During the week of the World Youth Days, three mornings were devoted to catechesis by bishops of the various language groups. Fore the Dutch pilgrims, Archbishop Eijk and Bishops van den Hende and De Jong spoke about topics associated with the theme of the World Youth Days in Madrid: “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith”, taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians. Only the catechesis by Archbishop Eijk has made its way online in text form, so I am now able to share an English translation of the same.
The talk was the same that the archbishop held during the Palm Sunday event in Zutphen, which I also attended. That in itself was a bit disappointing, but the talk is good enough to be heard twice. Archbishop Eijk takes the faith community of Colosse, to whom St. Paul’s letter was directed, and compares it to our own. Their are many parallels in both pluralistic societies which are not necessary open to the Christian message. How can we, in such a society, still remain firm in the faith? The archbishop offers some pointers.
I am finding it really hard to condense my thoughts, memories and feelings about the World Youth Days into a coherent blog post. Maybe it’s still too early to do so. I’ve only been home for less than three days, after all. I can say one thing, though, the experience sticks. Looking back at my and other’s photos and reading their thoughts in blog posts and tweets, the WYD mood is still with me. My attitude to the daily things is different. I am certain that feeling will wane as time progresses, but for now I treasure it.
In the bus to Spain
There are many things that contribute to that feeling, which is ever so hard to put into words. There’s the company of fellow young Catholics and a bunch of priests in two buses on the long road to Zaragoza and later Madrid, buses in which the atmosphere and camaraderie was just fantastic. On the road through Belgium, France, around the Pyrenees and into Spain, this laid the groundwork for a group of almost 100 pilgrims who were there for each other and with each other. Another aspect was the accommodation, primitive as it may have been. We slept in sports centres, first with a group of some 60 pilgrims from Italy, later with almost all Dutch pilgrims (some 1,000, I would estimate). Comfortable it was not, sanitary facilities were mediocre at best, breakfast was laughable, but still… we were in it together, not for our individual selves, but for each other, for the Church, for Christ. There was the fatigue, with nights of, at most, five hours of sleep, and days filled with city tours, catechesis, Mass and cultural activities. There were also the physical discomfort, the injuries of foot and leg that a fair number of pilgrims suffered (myself included).
The view from 'Camp Holland' at Cuatro Vientos airbase
And then… there were the massive gatherings of people for the closing Mass in Zaragoza, the arrival of the pope, the beautiful Via Crucis and the closing Mass in Madrid. The latter especially, with the vigil, the storm, the baking heat and the distant pope, will indeed remain in my memory as he high point of the World Youth Days. We relied on each other, carrying only the things we could carry in our back pack, while we staked out our own ‘Camp Holland’ in section E8 on the Cuatro Vientos airbase. Temperatures soared to the high 30s, the Madrid fire department worked all day to keep people cool (and they deserve every commendation for their work), and then, as the Holy Father joined us, we were united in the downpour.
In the end, after the Mass the next morning, we smelled, we were tired, and all we could think of was cooling off in the pool around the corner, but we were blessed. Truly blessed. Sometimes it takes a while to notice this, but I firmly believe that the experience – all two weeks – changed us. And that belief, that faith, is what I want to keep as ‘normal life’ starts again.
The Holy Spirit in one of the domes of the Basilica or Nuestra Señora del Pilar
You notice that it is hard to put into words how my pilgrimage has been, and that is something I keep noticing especially when talking about it with family and friends who stayed at home. Of course, they have seen the news items on TV and Internet, seen the photos and heard the stories, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. A pilgrimage is more than a string of events. It is, so to speak, a full experience of body and mind, and that doesn’t translate well into words. It needs to be experienced to be understood. I’ve certainly learned that: the stories of friends who went to the World Youth Days in Sydney and Cologne do not compare to the real thing. And in that sense I was not prepared for what I got myself into. But sometimes it’s good not to be too prepared…
And now? I will continue to remember the past two weeks fondly and with gratitude, cultivate the friendships that were created and maintain the new vigour in my faith life. More practically, I’ll be reading what Pope Benedict XVI actually had to say to us; since I don’t speak Spanish, I couldn’t follow his homilies and addresses as they happened. I’ll be sharing the important sound bytes soon.
In closing I want to share some of the more than 300 photos I shot over the course of the Days in the Diocese and the actual World Youth Days. There are many more, by me and m fellow pilgrims as well as countless professional media outlets, but these will give you the smallest of impressions of what it was like.
On our way to the dinner location, with much song and flag wavingPilgrims from all over the world, like these Japanese sisters in the chapel of St. John the Baptist, visited the Basilica in ZaragozaFiremen bring deliverance from the heat at Cuatro VientosThe sun sets over the Plaza del Pilar in ZaragozaZaragozan streetviewA pilgrim's dinner in ZaragozaA great group of fellow pilgrimsEn route to Spain, a Mass at the French shrine of Our Lady of GaraisonEarly in the morning, crowds already fill the metro stations to Cuatro VientosOur spot in a small park, awaiting the arrival of the popeBefore departure, pilgrims arrive at Utrecht's St Catherine's cathedralSunrise over Cuatro VientosSleeping arrangements in ZaragozaThe Basilica of Nuestra Señora del PIlar as seen from across the River EbroBishop Hans van den Hende of Rotterdam gives the second catechesis talkWatching the pilgrims and their flags return from the opening Mass in MadridClear blue skies over the second day of our trip to Spain, at Notre Dam de Garaison
Well, Yesterday I returned home from the World Youth Days in Madrid. It has been a pilgrimage which I could not have prepared for. Of course, the practicalities are easy to prepare, but over the course of the last two weeks there have been both physical and mental discomforts, moments of joy, emotion and new social contacts which I simply could not have taken into account before leaving. That is not to say that the journey was ill-prepared or negative – it wasn’t. But it was different, tougher, more intense than I expected.
At the moment, I am going through all the photos I took and the new social contacts I made (which translate into new Facebook friends and Twitter followers), which means that regular blogging will commence at some unspecified future time. Maybe tomorrow or, with any luck, later today.
I was happily encouraged to recommence blogging yesterday when I found that my return home coincided with the 100,000th visitor to these pages. Whoever it was, thank you for visiting. I hope that you and all those others who find their way here, find some use for what I write.
From now until no earlier than Tuesday 23 August, this blog will be closed.
I will be in Spain for the World Youth Day, spending a few days in Zaragoza and later in Madrid. Although this edition of the WYD is well-covered in social media, I made the decision to go silent for the duration. The reason for that is twofold. One, I simply lack the equipment necessary to continue blogging, tweeting and facebooking while not at home. And two, there are a few things I want to focus on while in Spain. I want to listen and learn, to be quiet and pray, to celebrate my faith, and to do so with the people I am with, not least among them my girlfriend. This is going to be our celebration, contemplation, adventure.
Perhaps I’ll meet some of you in Spain (don’t hesitate to come over and say hi), but in the mean time, stay safe.
Pilgrims from the Diocese of Rotterdam bid farewell to family and friends, just before boarding the bus to Spain.
Departures continue, today in the Diocese of Rotterdam (despite initial reports that they would leave yesterday…), whose pilgrims are joined with youth from the Diocese of Paramaribo (who arrived on the 4th in the Netherlands). Meanwhile, with my leaving coming rapidly closer (two more days…), I continue packing. On Wednesday, we’ll start our trip to Zaragoza with a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Catherine in Utrecht, offered by Archbishop Wim Eijk. after which we’ll be sent off with a pilgrim’s blessing. At 4pm we’ll start our journey, with an estimated arrival time in Zaragoza at 2pm the next day. Somewhere along the route, probably within sight of the Pyrenees, we’ll stop to celebrate Mass.
Also in these final days before departure, two new Twitter accounts have popped up, which are welcome additions in the social media landscape of the Dutch Church. Fr. Michel Remery is travelling with the youth from Rotterdam and Paramaribo and keeps a running account of their journey’s progress. WJD Madrid is the account of the RKK, Catholic broadcast and communications organ of the bishops. They’ve been providing a steady and enthusiastic stream of tweets a well. Maybe that will be one of the fruits of the World Youth Days, a n increase in social communications among Dutch Catholics… One can hope.
Today, Friday 5 August, the great exodus has begun. Or, in less dramatic words, the first diocesan group has left for the World Youth Days in Spain. It is the first of several travel initiatives from the Diocese of Roermond, and their first destination will be Lisieux. Over the course of the next five days, other groups will follow. All dioceses will have organised trips, and so have many others, such as religious communities, individual parishes and movements.
Two days from now, on 7 August, the Dioceses of Groningen-Leeuwarden and Breda will depart, the first for Lisieux, the second for Taizé. On the next day, while these dioceses are at their initial destinations, the aformentioned group from Roermond will be at St. Bernadette in Nevers, and the Dioceses of Rotterdam and Paramaribo, travelling together, will head south for a sight-seeing tour of France.
On 9 August, the Roermond group will be in Lourdes, while the young pilgrims from the Diocese of ‘s Hertogenbosch will have a two-day prep weekend.
On 10 August, the groups from the Archdiocese of Utrecht (which includes yours truly) and the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam will leave the Netherlands, the Breda and Groningen-Leeuwarden groups will be in Lourdes. The Haarlem-Amsterdam group will arrive in Taizé on the same day.
On the 11th, the ‘s Hertogenbosch pilgrims will have completed their preparations and travel south, while most of the other groups will be arriving in their host dioceses for the Days in the Diocese. Breda, Rotterdam and Paramaribo will be in the Diocese of Calahorra y La Calzada Logroño, Utrecht and Groningen-Leeuwarden in the Archdiocese of Zaragoza, and Roermond in Avila.
On the 12th of August, more pilgrims from Roermond will arrive in Avila by plane. The group from Haarlem-Amsterdam will arrive in their host diocese of Urgel. They won’t be spending their Days in the Diocese in Spain, but in Andorra. The group from ‘s Hertogenbosch, then, will arrive in The Archdiocese of Toledo.
On the 15th all groups will head towards Madrid, arriving on the same day. They’ll join in with other travellers from all over the world until the closing Mass of the World Youth Days 2011. Some will head home on that last day, others will stay in Madrid a day longer or even visit other destinations in Spain before heading home.
Despite the fact that some 1,400 young people from the Netherlands will be travelling to Madrid for he World Youth Days, Dutch national television devotes a minimum of time to the event. Then again, in light of looming budget cuts for small networks (recently protested against by Bishop Frans Wiertz on behalf of the Catholic network, RKK), this is perhaps all we can hope for.
Alongside their own travel pans, the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam presents the following list of tv programmes devoted to the World Youth Days.
Wednesday 10 August, 17:05: The way to Madrid.
Monday 15 to Friday 19 August, 17:05: WYD Madrid
Sunday 21 August, 9:05: Report of the Stations of the Cross and the Vigil, followed by a report on the closing Mass.
Of course, all this will pass me mostly by, because I’ll be in Spain those weeks. In that time, there will also be no blogging. At the most, I’ll send a Tweet or two every once in a while, but that’s a big maybe. The main reason is that I won’t be able (or, frankly, willing) to lug a laptop or computer with me. The second reason, which flows from the first, is that I want to experience those days without thinking about blogs and social networks.
Of course, I will be taking notes. Initially just for myself, but who knows what I’ll end up doing with them…
Late last night I made a translation of a short editorial from Fr. Federico Lombardi about the World Youth Days. I initially did so to share with other young people of my group going to Spain in little more than a week, but I figured I could put it up here as well. Not least because I have been lacking when it comes to translations lately.
Fr. Lombardi writes about the three generations involved with the WYD, a topic first breached by Cardinal Rouco Varela. He characterises each generation very simplistically, and identifies the current one as “the generation of the internet and social networks, the youth of the digital age”. A moniker that fits in very well with the recent Vatican focus on social media.
The editorial may describe for everyone a challenge to focus on during their weeks in Spain, and to take home afterwards.
4,431 views last month. That’s a tiny increase over June, which is somewhat surprising; it’s been a slow blogging month after all. But let’s see what people have been reading.
A variety of topics, mostly fairly recent – with one exception on number 6 – but none with a shockingly high number of views. There seems to have been an increase in views towards the end of the month, and if that continues into August, there is no doubt that we’ll cross the 100,000 threshold before September.
Cardinal Rouco Varela, seen her presenting the WYD backpack to the pope, will be hosting the WYD for the second time
When we leave Zaragoza for Madrid on 15 August, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop in the Spanish capital, will be receiving the youth of the world for the second time in his career as bishop. When the World Youth Days of 1989 were held in Santiago de Compostela, he was archbishop there. In 1994 he was moved to Madrid, where, from 16 to 21 August, the 2011 edition of the WYD will take place.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Madrid lies in the Spanish heartland. It is one of the smaller dioceses in size, but not in population, since it contains the urban sprawl of the Spanish capital. There are an estimated 3.5 million Catholics (about 90% of the total population) living in the archdiocese. As a diocese, Madrid is not very old. Only in 1885 was it split off from the Archdiocese of Toledo. In 1964 it became an Archdiocese, but it took until 1991 for two suffragan dioceses, Alcalá de Henares and Getafe, to be split off from Madrid., and it to become a Metropolitan see. The map below shows the location of the triangular Province of Madrid, with the archdiocese in dark green.
Map showing the location of the Archdiocese of Madrid
The current episcopal hierarchy of Madrid consists of the aforementioned Cardinal Rouco Varela and three auxiliary bishops – Msgr. César Franco Martínez, Msgr. Fidel Herráez Vegas and Msgr. Juan Martínez Camino.
The cathedral of the archdiocese if the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena – the Cathedral of Our Lady of Almudena – located on the western edge of Madrid’s old centre. It is also a fairly new cathedral, only consecrated by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1993.
It is not known yet if the cathedral will be playing a part in our own travel plans. While in Madrid, there will be daily Masses as well as catechesis session, but the latter will be taking place in the Basílica de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Medinaceli, located only a few hundred meters from the location where Pope Benedict XVI will be welcomed into the city on 18 August. The basilica is built around a statue of Jesus the Nazarene, which has gained a solid devotion over the course of centuries. It is said to play a part in the Stations of the Cross on 19 August.
The interior of the Basilica of Our Father Jesus of Medinaceli
Today, Friday 5 August, the great exodus has begun. Or, in less dramatic words, the first diocesan group has left for the World Youth Days in Spain. It is the first of several travel initiatives from the Diocese of Roermond, and their first destination will be Lisieux. Over the course of the next five days, other groups will follow. All dioceses will have organised trips, and so have many others, such as religious communities, individual parishes and movements.
Despite the fact that some 1,400 young people from the Netherlands will be travelling to Madrid for he World Youth Days, Dutch national television devotes a minimum of time to the event. Then again, in light of looming budget cuts for small networks (recently protested against by Bishop Frans Wiertz on behalf of the Catholic network, RKK), this is perhaps all we can hope for.
Late last night I made 
In Caelo et in Terra 