The Final Mass with Pope BXVI

After a chilly Saturday night vigil, we were awoken Sunday morning by our Riverview St. Ignatius neighbors packing up their sleeping bags & gear around 7am. Slowly we arose to a breakfast of fresh rolls & jam. Quickly we discovered that the flush toilets & sinks set up by WYD were broken which made morning interesting with no water flow. At 8am, the prayer service commenced with much song and prayer which we joined. Everyone was excited for the MAJOR event of the morning--the final mass with BXVI, as he was referenced by rapping priest, Father Stan, with lyrics of "BXVI we love you! JPII we miss you!" The Pope circled overhead in a helicopter and then made his way to the sacristy to prepare for the 10:30am mass. Finally, mass began and all listened intently to the Pope's German-accented English and began with the Sign of the Cross. As Mass continued with readings and song in many languages, everyone quickly realized that we were in the midst of something very special. As the Pope began his homily, he again stressed the overarching them of WYD2008--the role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. From the words of Father Edwards at the Mass before leaving Jesuit, to Cardinal Pell explaining the Gospel of the sower & the seed, and finally hearing the Pope calling upon the Catholic youth of the world, we again heard a calling to take leadership roles in our faith. The Pope acknowledged the challenges we face as Catholic youth and he hoped that enormous events like WYD would help strengthen our faith and give us an opportunity to answer questions about the faith that we hold in our hearts. Music during the Final mass was definitely a highlight. With a week's worth of practice, we proudly joined in singing the theme song of WYD "Receive the Power". With Mass finally concluded, we all waited for the last major announcement of WYD2008--the location of the next WYD. MADRID 2011!!

2 hours later--still at our campsite, we read, socialized, joked, and waited until the masses had dissipated to depart the racetrack. We hiked back to Darling Harbor to enjoy a group dinner and relax for the rest of the evening.