Links to other WYD2008 coverage;  wyd2008   EWTN  Catholic Voice    The following is a report from Catlin White, a youth reporter from Cheyenne for USCCB and the Australian Embassy for the coverage of World Youth Day.   Her reports, and others, will be provided here as they are received. July 7           other reports...  July 14   July 17  July 18 July 21  July 22 It was an early morning for the three parishes of Cheyenne , WY as the 37 pilgrims of World Youth gathered at six a.m. to begin their trip to Australia .  Their journey consisted of a two hour drive, three flights, and a seven hour layover in Los Angeles.  Along the way the group met new friends from Puerto Rico and St. Louis Missouri .  Both groups are also attending World Youth Day. During the long layover the Wyoming pilgrims joined the group from Puerto Rico in a mass in the airport terminal.    "Mass is always great, but in the terminal we were showing witness to others walking by," stated Luke Kratz, a pilgrim from Star Valley, WY.  The priest traveling with the Puerto Ricans preformed a bilingual mass and gave the homily in both Spanish and English.  Kratz described it as a "bilingual fusion of both cultures".    World Youth Day pilgrim Casey Shiver said, "It was incredible.  It provided an immediate look at the differences in our cultures." As mass progressed the differences in culture could be seen, but the similarities were very apparent. It was an opportunity to see two diverse cultures come together to form one community within the Catholic Church.  Hearing the Nicene Creed spoken at the same time in two different languages was incredible. Eighteen-year-old participant Anna Rader reported that her favorite part was giving the Sign of Peace.  She described the Puerto Ricans way of giving a hug and a kiss as making her feel happy.  She was amazed at the love they had to share. Another favorite part of mass was the closing song.  The Puerto Rico group burst into jubilant music with clapping, dancing, and drums.  The Wyoming group also shared a song.  They sang " Trading My Sorrows" and even added in a few Spanish words.  Several of the group from Puerto Rico commented that just those few simple words meant a lot to them since it was an indication of reaching out and including them. As the trip continued the WY pilgrims began the long flight over the ocean to Sydney.  On the way the group from St. Louis made an appearance.  Much like the WY pilgrims, the St. Louis pilgrims had to fundraise to make it to World Youth Day.  Their group put on a rummage sale and work events for three years to be ready to travel down under. The group will begin in Canns, come to Sydney for WYD, and visit New Zealand.  Participant Elly Lang is looking forward to snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef while fellow pilgrim Mark McBride is wanting to learn to throw a boomerang.  Other members of the group including Chelsea Smith and Alex Kemmerer are interested in experiencing the different people and cultures and seeing the Pope. Our long trip ended on a happy note when we arrived in Brisbane.  Each of the group was introduced to the amazing host families we will be staying with.  I will write again over the next few days as our group visits the coast and the famous Australian Zoo!      -Peace in Christ-  Caitlin White July 14 Australian Zoo and Noosa  Early in the week the Diocese of Cheyenne World Youth Day pilgrims, all 112 of us, left for Noosa, AU and the Sunshine Coast.  The drive to Noosa introduced our group to many firsts including the first sighting of a kangaroo.  Upon our arrival we were introduced to Delma, our WYD tour guide who will be with us all the way to Sydney. Our first night in Noosa involved eating at the Mess Shed.  It was an entertaining place with chalk to write on the tables, walls, and ceilings.  The second night's dinner was equally fun with participants performing karaoke.  On our first full day on the coast the group traveled a little further inward to the Australian Zoo.  Yes, the home of the late Steve Erwin, the Crocodile Hunter.  The day at the zoo began in the Croeseum for a show.  Here come the introduction of snakes, birds, and of course the dangerous crocodile. Before encountering the creatures though we watched Bindi Erwin and her Croc Men perform a few songs.  The other family members were also not far away and we were able to see both Rachel and Robert Erwin as well. Later each of us were able to explore the zoo.  The park offered a large range of animals including dingoes, elephants, tigers, kangaroos, and many more.  An incredible part of the Australian Zoo was its interactive nature.  Members of our group were not only able to see the animals but also able to feed turtles and elephants, pat koalas, and walk through a paradise built for birds.  Not to mention being able to walk amongst every kangaroo at the park and be able to pet them. The zoo is not only a home for many animals in Australia but is also a save haven for several animals going extinct.  Two other aspects of the zoo included an animal hospital and special shows on protecting animals and preserving habitats. Even after a long day at the zoo our group remembered that we are still on a pilgrimage.  So the WY pilgrims trooped off on a long walk to the beautiful Noosa beach.  It was a gorgeous night with an amazing sunset to accompany us while we celebrated mass.  The mass was incredible in terms of drawing the group together and starting our trip off in reverence to God. Stay tuned for more from Brisbane! -Peace in Christ- Caitlin White July 17 HOST FAMILIES The time spent with the gracious and welcoming parish of St. Edwards in the community of Daisy Hill was an encouraging start to all we have to look forward to during World Youth Day.  Daisy Hill is a suburb of Brisbane .  On our first arrival it was easy to see the closeness of our host parish and their hospitable nature.  They took especially good care of each of us; I’m sure none of us will forget all the amazing food they gave us.   This parish also taught us a lot about Australia .  Whether it was seeing new animals or learning traditional songs, our group had a lot of fun.  And who can forget the special treat of being able to pet the possum hiding in a statue of Jesus above the altar?   The loving members of St. Edwards taught us a thing or two about faith and trust.  For our service project during Days in the Diocese the parish gave us each a tile to decorate any way we wanted.  These tiles were then going to be grated and placed into a mosaic since the parish’s last mosaic had currently been vandalized.  Talk about trust!  The members of the church had enough faith in us to know that we would do a good job on the mosaic and in a way that would benefit their parish.   To me the most amazing part of Brisbane was our host families.  For myself and my roommate, Casey Shiver, our host family was Gerry and Jan Nathan.  The Nathan's have three children; Kara, Sian , and Bennett, all of who are married and out of the house.  We did have the opportunity to meet them.   A wonderful part of our host family was how it was almost as good as being at home.  Our host family was a ton of fun as well as willing to help with whatever we needed.   Gerry Nathan, our host dad, would say words in Australian and then immediately give us the American equivalent after each one.  We are now well versed in the Aussie language!  He also accompanied us to the inner city of Brisbane for the Heart of the City and Festival of Faith activities.  It was wonderful to have him along since he knew the city and could tell us a lot about the history and how to get around.  He was especially amazing for our ferry ride and for taking us to his favorite Greek restaurant.   Jan Nathan, our host mom, took us shopping as well as informed us on a lot of Aussie culture.  We also watched many of her favorite shows on TV with her each night.  She also introduced us to an interesting collectible called depression glass.   Our host parents also made us delicious meals, came with us to mass and parish functions, and took us on a day trip to the Gold Coast.  At the Gold Coast Casey and I were able to wade in the beautiful ocean, watch surfers, and visit outdoor markets.  The traditional beach lunch of fish and chips was delicious and we also tried potato scallops.  Potato scallops are deep fried slices of potatoes.   On our last day the parish sent us off with a commissioning service and blessed us as we continued on our journey to Sydney .  Saying goodbye to our incredible hosts was hard after being there a week.  Our entire group of pilgrims would just like to say a big thank you to all the amazing people of St. Edwards!!   I’ll write again once we reach Sydney !   -Peace in Christ-   Caitlin White July 18 World Youth Day offers many activities to help each pilgrim grow in their faith.  A few of these include concerts, workshops, and presentations centered around various aspects of the Catholic religion.  Pilgrims also are able to experience different types of prayer and see the official Holy Cross and Icon of World Youth Day.  Lastly, every morning our group of pilgrims has been able to attend a catechises session. These sessions have been provided by small groups of pilgrims Liverpool, Birmingham, and Loreto at our site.  These lead groups have each put a new twist on the theme of WYD, which centers around the Holy Spirit.  Participating with us in these sessions are pilgrims from Texas, London, and Papa New Guinea. An incredible blessing each of us has received is the opportunity to hear a bishop at each session.  Each bishop has had a unique talk to give on the Holy Spirit.  Through these talks the bishops have given each pilgrim something to contemplate further. The talk and question and answer session on our first day spoke to me most.  Bishop Terence Brain of Salford appeared to receive and work off the energy of the youth before him.  His talk was incredibly enlightening and engaging for each listener.  Bishop Brain also answered questions from the audience.  A participant from Texas asked how a person who has not been baptized still has gifts from the Holy Spirit. Bishop Brain started by saying, “God creates out of love.”   He continued by explaining that our gifts are for a particular purpose and no one is excluded from that just because they have not been baptized.  The bishop explained that baptism is God asking, “Will you be for me?” and the gift of faith from God is the want to have believers that live and love with God. Another question centered around why we vocalize confessions to a priest instead of just apologizing to God.  To this Bishop Brain had an interesting answer.  He began by using the Sign of the Cross.  The up and down portion was your conversation or apology to God but the side to side part is equally important.  Bishop Brain explained the up and down part is simply not enough and is dishonest.  He described the Church as a net that catches fish.  But if there is a hole in the net a fish can fall through.  Sin is that hole in the net but by confessing you can mend the hole you’ve created. Finally, when I spoke to the bishop I was able to see the love he has for the youth.  This is his third World Youth Day including Toronto in Canada and Cologne in Germany.  His favorite WYD memory is a tri-lingual mass he attended in Toronto.  The mass was in English, French, and Spanish. When asked what he liked most about the youth, Bishop Brain joked, “Unpredictability.”   In truth however, the bishop stated, “I believe the youth have two gifts; enthusiasm and energy.” In closing, the catechises sessions we have experienced have truly been vital to the spiritual part of our pilgrimage.  Stay tuned for news about the Holy Father! -Peace in Christ-    Caitlin White July 21 World Youth Day #2 (from Deacon Bill Hill) The McCabes are from Dubois and their son Joey is traveling with our group with consists of Joey, Dawn Brown, Trinity Charlton, Luke Kratz, Alvin & Miranda Mitchell from Pinedale, and yours truly.  We are all looking forward to sleeping on a bed on Thursday night.  We stayed in a gymnasium for a week and are now in a hall at Olympic Village with about 1000 other pilgrims sleeping on the floor.  The Vigil and WYD Mass were truly awesome!!!  The kids crowded the fence so were within 10 feet of Pope Benedict as he passed by.   That made up for sleeping at the race track the night before.  We have had daily Mass and daily catechesis by bishops from around the world.  The challenge that started with Fr. Bill's homily on the beach at Noosa, Queensland, echoed by the bishops, and by the Holy Father was that we were all here for a reason.  What is that reason and what are we going to do about it? We have all been repeatedly challenged to return and somehow make a difference in ourselves, our families, our churches, and our state.  What a joy to be here with so many wonderful youth and to experience World Youth Day.  We can't express our appreciation to all those who donated to help us make this trip.  Without them, these young people would never have had the opportunities to interact with the diocese and to understand their faith from a new and different perspective.  We have been blessed from the time we left our homes on the 4th.  We will start flying on Saturday and be in Cheyenne about midnight Saturday night, so home on Sunday.  God Bless You All!!!!!!!! World Youth Day 2011 will be in Madrid, Spain.  It is time to start brushing up on our Spanish and preparing to go!!!! July 22 A Day in Sydney             During one day in Sydney our Australian hosts opened their doors to the youth reporters from the United States.  The youth reporters gathered at the International Media Center for a luncheon where they were able to meet and hear from many different people discussing areas of trade and travel in Australia.  Then the rest of the day was filled with a cruise at Darling Harbor and a tour of the Opera House.             At the luncheon, reporters learned several impressive facts on the country’s hospitality.  Visitors are always encouraged to come back and places for students to come study are always open.  Australians are very proud of their heritage as well as the opportunities Sydney and the other parts of Australia can offer travelers.  With their high amount of trade and incredibly low unemployment rate it is no wonder why the people of Australia are so friendly.             As we moved toward the cruise an interesting fact was presented.  The very cruise ship, the Sydney 2000 that we would be riding is the very same ship Pope Benedict XVI will be cruising upon as he first arrives in the city.  What an exciting thought!             Our Coffee Cruise was provided by the kind people of Captain Jacks Cruises.  It was a little over an hour ride through the harbour accompanied with tea, coffee, and cake.  The surroundings were beautiful and reporters were able to capture the famous picture of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the opera house underneath.             The highlight of the day however, had to be the tour of the Sydney Opera House.  The structure of the building just from outside is amazing, but the story and what lies inside is equally impressive.  The shell-shaped building is Sydney’s most famous attraction and also is the most recognizable building in the world.             In the late 1940’s a call for a design for a venue suitable of Sydney for the performing arts was put in place.  In answer 233 competitors from 32 different countries sent in entries.  As the story goes one of the judges was late to arrive to choose the winning entry from a final selection.  He insisted on seeing all the entries and pulled Danish architect, Jam Utzon’s design from the discard pile. It is said that his design was selected mainly because he had placed the two theaters side by side instead of one in front and one in back.             In 1957, Utzon arrived to look over and lead the project.  The building set to work in three sections with the shells and outside being completed first and then the interior being built upon their completion.  Problems began to arise with the famed shells when engineers and architects alike could not figure out a way to make the shape work.  Thankfully a solution was eventually reached and gave us the beautiful structure we have today.             Upon touring the opera house we were able to see three of the five main performances areas.  These are the Concert Hall, Opera Theater, the Drama Theater, the Playhouse, and the Studio.  We were able to see the Drama Theater, located below the two main halls.  Then we journeyed upstairs to view the Concert Hall.  The hall has 2,678 seats and excellent acoustics.  Here the orchestra was just beginning to warm up which made the tour that much better.              We were then able to take a look at the Opera Theater.  This is the smaller of the two main performance halls.  It only contains 1,547 seats.  Here we were able to watch a set for Our Fair Lady being set up.  In this theater the set crew has to change the area with the aide of an elevator since both large halls do not have much backstage space.             In all the tour of Sydney was an incredible experience and something to not miss out on!  I recommend the tour of the Sydney Opera House to any visitor even though there is a fee.  It’s definitely worth it!  More coming soon! -Peace in Christ-   Caitlin White