Day one in Sydney

We had a full day free in Sydney on Monday, as the official WYD events do not begin until Tuesday. We had been given our materials the previous evening, including all sorts of maps and helpful information for pilgrims, and our official WYD identity cards. These last are very helpful, as they get us free and unlimited use of the busses and trains in the greater Sydney area. This will be absolutely critical in the coming days, as events are spread throughout the area. Sydney has experience in making public transit work for great crowds as they did very well with the Olympics in 2000. The schools are on winter holiday here in New South Wales this week (they get two weeks in July for their winte break – the longer summer break is in December and January), and many other businesses and workers were encouraged to take holiday as well. They have added over 20,000 new buses and trains for the week as well. The weather here in Sydney is warmer than we had in Melbourne. While it is still quite cool in the mornings and evenings, the afternoons have been sunny and warm.

A group of seven of us took the free morning to take a train down to Circular Quay, the main ferry terminal on Sydney harbor. It was quite the experience to step off the train and see the famous Harbor Bridge and Opera House right there. There could be no doubt that we were in Sydney. That was exciting, as it can be so easy to forget where in the world we actually are. From there we caught a ferry to Baranga Zoo. We had been told that a ferry ride was a highlight of any visit to Sydney, and indeed it was. The views of the bridge, the opera house, and the city skyline were tremendous. At the zoo, we focused our attention on the animals that are uniquely Australian. We had good close up views of kangaroos, kioala bears, emus, wombats, echinas (spiny anteaters), and jaribus. It was all very well done and quite enjoyable. It helped me at least to begin to feel the uniqueness of the place in which we had gathered.

After a return trip by ferry to Circular Quay, we walked to one ofhte primary pilgrimage sites here in Sydney, the Cathedral. The current Cathedral is very impressive. Its construction proceeded in stages beginning in the middle of the twentieth century. Its bell towers were finally finished in 2000. As impressive as the building itself is, the thing that touched me the most is the history of the place. Not only is this cathedral the mother church of the oldest diocese in Australia, it was constructed on the site where the very first Catholic mass was celebrated in all of Australia. This is, quite literally, the place where Catholicism was born on this continent. It was wonderful to feel connected to this bit of history.

Within the cathedral itself there were two places to which I felt particularly drawn. The first was very near the door. It was a shrine set up in the memory of all those Australians who had died in service to their country in time of war. It featured a statue of s soldier lying on the ground. From the statue it was impossible to know if he was being depicted dead or asleep. The simplicty and elegence of the place added to its sublimecharacter. Knowing the history of Australia a little bit, and knowing the devasting losses that the country endured during the First World War, when the country itself was very young and new, added to it as well. I prayed there for some time, praying for all those who had died in any war, and praying that in the future God’s own gift of peace might come into our world and drive out the scourge of war. I remembered those currently in the armed services, including a cousin of mine, and prayed for their safety.
The second place that tickled my religious imagination in a paticular way was the shrine to Blessed Mary Makillop. She is the first, and so far only, Australian ever to be beatified. That is the next-to-last step before becoming a saint. What was particularly touching was her story itself. She worked tirelessly for those who were poor and uneducated. She endured the disapproval of the establishment, who did not want the Catholic underclass to be served in this way. For a time she even was excommunicated by a bishop who disagreed with the way in which she was pushing so hard. In time that excommunication was lifted, and by the time of her death early in the twentitieth century the community she founded was thriving, their apostolate was bearing much fruit, and she was widely regarded as a true Australian hero. While there I prayed that I might receive at least a portion of the passion for justice she showed, and the courage and perseverance to work for it.

Across the street from the Cathedral is Hyde Park. It has basically been taken over for WYD. There are booths and tents set up through the park. One of the official merchandise tents is there. Everything is very expensive. Commemerative T-shirts start at $25. One of the more unique elements is a mural being created under the sponsorship of Telstra, one of the major cell phone companies here in Australia. The huge canvas is on rollers, like a scroll. The outlines of the various figures have been premade and the sections numbered. Pilgrims areinvited to come and paint a small section. Essentially, it is a giant paint-by-numbers. Each day it is rolled out a little more. By the end ofWYD it should be completed. We spent a little time in the park. I could really begin to feel the energy of the place and the gathering of so many young people from around the world. Lots of music and dance and much energy.

After a nice supper in a local restaurant we headed back to the school. For myself I was completely exhausted. I had not slept well in days. A hot shower and fresh clothes worked wonders. I was apparently the first to fall asleep in the room, lights still ablaze and people still moving about.

Such was my first full day in Sydney.