What began with 4 or 5 parishes, and 150 people at Edge Camp in 2009 has now grown to 3 "weeks" of camp - each 6 days long - with 250 people each week (including teen and adult leaders).
Another Great Week!!!
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Edge Camp West - 2016
What began with 4 or 5 parishes, and 150 people at Edge Camp in 2009 has now grown to 3 "weeks" of camp - each 6 days long - with 250 people each week (including teen and adult leaders).
Another Great Week!!!
Thursday, 18 August 2016
Men's Fraternity - Year 2
Have you watched Border Security? There was a time I was facinated by this! The show is mainly about crossings at land border points and airports (Thats why I liked it I think!)There are also parts of each episode about Mail Facilities that search for contraband - here is an example:
Well today we received our package of materials for Men's Fraternity - Year 2 - and I noticed that the package had been opened by Canada Customs!
Maybe our Box will will be on an episode of Border Security!!!
We are excited for the this new series "Winning at Work and Home" which will start on Saturday Sept. 17th at 8:00 am in the Parish Hall. All men are welcome to be a part of this.
Peace
Well today we received our package of materials for Men's Fraternity - Year 2 - and I noticed that the package had been opened by Canada Customs!
Maybe our Box will will be on an episode of Border Security!!!
We are excited for the this new series "Winning at Work and Home" which will start on Saturday Sept. 17th at 8:00 am in the Parish Hall. All men are welcome to be a part of this.
Peace
Saturday, 13 August 2016
Another year of Holydays!
We have concluded another Summer of Holydays! We are grateful for the Lead Staff: Shelby our Camp director, and Lucas, Laura, & Nicole who are our Co-ordinators. With Julia - our Youth Minister - these leaders made sure we had an awesome Camp!
Thank you to the Counsellors, the Volunteers and most of all to the campers - without whom Holydays would not be possible!
One of the highlights for me is cooking each week with the campers. This summer we made:720 Cookies & 288 Butter Tarts!
On the very last Batch we had a Casualty! the Wooden Spoon broke! Some would say I need to stir with less Intensity! The need for "Less Intensity" often follows me around!
Peace
Thursday, 4 August 2016
WYDiary - July 30-31 - The "Heart" of WYD
In my last post, I talked about the "meat" of WYD. Saturday began the "heart" of WYD, which is never an easy experience!
Our pilgrimage to the papal vigil and Mass site took almost five hours, which included about 45 minutes on a bus and more than 14 kilometeres of walking. It was sunny and warm.
Thankfully there were often water stations and people who lived on the route were sprinkling pilgrims with water from their hoses.
When we finally made it in and found our spot, we learned one disabled pilgrim from our group was still not there. She arrived only after the pope had left the vigil. She had been at the disabled transit point since 12:30 p.m. Crazy.
Around 7 p.m. on Saturday, the pope arrived and drove by our section. Unfortunately I didn't get a great picture because the Sun was behind his vehicle.
There were reflections on the corporal works of mercy and a stirring reflection from Pope Francis, who challenged the youth to not be couch potatoes. His reflection was followed by Eucharistic Adoration and benediction. After the pope left, there was a concert that went until 11 p.m.
Overnight was damp with the dew but we all got some sleep (more or less). In the morning we were delighted when some our lost pilgrims found us but were saddened to hear of the ordeal they faced. We slowly woke up and had breakfast as we listened to music from the main stage.
I made my way over to the priest section to get vestments for mass. On the way, I ran into a British bishop from just outside London.-He had stayed overnight in the field with his pilgrims. I think he was a shepherd who had the smell of his sheep!
One of the traditions of WYD is to provide priest pilgrims with a stole and chasuble at the closing Mass. The vestment is quite nice.
We were seated in an area that had priests, religious sisters and other lay people like volunteers and other local supporters. I did not hear the translation of the Pope's homily at Mass because I had left the FM radio with the group of youth to allow them to hear the English-language broadcast.
I am always amazed at the logistics of distributing communion to such a cast crowd. There were priests in place for us that were concelebrants to receive the body and blood of Christ (by intinction) - others in the area waited until priests received then they received the body of Christ.
There were quite a few flags from Panama throughout the crowd - even where I was sitting! So I think they knew that the Holy Father would announce that they would be the site for WYD 2019.
Our trip home was marked with sun, rain, waiting, rain, crammed trains and blocked access points. And more rain! It took six hours to come home - but we walked a bit less because we figured out a train that was a short cut (and so did a few others)! I can tell you I was soaked to the bone; no part of me was dry.
When we arrived back at our hotel at around 7 p.m., we were exhausted. We learned that our disabled pilgrim who had left before I returned to the group from the priest section had arrived at the hotel about an hour and a half earlier - so getting home was better than getting there! When we gathered again, after taking showers and packing bags, there was so much energy in the room. It was amazing. Everyone was telling stories and relating experiences. It struck me as being a little like child birth: once you are through the pain, the joy emerges and you are overjoyed by the complete experience.
I am wrote this post on the bus as we transfered from Kraków to Warsaw for a direct flight home. We got on the bus at 1:45 a.m. Monday morning (so really still Sunday night). It has been pelting rain the whole time. All I can say is that thank God this was not the case Saturday night. That would have crushed us, I think.
When you get teens and young adults up at 1 a.m. for a four hour bus trip, you can be sure it's a pretty quiet ride.
 |
| Our group heading out after the bus ride to the start of the pilgrimage route |
Our pilgrimage to the papal vigil and Mass site took almost five hours, which included about 45 minutes on a bus and more than 14 kilometeres of walking. It was sunny and warm.
Thankfully there were often water stations and people who lived on the route were sprinkling pilgrims with water from their hoses.
When we finally made it in and found our spot, we learned one disabled pilgrim from our group was still not there. She arrived only after the pope had left the vigil. She had been at the disabled transit point since 12:30 p.m. Crazy.
Around 7 p.m. on Saturday, the pope arrived and drove by our section. Unfortunately I didn't get a great picture because the Sun was behind his vehicle.
There were reflections on the corporal works of mercy and a stirring reflection from Pope Francis, who challenged the youth to not be couch potatoes. His reflection was followed by Eucharistic Adoration and benediction. After the pope left, there was a concert that went until 11 p.m.
Overnight was damp with the dew but we all got some sleep (more or less). In the morning we were delighted when some our lost pilgrims found us but were saddened to hear of the ordeal they faced. We slowly woke up and had breakfast as we listened to music from the main stage.
I made my way over to the priest section to get vestments for mass. On the way, I ran into a British bishop from just outside London.-He had stayed overnight in the field with his pilgrims. I think he was a shepherd who had the smell of his sheep!
One of the traditions of WYD is to provide priest pilgrims with a stole and chasuble at the closing Mass. The vestment is quite nice.
 |
| WYD 2016 Vestment |
We were seated in an area that had priests, religious sisters and other lay people like volunteers and other local supporters. I did not hear the translation of the Pope's homily at Mass because I had left the FM radio with the group of youth to allow them to hear the English-language broadcast.
I am always amazed at the logistics of distributing communion to such a cast crowd. There were priests in place for us that were concelebrants to receive the body and blood of Christ (by intinction) - others in the area waited until priests received then they received the body of Christ.
There were quite a few flags from Panama throughout the crowd - even where I was sitting! So I think they knew that the Holy Father would announce that they would be the site for WYD 2019.
Our trip home was marked with sun, rain, waiting, rain, crammed trains and blocked access points. And more rain! It took six hours to come home - but we walked a bit less because we figured out a train that was a short cut (and so did a few others)! I can tell you I was soaked to the bone; no part of me was dry.
When we arrived back at our hotel at around 7 p.m., we were exhausted. We learned that our disabled pilgrim who had left before I returned to the group from the priest section had arrived at the hotel about an hour and a half earlier - so getting home was better than getting there! When we gathered again, after taking showers and packing bags, there was so much energy in the room. It was amazing. Everyone was telling stories and relating experiences. It struck me as being a little like child birth: once you are through the pain, the joy emerges and you are overjoyed by the complete experience.
I am wrote this post on the bus as we transfered from Kraków to Warsaw for a direct flight home. We got on the bus at 1:45 a.m. Monday morning (so really still Sunday night). It has been pelting rain the whole time. All I can say is that thank God this was not the case Saturday night. That would have crushed us, I think.
When you get teens and young adults up at 1 a.m. for a four hour bus trip, you can be sure it's a pretty quiet ride.
 |
| The Cathedral of Krakow |
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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