WYDiary - July 26-29 - The "Meat" of WYD

​If the overnight vigil and the Sunday Mass is the "heart" of WYD,  then the lead-up from Wednesday to Friday are the "meat." 

Each morning pilgrims gather in groups according to language and listen to catechesis given by bishops and cardinals from around the world. The pilgrims I am traveling with from St. Christopher's Parish are with other English Pilgrims from England, Ireland, USA, Australia and other parts of Canada. We are at the Tauron Arena on the eastern edge of Kraków. This site is sponsored by the generous donation of the Knights of Columbus. The arena seats over 15,000 people! 

Relics of Saints at the English Catechetical Site

The agenda each day starts with music and prayer. Then there is usually a witness talk. Then there is catechesis by the bishop and three prepared questions the youth ask the bishop. Then there is another few witness talks by youth followed by Mass. As all of this is taking place, priests are hearing confessions. I have heard confessions for two hours each morning  this week! 

Wednesday we had catechesis Cardinal O'Malley from Boston. Thursday was Cardinal Tagle from Manila. Friday was Cardinal Dolan from New York City. Each day the Mass had a specific theme: 

Wednesday - votive Mass of Mercy
Thursday- Mass of Reconciliation
Friday - Mary, Queen of Mercy

Wednesday evening there was a night of prayer and adoration with talks by Bishop Robert Barron and music by Audrey Assad and Matt Maher. I heard two and a half hours of confessions, but I was the only one from our group inside the arena. It was filled to capacity and the St. Christopher's pilgrims were not able to get in!

Thursday evening was the welcome ceremony for Pope Francis. I watched this from the comfort of my hotel room, choosing not to walk in the rain. The youth from St. Christopher's were on the route of the tram the pope took to arrive at the ceremony and saw him!

If only the St. Christopher's group could pose with Pope Francis for real! For now a cardboard cutout will do.

Friday evening we braved the afternoon rain and were rewarded with a warm, sunny stations of the cross with the Pope. We were challenged to be sowers of hope!

Some observations:

The crowds are definitely here! It is estimated over a million people attended the stations of the cross.

Salads are in short supply at the arena. On the plus side, we found a place that sells fries and takes the WYD food vouchers!

I think that the weather forcasters are from the cummunist era! They think they can dictate that there will be no rain - instead of observing the reality! There was no rain forecast for the last two days yet it rained each day this week.

WYDiary July 22-24

We arrived in Warsaw on Friday, July 22. Our tour guides greeted us at our hotel in Kraków, where we settled in our rooms, had naps and gathered in the hotel restaurant for dinner. I had a mixed plate of perogies, for 18 zloty, about $6 CAD!

Arriving in Warsaw

On Saturday morning, we went on our first tour, starting in Wadowice, St. John Paul II's hometown. We saw his house next to the church, as well as the baptism font "where it all began." We also saw his elementary school. 

After lunch, we went to the famous Auschwitz concentration camp, a horrible chapter in human history. There was a poster that said the 11th commandment should be: Thou shall not be indifferent, for indifference kills!  The drive home was somber. Quite a moving day.

After more touring on Saturday, we gathered for Mass. The Gospel reading was about the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. We reflected on the proximity of Wadowice and Auschwitz as contrasting witnesses of light and of darkness: the home of St. John Paul II, who was tireless in promoting the culture of life, and Auschwitz, perhaps the 20th Century's most infamous example of a culture of death.

On Sunday morning we were up early to make our way to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. We had an incredible experience walking down almost 950 steps, where we saw the largest underground chapel in the world. Magnificent carvings of the life of Christ decorated the walls. There was also a carving of St. John Paul II at the entrance. Later, we made our way to Calvary Sanctuary, where there is an impressive church, a forest with over 50 chapels and an outdoor Stations of the Cross. 

Then we made our way to the Convent of St. Faustina and the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, a basilica where St. Faustina is buried. While the convent is older, the basilica dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion was blessed in 2004. It has some beautiful stained glass and the ceiling reminded me of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

On the doors of the Basilica are the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy

This is the Beautiful Stained Glass Window in the Basilica of Divine Mercy

Some observations on our first days - The crowds have not been overwhelming yet and the traffic has been light.

All of the sites have been well prepared.

There are banners on street posts like we saw in Toronto for WYD 2002. These banners include cartoon-like images of St. JPII and St. Faustina. There are pictures of a smiling Pope Francis everywhere.

This marked the end of our additional pre-WYD program, which gave us a sense of the religious and cultural history of the church in Poland. 

Feast of St. John Vianney

August 4th is the feast of St. John Vianney - the patron saint of Parish Priests. It is also the anniversary of my Baptism! 

I Recently participated in the Ontario Liturgical Conference Summer School for Musicians and Parish Initiation Ministers where the keynote speaker each day was Jerry Galipeau. The opening night Kenote involved a reflection on Baptism - with some remarkable photos of Baptismal fonts in Europe. Some of the images in the ceilings - over the fonts were magnificent - including a mosaic in Ravena where the Saints are dancing!

and here a close-up - notice the feet of the apostles:

On the day of YOUR Baptism - the Aposles danced! what a great image!

When I was in Poland for World Youth Day last week - we visited the church in Wadowice where Karol Wojtyla was Baptised:

Some say Wadowice is where the story of St. John Paul began - but I think it was in this font - this is where it all began!

Hospitality & Prayer (Martha and Mary)

There is always a tension between Doing and Being Between Martha and Mary. Like Donny and Marie (There I am dating myself!) we are each a little bit of Marth and a little bit of Mary. The question is - which ought we to work on developing? 
Our world suggests everything about doing - capitalism values our productivity, our efficiency, our DOING. Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part. Foucusing on our BEING may not appear to reward us in this life - yet it will help us now by keeping us focused on Eternal Life.

A Poem about Martha and Mary

Lord of all pots and pans and things, since I’ve no time to be
A saint by doing lovely things, or watching late with Thee,
Or dreaming in the dawn-light, or storming Heaven’s gates,
Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates.

Although I must have Martha’s hands, I have a Mary mind,
And when I black the boots and shoes, Thy sandals, Lord, I find.
I think of how they trod the earth, what time I scrub the floor:
Accept this meditation, Lord, I haven’t time for more.

Warm all the kitchen with Thy love, and light it with Thy peace;
Forgive me all my worrying, and make my grumbling cease.
Thou who didst love to give men food, in room or by the sea,
Accept this service that I do — I do it unto Thee.

—Cecily Rosemary Hallack (1898-1938)

Praying for France and Nice

For the 2nd Friday in a row I woke up to horrible news of a violent incident the night before. Last week the shooting in Dallas, and this week the terror in Nice, France. 

It was 5 years ago I was in a different part of France for Bastille Day (I had no Idea I would be there on what is considered their national day.) I was just finishing dinner in a cafe and heard fireworks, and headed to the riverfront in Lyon, and saw a beautiful fireworks display. 

It was so natural for a group of people - young and old - to stand by the waterfront and watch the Fireworks - is that not the case here in Canada too!?  On Ontario Today - CBC's noon time call in show - the question they asked: "How do we feel a connection to others?" From Orlando to Iraq, from Dallas to Nice, how does one empathize with some victims more than others? I definitley feel a kinship with those in Nice, France today, and hold them in prayer as they suffer and mourn. 

Ontario Summer School for Musicians and Initiation Leaders & WYD 2016

While we are in the second week of camp - we made Father Squared butter tarts. Inspired by my father who is famous for his butter tarts - these are a miniature version and this photo was adapted through the Prisma App on my phone!

In addition I have been getting ready for the Ontario Liturgical Conference Summer School for Musicians and Initiation Leaders which will be in Hamilton from Sunday, July 17 - Wednesday, July 20. I will be among a team of 4 who are handling the workshops for Initiation Leaders. We have 4 from our parish attending - 2 in the Music stream, and 2 in the Initiation stream.

I return back on Wednesday Evening - and leave Thursday afternoon for Krakow Poland - for World Youth Day 2016. 

Pray for those who will be in attendance at WYD2016 and for the safety of all pilgrims!

Fr. Larry

End of School Year - Beginning of Summer

As the School year comes to a conclusion and we celebrate Canada Day - I am wishing everyone a blessed summer. We had 4 Elementary Graduations in the last weeks of School and St. Michael's Secondary School Graduation on June 28th. Congratulations to all of our Grads - and to their families who have supported these students in their educational goals. 

While many parishes wind down for the summer months - we actually "wind up" at Holy Family!  Our Holydays Summer Day camp leadership staff have been busy since the beginning of May with plans for programs, staffing, and outings, as well as doing a number of training sessions in June for the 10 Counsellors and 30+ Counsellors in training (CIT's).  Each week is sold out - except for the first week of August (Aug. 2-5). One of the highlights for me is baking with the children each Tuesday. (It is also a highlight with the Tuesday Morning Mass attendees - who get free samples!)

Two other significant items are on the Agenda this summer:

1. Ontario Summer School for Musicians and Initiation Leaders - which is in Hamilton July 17-20th, and
2. World Youth Day - in Krakow, Poland. I will leave with a group Thursday July 21st - August 1st.

This will mean I miss 2 Tuesdays of baking with Holydays! But Julia - our Youth Minister - will be my replacement...

Peace