Catholic Fire

"Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity...Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished -- not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed." ~ Pope Benedict XVI in his homily, during the World Youth Day closing Mass on Sunday, July 20 at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia

SYDNEY, July 22, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI's weeklong trip to Sydney Australia for the 2008 World Youth Day ended spectacularly on Sunday with a mass attended by some 400,000 pilgrims at Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park, making it the largest gathering in Australian history. Similar numbers of pilgrims, both international and local, attended many of the central events throughout the week. It was estimated that in excess of half a million pilgrims and locals came out to welcome Benedict XVI on Thursday 17 July for his official arrival on boat-a-cade and motorcade at Barangaroo. The final tally reveals that 110,000 international pilgrims, representing 170 countries, converged on Sydney for the global Catholic youth event. Another 113,000 local pilgrims officially took part in WYD08. The record for World Youth Day attendance, however, is still held by the Philippines, where, in 1995, an estimated 4,000,000 people attended the concluding Mass. WYD08 Coordinator...

An audience of half a billion tuned in to watch the performance that involved around 80 performers and was played out by young people at six major venues around Sydney. Over 270,000 international and local spectators also made their way to points around the city to watch the Stations of the Cross live and on big screen televisions. The first station held on the steps of St Mary’s Cathedral was attended by Pope Benedict XVI who led the prayer. “Make us generous and insightful as we try to walk in your footsteps,” the Holy Father prayed. MORE

A statue of Pope John Paul II which stands more than six and a half feet tall and weighs more than 1,100 lbs. was unveiled at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney last Saturday. A group of Italian immigrants in Sydney raised about $100,000 in a series of fundraising concerts to commission the statue from Italian sculptor Firenzo Bacci, the Catholic Weekly reports. It was commissioned in October 2007 and arrived in Sydney in January. Monsignor Dino Fragiacomo, a local parish priest, said the Italian community wanted to donate a “beautiful and lasting reminder” of the Pope. "Pope John Paul II meant so much to the youth and people all over the world," he said. "The statue was donated to remember him and the renewal of consecration to Our Lady.” "The statue is beautiful, mystical in its own way and I'm sure will be admired by those who come to the cathedral," said the monsignor. Monsignor Fragiacomo said the Italian community has “nothing but praise for the statue,” ...

The official WYD site The NCRegister’s Pope2008 blog has transitioned into a pretty full-service WYD2008 blog. Links to lots of articles about the event, the pilgrims and so on. Britain’s Catholic Herald has a good WYD portal going. The Archdiocese of San Antonio’s pilgrimage blog Indy Archdiocese pilgrims are blogging here. Nashville pilgrims here, led by Vanderbilt Catholic chaplain Fr. John Sims Baker. Katherine Thomas, a Steubenvile grad student, will be blogging for the Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education. Here’s the Pope’s schedule. He leaves Saturday. There’s lots of interest - for example, the Pope will be confirming 24 young people at the final Mass on 7/20. Via Amy Wellborn.

Catholics are responding to anti-papal demonstrators who plan to distribute condoms to pilgrims at World Youth Day by distributing Natural Family Planning information. The Australian Council of Natural Family Planning (ACNFP) said it will distribute material promoting the sympto-thermal method (STM) of natural family planning, News.com.au reports. The STM method involves using the knowledge of the naturally-occurring fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. The ACNFP said there have been protests of Catholic teachings on sexuality and contraception at every previous World Youth Day. "Interestingly, despite the thousands of young people there to celebrate their belief in the church, it is the condom peddlers who tend to catch the eye of the media,'' the group said in a statement. "But this time we're ready for them! "Despite popular belief, the church isn't against sexuality. On the contrary, the church wants everyone to develop a deeper,...

The Catholic equivalent to the Olympic Torch, the World Youth Day wooden cross, is arriving in Sydney tomorrow, after travelling across the world and throughout the host country, Australia. The cross was introduced by Pope John Paul II when he created WYD in 1984 to symbolise Christ's love for all people. The cross which has an Icon of Our Lady and an Indigenous Message Stick arrives in Australia on 1 July for a 15 day walking pilgrimage around each Australian diocese. It will make various stops including cathedrals, the Great Barrier Reef, war memorials and even shopping centres and sports stadiums and the walk is expected to gather huge crowds. WYD '08 Coordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher said: "The purpose of the WYD cross, Icon and Message Stick is to invite young people to World Youth Day and to spread a message of hope, peace and Christ's love for humanity." Via The Independent Catholic News.

CATHOLIC church leader Cardinal George Pell is looking for new friends. The Sydney archbishop today launched a global Catholic social networking website based on the models of MySpace and Facebook. Xt3.com - representing "Christ in the third millennium" - aims to connect young Catholics before, during and after next month's World Youth Day (WYD) in Sydney. Cardinal Pell showed off his personal Xt3.com page to WYD participants and media. He admitted to being a latecomer to the internet but said there was a need for the church to have a serious web presence. "Whatever about my ignorance on this area (the internet), it's more than balanced by my recognition of its importance, and my determination that representatives of the church be actively presented in this area," Cardinal Pell said. He said the site had given him a fresh perspective on the internet. One of the site's founders, Robert Toone, said Xt3.com could also provide a useful tool for dialogue betw...

Church Slowly Moving into the Late 1990s Via Mark Shea.