’ however did not stop them from immediately returning to Jerusalem where they told the disciples about Jesus.
It is their example we should now follow.
It’s already 7 days since our return from WYD08 …. and I miss it. To say it was an amazing week in Sydney is an understatement. I felt part of one huge family as I walked around Sydney from one event to another. One of the beautiful things about WYD was seeing so many nationalities come together - all different in language and customs, but all one in faith because the Holy Spirit speaks one language. So we were all one heart in the Lord. Magnificent sights wherever we walked - a sea of people and flags, smiles and friendliness.
This week has been a time of recovery from sore feet and aching legs but more importantly it’s also been a time for reflection … although I believe the sharing of WYD experiences will be an ongoing thing, along with thoughts of the next international World Youth Day which will be held in Madrid in 2011.
The theme of WYD Sydney 2008 was -
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses”
As one pilgrim pointed out yesterday to a group of us gathering together - ‘WYD week may be over but we have only completed one part of WYD08 … and now we must continue on with second part’ He was referring to “… and you will be my witnesses”
It’s now time for all pilgrims who are returning home to be witnesses for Christ. They will carry the blessings of WYD to their families & communities. There will be many stories to share, friendships formed, and hearts touched. Now it’s time to spread the Lord’s peace, His love and His word to all we meet.
It has been a special time filled with love & a true sense of family in the Lord. So now, World Youth Day lives on in the hearts & lives of all who came and each will go forth bearing witness for the Lord ….. and preparing for WYD Madrid 2011.
There have been three Papal visits to Australia
• 1970: Pope Paul VI
Event held in Randwick Racecourse
• 1986: Pope John Paul II
Event held in Randwick Racecourse, attracting 250,000 people
• 1995: Pope John Paul II
Event held in Randwick Racecourse. Mary MacKillop is beatified.
• Australia has approximately 5.12 million Catholics in 1,363
parishes. This is approximately 26% of the population
• Australia has 28 territorial Dioceses, four Dioceses of Eastern
Catholic Churches and one military Diocese
• There are around 1.5 million Catholics in the four dioceses across
the greater Sydney region
• The Archdiocese of Sydney has almost 600,000 Catholics in some
141 parishes with 480 priests
Journey of the World Youth Day Cross and Icon of Our Lady
(JCI)
1 July 2007 – 15 July 2008
The World Youth Day Cross and Icon are the travelling
symbols of World Youth Day. Pope John Paul II gave the
Cross as a gift to the youth of the world in 1984 to be carried
across continents as a symbol of Christ’s love for humanity
Since 2003, the Cross has been accompanied by the Icon of
Our Lady, a copy of the painting Salus Populi Romani
(Protectress of the Roman People), a gift from Pope John
Paul II to the youth of the world.
Considered the ‘Olympic Torch’ of World Youth Day, the
Cross and Icon arrived in Australia on 1 July 2007 and are
currently travelling through every diocese in the country.
An indigenous Message Stick is accompanying the Cross and
Icon throughout its Australian journey. The Message Stick is
an invitation from the indigenous people of Sydney to the
indigenous youth of Australia to attend WYD08.
The Cross, Icon and Message Stick will journey across
Australia for 12 months, visiting some 400 communities.
Key JCI statistics: 1 July 2007– 20 May 2008
• 2 JCI Travelling Teams
• 325 days
• 29 dioceses (including the Military Diocese and Maronite Diocese)
• 30 Communities and movements
• c. 65 000kms (including flights)
• c. 2300 events
• 280 – 380,000 people directly present to Cross & Icon
15 Day Walk 1 – 15 July
The Cross and Icon return to Sydney on 1 July for a 15 Day
Walk through the suburbs of Sydney.
This event will be similar to the Olympic Torch Relay and
will culminate in the official walk-in at the Opening Mass
Days in the Dioceses 10 – 14 July
Days in the Dioceses is an opportunity for dioceses across
Australia and New Zealand to host visiting groups of pilgrims
in the days preceding WYD08. It is a cultural exchange in the
context of faith, and will bring WYD08 to every corner of
Australia and New Zealand.
The Archdiocese of Melbourne, for example, is planning to
attract 25,000 overseas pilgrims for its Days in the Dioceses
events. It also has its own volunteer and billeting program.
Days in the Dioceses will also have the practical benefit of
easing international pilgrim entry into Sydney, by allowing for
staggered access via road and rail.
Ten inspirational saints and blesseds have been named the official patrons
for WYD08.
A tradition of each World Youth Day, the 10 patrons have been chosen by the
organisers and approved by the Vatican. An Australian artist, Richard de
Stoop was commissioned to recreate their images.
• Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians
• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901 – 1925)
• Blessed Mary MacKillop (1842 – 1909)
• Saint Peter Chanel (1803 – 1841)
• Blessed Peter To Rot (1912 – 1945)
• Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910 – 1997)
• Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873 – 1897)
• Saint Maria Goretti (1890 – 1902)
• Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905 – 1938)
• Servant of God, John Paul II (1920 – 2005
• Up to 225,000 registered pilgrims are expected to take part in WYD08
events each day, including 125,000 international visitors.
• 100,000 Australian pilgrims are expected, including 40,000 from
greater Sydney
• An estimated 8,000 volunteers will assist
• An estimated 2,000 clergy will be present
• An estimated 500 Cardinals and Bishops will be present
• Around 3,000 media are expected to cover the event
• 3.5 million meals will be served to pilgrims
• 100,000 will sleep in 700 schools and parishes
• Up to 40,000 will be billeted as part of the HomeStay program
• Approximately 20,000 will stay in paid accommodation such as
hostels, boarding houses, hotels and backpacker accommodation. The
remainder will make their own arrangements.
• Up to 500,000 people are expected to attend the Final Mass at
Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park (which is open to all)
• Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park will be united in name as
the “Southern Cross Precinct” for the Vigil and Final Mass.
• 4000 toilets for Southern Cross Precinct (Randwick Racecourse and
Centennial Park)
• 35 large video screens for Southern Cross Precinct
• 60 lighting towers for Southern Cross Precinct
• The four official WYD08 languages are: English, French, Italian and
Spanish
• Door-drops to half a million Sydney homes, inviting them to volunteer,
become a HomeStay host or attend events during the WYD08 week
• WYD08 will be the most technological event ever, with the Pope to
send text messages to all registered pilgrims and digital Prayer Walls
available as well
• 100 actors taking part in the Stations of the Cross performance
• 500 chasubles for the Bishops and Cardinals made
• 2000 stoles for the priests
• 1 million communion hosts to be made
• 120 bottles of wine (total) for the Opening Mass and Final Mass
