Day 5: The Pilgrimage

While it was still dark in Belmore, Celeste and I arose and packed our things for the overnight stay at Randwick. Stealthily, we gulped down our coffee without waking Alma (or so we thought), and snuck out of the house. Well, it turns out that she was awake and in fact beat us to the car and insisted on driving us to St. Joseph’s, where we were meeting Katerina and Theresa to begin the long day. Together, and armed with sleeping bags and floor pads, the four of us caught the train to the Domain for the U.S. Gathering and Mass. (Above: our cousin Janice at the US Gathering!)

Cardinal Francis George (from Chicago) celebrated the Mass, and a large number of U.S. Cardinals concelebrated, including our own Cardinal McCarrick from Washington, DC. It was really refreshing to hear American accents again – who knew that we would miss them so much? The music for the Mass was provided by popular worship leader Steve Angrisano and…wait for it…MATT MAHER! I have to admit one of the coolest moments of the trip was seeing Matt bow and receive Communion on the tongue.

Also, I saw another familiar face at the Domain: that of (now) Father John Rapisarda from Baltimore, MD. I am always crossing paths with that guy! We actually met back at Mount 2008 at Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg while he was a Deacon, and chatted awhile. He has such a cheery manner and gentle disposition, and is just one of those people who you know is anchored securely to the bedrock foundation of our Catholic faith.

After Mass the cousins and I gathered along with our Indiana friends to begin the arduous 10k pilgrim walk to Randwick Racecourse outside of Sydney. At this point the general giddiness was at its height throughout the city, and Sydnians came out in droves to wave at the pilgrims and cheer us on from the walkways, buildings, and sidestreets. It felt – truly – like the story in the Bible about King David dancing in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The pilgrims were singing and dancing their way to Randwick, across the Harbor Bridge and through the streets of Sydney. (Below: pilgrims walk across the Harbor Bridge)

During the pilgrim walk we had one of the most amazing encounters of the entire trip. We spent part of the walk marching alongside a large group of pilgrims from Iraq. When we first realized where they were from and fearful of starting some kind of international incident in a politically charged situation, we sort of put our heads down and tried to look inconspicuous (with our U.S. flags sticking out everywhere, of course). Suddenly, we heard a cheer from the left (where the Iraqi group was) of: “God Bless America! God Bless America! God Bless America!” There were brilliant smiles on our fellow pilgrims’ faces, and we responded likewise with a jubilant “God bless Iraq! God bless Iraq! God bless Iraq!” It gives me goosebumps just to recall the moment. (Below: pilgrims walk through a residential area of Sydney)

When we finally arrived at Randwick, we realized that we were such a small group that we could probably get away with sitting away from our assigned area (i.e. wherever we could fit) so we sought the perfect spot. Our little group split up to maximize our search area. Celeste and I found ourselves alone, and lo and behold we spied a dear seminarian friend of mine – Rob – asking for information from a volunteer! There were cheery greetings all around before Leste and I headed off to find a good spot. We all ended up setting up camp in I5, where we couldn’t see the stage at all but we had an excellent view of one of the giant screens set up “for our convenience”.

Our group settled down and started a card game with some friends of our cousins while we waited for the Evening Vigil with the Pope to start. Celeste expressed an interest in a cup of hot chocolate, so I went with her to buy one. By happenstance we “ran into” Rob again, and he accompanied us to the hot chocolate tent and then came back to hang out at our campsite. We all had a great time, and he spent the rest of the evening with us.

The Holy Father arrived for the Evening Vigil, and after Adoration (in front of an impressive 8 ft. monstrance!) the Pope did Benediction. It was truly amazing to have the Pope bless the crowd. I was breathless.

(Above: Randwick at sunset) As soon as the Holy Father left, we all said goodnight, Rob left, and everyone fell right to sleep under the stars. My last memory of the night is of a clear, beautiful sky full of stars over my head.