Pope Benedict arrived in Australia on Sunday, July 13 and has been resting following the 20 hour flight.
Today, July 15, marks the opening of World Youth Day (WYD) – Australia. The event will last through Sunday, July 20.
For those who have never been to a WYD, just imagine hundreds of thousands of polite, friendly young people invading a city. They speak different languages and come from different cultures. Yet, smiles are common among newly met friends. It’s an experience that can be seen nowhere else.
WYD’s are held in major cities since a lot of infrastructure is needed to welcome so many pilgrims. Recent cities include Rome, Paris, Denver, Toronto, Cologne, and now Sydney. These are cities that generally are filled with busy people going about their business. Yet WYD has a transforming effect on everyone. Strangers stop to welcome and to help pilgrims. Families open up their homes to these young strangers. The young people can be heard singing in the streets and on the subways. It’s really an amazing experience, especially when one considers that it is faith that has brought everyone together.
One of the highlights for the young pilgrims is that the Pope is present during WYD. Many get to meet him in small gatherings and then everyone participates together in a Welcoming ceremony on Thursday, and in a closing Vigil/Mass on Saturday/Sunday. In between, the Pope has many activities and meetings. Below is his schedule:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
7:30 a.m. Private Mass in chapel of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
9:00 a.m. Welcome ceremony in Sydney’s Government House.
Address by the Holy Father.
9:30 a.m. By car from Government House to Sydney’s Mary MacKillop Memorial.
9:45 a.m. Prayer visit to Sydney’s Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel.
10:00 a.m. By car from Mary MacKillop Memorial to Sydney’s Admiralty House.
10:15 a.m. Courtesy visit to governor general in Sydney’s Admiralty House. Meeting with prime minister in Sydney’s Admiralty House.
11:05 a.m. By car from Admiralty House to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
11:30 a.m. Arrival at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
2:20 p.m. By car from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to Sydney’s Rose Bay pier. Brief welcome with traditional dances and songs by a group of Aborigines.
2:45 p.m. Embarkation on “Sydney 2000″ ship and travel by sea to Barangaroo’s East Darling Harbor pier in Sydney.
Young people’s welcome celebration at Sydney’s Barangaroo East Darling Harbor. Address by the Holy Father.
4:45 p.m. By popemobile from Barangaroo East Darling Harbor to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
5:30 p.m. Arrival at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
Friday, July 18, 2008
7:30 a.m. Private Mass in chapel of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
9:30 a.m. Separate private audiences with the governor of New South Wales, the premier of New South Wales and Sydney’s mayor, with their respective families, in the reception hall of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
10:25 a.m. On foot from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to the crypt of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.
10:30 a.m. Ecumenical meeting in the Crypt of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral. Address by the Holy Father.
11:20 a.m. Meeting with representatives of other religions in the Chapter Hall of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
12 noon On foot from St. Mary’s Cathedral to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
12:30 p.m. Lunch with young people in the Reception Hall of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
2:55 p.m. On foot from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.
3:00 p.m. Prayer at the start of the Stations of the Cross in the square in front of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.
The Holy Father will pronounce the prayer at the end of the First Station and will follow the Stations of the Cross on television from the crypt of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.
6:30 p.m. By car from St. Mary’s Cathedral to the University of Notre Dame’s Sacred Heart Church in Sydney.
6:45 p.m. Meeting with a group of disadvantaged youth at the University of Notre Dames’ Sacred Heart Church. Address by the Holy Father.
7:45 p.m. By car from the University of Notre Dame’s Sacred Heart Church to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
8:00 p.m. Arrival at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
9:00 a.m. On foot from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.
9:30 a.m. Holy Mass with Australian bishops, seminarians and men and women religious novices — and consecration of the new altar — at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral. Homily by the Holy Father.
11:30 a.m. Return to the sacristy.
11:45 a.m. On foot from St. Mary’s Cathedral to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
12:15 p.m. Lunch with the Australian bishops and the papal entourage in the reception hall of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
6:30 p.m. By car from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
7:00 p.m. Vigil with young people at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
Address by the Holy Father.
9 p.m. By car from Randwick Racecourse to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
9:30 p.m. Arrival at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
8:30 a.m. By car from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to Sydney’s Victoria Barracks heliport.
8:45 a.m. Arrival at Sydney’s Victoria Barracks heliport.
Embarkation on helicopter to fly over the gathering of young people in the Southern Cross Precinct — Centennial Park and Randwick Racecourse — in Sydney.
9:15 a.m. By popemobile from the Victoria Barracks heliport to Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
Tour in popemobile among young people gathered in the Southern Cross Precinct — Centennial Park and Randwick Racecourse — in Sydney.
9:45 a.m. Arrival at the prepared Sacristy in Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
10:00 a.m. Mass for the 23rd World Youth Day in Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse. Homily by the Holy Father.
12:15 p.m. Return to the Sacristy.
12:30 p.m. By car from Randwick Racecourse to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
1:00 p.m. Arrival at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
Lunch with the papal entourage.
6:00 p.m. Meeting with the benefactors and organizers of the 23rd World Youth Day in the reception hall of St. Mary’s Cathedral House and in the Chapter Room of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral. Address by the Holy Father.
7:00 p.m. On foot from the Chapter Room of St. Mary’s Cathedral to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
Monday, July 21, 2008
7:00 a.m. Mass in private in the Chapel of Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral House.
8:35 a.m. Leave from St. Mary’s Cathedral House in Sydney.
8:45 a.m. By popemobile from St. Mary’s Cathedral House to the Domain.
8:50 a.m. Greetings to the volunteers of the 23rd World Youth Day at the Domain. Address by the Holy Father.
9:10 a.m. By car from the Domain to Sydney’s international airport.
9:30 a.m. Farewell ceremony at Sydney’s international airport.
Address by the Holy Father.
10:00 a.m. Departure by plane from Sydney’s international airport for Rome, with a layover at Darwin’s airport.
11:00 p.m. Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino airport.
