The end of DED

Hola!

This is Marcus, Adam, Josh, Chris, Julian, Matt, Gord and Lucas!! Tag teaming the blog today!

Father Jijimon snores all night long. Thank goodness he’s a priest so we can’t get mad at him! After getting up we went to a Spanish mass with over 5000 other pilgrims from all over the world. It was a nice way to start our Sunday even though we could not understand anything Bishop Carlos of Valencia was saying (Thankfully the phrase “Amen” is universal)! However seeing about 6 Bishops and over 200 priests co-celebrating the mass was something pretty special!

Following this mass, we made our way back to our living quarters. During the trek home we encountered many impromptu shouts of ‘Yeah Canada’ and the sound of honking horns. It made us feel extremely loved as citizens of Canada (aka the best place on earth).

Upon our return home we felt that some more intimate time with our Lord was in order therefore we orchestrated our own personal group prayer in a lovely air-conditioned room of San Miguel and San Sebastien Parish. It was a beautiful contrast, going from a group of 5000+ to our own St. Joseph’s group of 23. Escaping the business of our adventures for the intimacy of our fellowship was moving in a way words cannot properly convey. The prayers were powerful, the emotions sincere, the songs were moving and the sense of unity was all around us.

Following this we embarked on a journey that led us to real cooked food as opposed to pizza salami sandwiches (which we all have had enough of to last us past Christmas). We got to indulge in some authentic Spanish Paillie (spelling is probably off on this one) that was made for us in gargantuan frying pans that stretched over 20 feet in diameter! Our minds were mildly blown. While eating we met many other Canadians, many of whom also hail from Vancouver and we realized Italians have far too many chants that they sing.

We also must inform you of some sad news. We lost one of our own today…. Leona, our beautiful soccer ball named after Lyon FC (whose emblem was emblazoned on our ball) was savagely punctured and left our cherished Leona for dead. The biopsy revealed that the culprit was one of the locals; a deceptively good looking and incredibly tall hybrid of strength and grace, one that has evolved over the centuries for the single purpose of hunting beautiful soccer balls. We talked to the local Police and we both agreed it be best of the palm trees in question be put down. We attempted emergency surgery but the nurse failed to back the duct tape necessary for our delicate operation. Rest in Peace our dearest Leona.

We will now continue to pump out clean laundry and hope for a restful night sleep prior to embarking on our most exciting journey to date. The epic finale to the travelling portion of our journey to Madrid. Stay tuned our family and friends and hopefully you too can experience just some of what we are about to experience at World Youth Day via our in depth blogging.



And a bonus……



Fr. Bryan has arrived… Actually, I have been here now for two rather eventful days. I was met in the airport by Daniel and Marcus who generously missed out on their siesta to meet me and welcome me to Valencia. Since then it has been a whirlwind of Catholicness. Thousands of young people kneeling on cobblestone before the Eucharist, the near constant echo from the singing and chanting of dozens of countries, stopping for photos and trading Canadiana at every corner – and World Youth Day has not even begun yet! Madrid promises many more adventures, and as always, an invitation to go deeper in our encounter with Christ.

Fr. Bryan

Valencia!!

Hello fellow Canadians! I (Melanie) have been randomly summoned to write our blog for the last couple days. We are currently in Valencia, Spain! We arrived the night before last night. We had an afternoon flight out of Paris to Madrid, then from Madrid to Valencia. It was pretty restful for everyone given that we’ve been on our feet a lot and the flights were only a couple hours in total. We experienced some intense turbulence on the first flight which was pretty entertaining. We are very excited to be here, and have already had some character-building experiences. I am currently having a character-building experience, as my luggage unfortunately did not make the trip from Madrid to Valencia. On a positive note it means I get to wear everybody else’s clothes so it looks like I have an awesome wardrobe.

Yesterday, our first full day here, we started the day out by going to Mass. We ran into fellow Canadians, some that we knew from Vancouver even which was pretty cool. Yesterday was also marked by the arrival of our second priest, Father Brian. We are very blessed and happy to have now two priests on the journey with us! 

Last night we gathered with other Catholic young people from around the globe that are also staying here in Valencia for Days in the Diocese. It was pretty cool because we were able to mingle a bit and talk to different people from all over. Following that we had adoration. All this took place outside, in the town square. It was a good taste of what is to come for World Youth Day and we are so stoked for it! During adoration, different people took their turns participating in the readings and prayers, each reading in their own language, which was actually really cool. Amber read two intentions, which was really cool to see her up there. REPRESENT!  Overall, adoration was honestly so amazing, just a really awesome experience. We saw lots of nuns too, like a whole convent. They were really cute. Also, everyone seems to love Canadians and cheer whenever they see us walking with our flags or ask to take pictures with us, which is kind of funny.

This morning we all got up and went to a white sand, Mediterranean beach. Some people went swimming while others just walked along the shoreline or suntanned. We even got a soccer game started up in the sand, which was a lot of fun. It’s siesta time right now, and they actually close all the shops between about 2-5pm, which is interesting. Right now everyone’s just having some free time until we have to meet here at the church for Mass tonight. Our host Father, who I have just been informed that his name is Father Juan, will be having a special Mass for us tonight. We will be doing some of the Music and some of us may give testimonies (i.e. maybe Rachel as a preparation for NET ). We are very much looking forward to Mass and to the rest of our stay here in Valencia. And I am very much looking forward to the time when someone checks my bag in somewhere at some airport so I can get it back.


Some new vids as well. Pictures are all on facebook.

The first video is in Frnace and the second was last night!

Enjoy!

New Paris video!!

Check it out!

Paris, oh ya!

Hey Everyone!

So it is officially day 3 in Paris and I cannot believe that we are in such a beautiful city! All over the world there are certainly great amounts of beauty to behold but in the last 48 hours I have witnessed some gorgeous sights! Yesterday we spent our morning at the great Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral is located alongside the Siene River and has a very strong presence. Not only is the building constructed in such a way that it embodies God’s great power, but also His immense glory. The stained glass windows, high arches and statues are wonderful works of art. In Notre Dame you can’t help but think of God.

            After touring Notre Dame we visited Sainte Chapelle, another beautiful church. Sainte Chapelle is famous for its stained glass windows, which leave you in a state of awe at such beauty. While we sat in the Chapelle for a while it was impossible not to notice the gigantic windows that slash colour all over the walls and floors.

            In the afternoon we all enjoyed some free time: shopping, touring, and napping in the sunshine included. We had a boo-boo and ended up at the Louvre at closing time, so we’ll be headed for the late-night admission on another night, but ended up going to the Arc du Triomphe and Eifel Tower instead. The Arc du Triomphe is one of my favourite monuments in Paris. It displays carvings from certain French victories and is MASSIVE. You can literally see it from 3-4 kms away.

            After the Louvre we walked to the Eifel Tower just in time to catch the sun beginning to set. Many pictures were taken next to the world renowned tower, and each one of us seemed to feel for the first time the reality of the fact that we are in Paris. For some reason being at the Eifel tower made it so legit. What made this excursion even greater was the fact that we climbed 2 levels of the Tower at dark, with all of the lights of Paris lit up. Every hour the Eifel was illuminated with twinkling lights… so amazing! We all decided to take the elevator up to the top level and can now say that we have been to the top of the Eifel Tower of Paris! Little did we know that we had missed the last metros (except for 2 short lines) and had to walk back to our hotel at 1:30 am. But it was so worth it!

            That brings me to today. Many of us ventured outside of Paris to the Palace of Versailles, home of the French Royal Family prior to the Revolutions in the 1800’s. The best words to describe the vast grounds and gardens of Versailles: breathtaking. I was completely overwhelmed with the space that was covered in shrubbery, trees, lakes, ponds, fountains and plants. It was amazing to see the sunshine moving across the grounds in coherence with the cloud shadows. The palace of Versailles itself is also beautifully decorated. Our favourite room by far was the hall of mirrors, just outside of the Kings chambers. Overall, Versailles is definitely a must-see for any headed to France.

            Well, that’s all for now! We’re loving Paris but are looking forward to heading to Valencia for Days in the Diocese on Thursday! Please keep us in your prayers, you are in ours! God bless your faces off! Hannah xoxo.

Hello Paris!!

A few guest bloggers today, new video and some pics!! Enjoy!

Bonjour!

                This morning our group of world travellers left the comfort of our German host homes with hugs a plenty and backpacks overflowing with fruit, sandwiches, and German gummy bears. Although somewhat reluctant to leave such wonderful people who had become temporary family for most of us, all would admit that we were excited to continue our journey to Paris to sample fresh cheese and baguettes while putting to use years of what many would call pointless (until today) French classes. The three hour train ride went by quickly, producing a plethora of painted nails in shades of pink and open mouths at Matthew’s engaging card tricks (apparently it’s not the magician who controls the cards, the cards have a mind of their own!). In what seemed like only minutes thoughts of the calm green fields of Dietzenbach were replaced by a pulsing throng of bodies weaving in and out of one another, breathtaking architecture, the smells of food, shouts and car horns; we were in Paris!

                On our way to the hotel, we experienced a taste of what the rest of the day would bring: a street performer serenading us with the accordion on the metro, a string ensemble playing Vivaldi in a courtyard, men on rollerblades doing front flips, the summer sun reflecting off of each and every one of our Canadian bodies as we took in the wonder of the city.

                To the surprise of many of us, the hotel is clean, the rooms are spacious, and (to the delight of many of the girls…me included!) there’s a delicate one person iron elevator that runs from the bottom floor to the top. I have yet to test it out, but I hear it’s incredibly romantic. The only drawback of our lodging is that the floors could be in contest with the leaning tower of piza, though I think it just adds character.

                The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the gardens surrounding the Louvre. I can speak for most of us when I say that we had never seen so many statues, gold leaved architecture, ponds, fountains, and people! Every time we turned a corner, there was a new sight to see, a new smell to experience. Open mouths were aplenty, and many cameras lay abandoned; as taking a picture couldn’t capture the beauty we were experiencing.

                For the evening, we all went our separate ways (in groups of course dear parents) to search out food for our hunger laden bellies and do some more sight-seeing after which we met up at the hotel just in time to escape the rain. It was a day to remember (like every other day so far… :P), and I know we all look forward to another tomorrow! But for now, Bon Nuit J

Kathleen

Wow, What a great group to be travelling with. It is so refreshing to see the enthusiasm in the youth of our parishes towards their faith. Germany was awesome. The people there were such terrific host. They served and cared for our group well beyond expectations. My favourite part of the trip so far remains when we got a behind the scene view of St Augustines church. (can’t spell it by memory in germane!) We were reminded of how young Canada is when we are told of the centuries that this church has been around. The tabernacle was spectacular. There was a wonderfully crafted crucifix. It was life size and had a relic that the priest believed had a piece of the actual cross of Christ. But the best part was a when we spontaneously song a couple of songs. The sound was more than beautiful. The acoustic seemed to make the sound vibrate through you in such a beautiful harmonious tone. That alone was worth the trip for me. I will now compare all beautiful sounds to the sound in that church.

                Today Andrea and David started our day by doing a great job leading our prayers just before our trip. Hanna and Marcus went over our buddy system and safety procedures and we were on our way to Paris. Kathleen already commented on the fantastic architecture and some events, however it is surprising that so far even with all the people in Paris it doesn’t feel crowded. Maybe the huge buildings have something to do with that. Tomorrow morning some of us are going to 8:00 morning mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. How good is that to start of your day?! We miss our families…all right…. I miss my family at home…..  Thanks for all your prayers…

Daniel

off to Paris we go

Well it's been a wonderful 4 days in Germany and sadly our time here must end.

Yesterday was spent in Frankfurt, doing a bit of shopping, seeing the sights and sampling some of the very tasty local food. Sausage on a bun has never tasted so good! The weather stayed good all day and most of us were loathing the heat by the time we got back to Dietzenbach!

Our evening was spent going to mass and atttending a thank you BBQ at the parish hall. I think the Germans like to feed people because once again we left dinner feeling over full! Desert was still to follow!

I can't say enough about the German hospitality and the amount of time and effort they put into our stay. It's been amazing!

Je parle avec toi dans Paris! and my french sucks!

Marcus

Good morning day 4

Hello agian!!

We've got to get going asap to catch a train to Frankfurt for the day, so here's some video from yesterday! Josh in a fountain and a few interviews with the group. enjoy!

Marcus