World Youth Day: the author tells all (with pictures)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is incomplete, and as such, is subject to change with time.
I finally come to the last chapter in my story of WYD Madrid 2011: the part with videos. The footage isn't solely going to be from me. Yes, a lot of the footage in this post comes from me... and a lot of it was done with shaky hands and an annoying voice. :P But you may also see some footage from the Vatican proper, from Jo-Anne (Rowney) and perhaps from a few other sources.
The reason why I am gathering these videos together is to give you an idea of the atmosphere that I was talking about in my previous post, as well as to make you, the reader, acquainted with Madrid during the time of WYD, as well as with other things such as the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) and catechesis sessions. You may also get a tiny glimpse of how we lived over those eight days. All in all, WYD was a joyous occasion, and I would love for the opportunity to attend a second, and a third, and probably a fourth WYD.
Stansted
All done with good humour. We at the UH Catholic Society are the best comedians, and I'm not saying that facetiously! I really mean it!
Madrid
Our arrival at Terminal 1 of Aeropuerto de Barajas, Madrid.
The first few moments of our stay in Colegia Maria Reina in Ascao, in the outskirts of Madrid.
The events that transpired before we got to hear the talk on Blessed John Paul II's 'Theology of the Body'. Pardon the horrible camera angles; on my Flip camera was a WHITE SCREEN OF DEATH. I couldn't even see what I was recording! D:
Hatafutte Parade.
Even more shaky footage from when we came to greet Fr Mark, Catherine and Tilly somewhere in the city centre.
A walk to the Palacio des Deportes, otherwise known as the Love and Life Centre, in Goya. Oh yes, this is the scene for which we can say... we are the low-key Britons; we watch our children cheer and make noise whilst we slip into the background and sip tea!
Praise and worship before catechesis in the Love and Life Centre.
We get into a bout of hilarious chanting... BOOMBA! HEY! XD Gotta love the way the Sisters of Life get us warmed up before every round of catechesis.
The end of a mass at the Love and Life Centre. This was taken when the recessional hymn was being played. Oh, and that voice singing into the camera... that's mine. It was great to see so many concelebrating priests gathered together in the Love and Life Centre. That is only 1/4 of the English-speaking pilgrims who turned up, mind you!
I ramble on about Malaysian parishes.
For those who do not already know, I was born and bred in Malaysia. I lived there for nineteen years. I recognised the Malaysian flag and then came across one person I knew who was still in Malaysia... and then, sooner or later, recognised that some of them were from the Church of the Assumption in Petaling Jaya. Memories came flowing back, because I had served there too. I was part of a team who provided the music for sunset masses. We were the well-known Sunset Band. I even told Damian, I was almost en route to becoming a drummer for the Sunset Band. But yeah. Not only was the Church of the Assumption one of my former parishes, it was also one of the parishes which got attacked by a (was it a bomb, or a molotov cocktail, or some other explosive?) when the 'Allah' case reached its peak. And that was a few months before I left for the Home Isles.
In this video, the Church of the Divine Mercy is mentioned. That church is in Shah Alam, about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur. I remember going there shortly after the church was consecrated and opened to the public for the first time.
The video title reads, 'Hearing the papal address when we can't get in'. Now I'm not sure whether this was taken when Pope Benedict XVI had arrived, or before that (making it a recorded address, or an address streamed live. It could've been the latter).
A walk in Jardines del Retiro. We walked there because we knew that somewhere close to these gardens, Pope Benedict XVI would pass by. And with very little battery power, I took to recording the little I could record of our journey through those gardens. Believe me, it was a loooooooooooooooooooong journey. -__-
You know what I would have loved to record but couldn't record, now that I mention Retiro? The part where Pope Benedict XVI actually arrived there. And also, what happened before that. I didn't have enough battery power to record all of that. All I do know is that the arrival of the Holy Father, as well as the sound of my favourite instrument back there, are things which are etched deep into my heart but can't be shared with people who were not there.
The opening of the Social Networking panel talk. Jo-Anne Rowney was one of the members of this panel. This makes me proud to be from the University of Hertfordshire! XD
Pope Benedict XVI passed us to go straight on to Station 14, where he would preside over Via Crucis. The cheer you hear often (and which you do hear in this video) is '¡Esta es la juventud del Papa!', which literally translates to "This is the youth of the Pope!". There's a double-entendre with the word 'juventud' here: it refers to both the Pope meeting the young people, as well as the young people rallying in support for the Catholic Church. Here, you can hear a hyperenthusiastic squeal from me. And right next to me were Damian and Tilly. ^_^
Via Crucis Stations 10, 11 and 12. I tried to actually capture the translation of the Spanish reading with my camera, but it didn't work. I might want to put the transcription of the texts in the video description on YouTube, once I have the opportunity.
Also, if you have a good enough audio system, please, PLEASE, listen to the backing music for Stations 10 and 11. Station 10 featured the nails being driven in (which evoked memories of The Passion of the Christ, and almost made me cry), and Station 11 featured the so-called drums of death (which almost made me cry too). I'm actually glad we were in front of Station 11 and I could capture all that happened during this fragment of Via Crucis, because those two are my favourite backing music tracks in the entire Via Crucis. One because of its significance, and the other because it's my favourite instrument, used in the best setting imaginable.
What transpired after Via Crucis. *even bigger hyperenthusiastic squeal* It's the Successor of St Peter himself! It's Pope Benedict XVI!!! AGAIN!!!
Cuatro Vientos
The Vatican's footage of the Holy Mass and Angelus being celebrated in Cuatro Vientos. I can especially relate to everything that had taken place, because... well, to put it bluntly, I was there. Every song, every scene was familiar, and watching this with the sound on full helps me to relive these happy memories. You know, that morning, when we partook in the celebration of the mass, I breathed a prayer of thanks to God for sparing my life, Christina's life and the life of the priest who heard my confession the night before, when the tent collapsed.
The only two videos I took in Cuatro Vientos were videos of Christina and Damian being interviewed by yours truly. Of course, by the time I interviewed them, it was over, and much mess was left about (it's expected from 2 million people anyway.......). But what mattered was that they enjoyed the whole thing. Christina tells about a certain incident which took place the day before the interview... here, she refers to the time both of us almost lost our lives.
P.S. You know what would be nice? When the next WYD in Rio de Janeiro comes to a close, I would be very, very happy if the Holy Father announced that the next WYD shall be in the United Kingdom!
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