World Youth Day Pictures
Topic: World Youth Day 2005
I finally have the pictures ready to go up on my blog from my experience in Koln. These are just a few of the pictures. I don't have enough memory to put them all on my blog.

Here is the "first among equals," "el Papa," "Papa B."

This is a picture of the cathedral (dom) whose two steeples can be seen all over town, literally. If you look in the back ground of the picture on the right, you can see the dom which is about 5 miles from where I was standing taking the picutre.

Here is a picture taken at the volunteer Mass where everyone is wearing their red volunteer shirt and/or rain coat. In all, we were told there were 20,000 volunteers working this World Youth Day.

We hosted groups from France, Italy, and the Ivory Coast at the school that I was stationed. One morning while they were waiting to group up and leave the school, the pilgrims from the Ivory Coast gathered and started playing the drums and dancing. This, a typical World Youth Day activity, serves to praise God and bring everyone together, because others begin to join in the circle and follow the movements of the others.

After big events, mainly those in the evening, everyone decends upon the train stations to catch the train "home." With an overwhelming number of people on the platform, when the doors open everyone rushes for a door and tries to push their way on, making each train car like a package of pilgrim-sardines.

One day we were waiting in the que (line) for food near a basilica when its doors opened and a newly married couple emerged from the church to thunderous applause and cheers from us. They were grinning from ear to ear.

The pilgrimage on Saturday, though we tried to make it as close as possible, it ended up turning out to be about 13 kilometers. We thought since we were volunteers we could minimize this hike, but reluctantly we set out on the pilgrimage. However, once on the road, I was glad to be amongst the other pilgrims as we were being gathered into one flock by the shepherd of the Church Militant (us on earth) in order to join our voices in praise of the Good Shepherd of us all. As you can see in the picture on the left, the path set before us led us down community roads. A nice gesture these people offered, was their presence by leaning out the window or siting along the road waving as we went by. Some even gave out little treats and water to help nourish us on our journey. They were exemplifying what it means to be Christian. The picture on the right shows the goal the sight (white dome-like object to the rifht) just across a pasture. Here you get a sense of the number of people present.

This is a time exposed close up of the cloud that was the sactuary for the weekend Pilgrimage destination. There were candles set all over the hill that added to the prayerful feel of the area. Off to the right of the Sanctuary was a cross and a Marian icon prsent during the time we were in this sacred place.

Meet my team...the whole team. I work with a small handful of this big group over the week, but still got to know the other members before and after the pilgrims were there. My team was comprised of Americans, Germans (one local of Koln), Polish, Hungarians, Slovanians, one Kenyan and one Lithuanian.

Now you know I can't go to Germany without partaking of the food and refreshments. The chunk of meat set before me is basically a leg of pig slowly roasted where the meat is juicy and tender and the skin is perfectly crispy. This was served with, whatelse but, German potatoes and Saurkraut. Delicious! The beer is a Kolsh. Everyone in Koln produces their very own Kolsh, so there are sign everywhere advertising the infinite brand names of this local recipe.

This last picture has nothing to do with World Youth Day, but shows a bit of the culture of the area. These are small adjacnt plots of land where poeple who live in the city have a garden. There is a maze of small ally ways that the owners walk down to get to their garden. This was the view from our window of the school at which I was stationed.

World Youth Day 2005 Main Event
Topic: World Youth Day 2005
I am writing from the main event of World Youth Day, after a long journey via foot. We have just had vespers with the Holy Father and are now hunkering down for the night. Everyone is doing the praise thing in their own language and culture.

To catch you up I went to a seminarian and priest gathering yesterday where Pope Benedict reminded us that we need to have a close relationship with God and to pray for good formatters. He said, “This is what a seminary is: More than a place, it is a significant time in the life of a follower of Jesus.”

I have continued to have a wonderful time here in Koln and look forward to returning to the states and sharing my experience with everyone.

WYD 2005 mid-week
Topic: World Youth Day 2005
Howdy from Koln!

I have now bought me an American Flag and am easily spotted by other Americans. The flag also makes me a "rock star" as a team member puts it, because now when I go around Koln people from all nations, shout USA just like we shout their country name when we see their flag. It is great!

Pick up my papal audience ticket yesterday and can't wait for Friday noon...I will be kickin' it with Papa B.

In other news, my team is gellin' and where one is there another (or two) can be found. We are having a blast.

Weltjugendtag - Day 1 & 2
Topic: World Youth Day 2005
(Disclaimer: The keyboard is slightlz rearranged with the main differences being the y & z are switched and an o & a are added to the main set of keys moving the keys that are normally in their place)

Day 1 - After Amsterdam

The fun was not over with Amsterdam.

It continued once when I landed in Cologne (Koln) I made my way to the train station but had to go back and ask for directions not on where to go, but how to work the machine for the ticket, figure out what line I needed, and which platform. This done I get to the station near the Volunteer registration and was picked up by three other volunteers who guide me to registration...not the end of the line but to the front a back way. There were no complaints from me. This was however providential because I ended up spending all evening at the center getting things straight on my acomodations.

Once I received directions from my team leader on how to get to the parish where I will work and stay, I embarked on the third part of my journey. One train, a short walk, a bus ride, and a short walk to the front door. What could be hard about that? Leave it to me to screw up. The train was a minor difficulty, because I am a pro at it now aided with free pass with my WYD ID. The problem arose once I was off the train and looking for the metro. With no sun to tell me north from south...it is 10:30pm by now...I set out on what I think is the correct direction but seem to have trouble locating the streets on the map, not that reading German was a piece of cake especially when the street names are so long the sign spans one whole block. I see a store open and drop my stuff and ask the owner for help who shows me on my map where I am. This gives me bad news...I have been walking down the correct street in the wrong direction.

A patron of the store was sent by God, because after hearing my delima and seeing no easy solution save one, he opted to offer the easy solution. When I heard those glorious words in broken English--You want that I take you?--I nearly colapse and started kissing the mans feet. We had a pleassant drive and talked about Koln's preparation for a surge in the Catholic population by approximately 1 million and he gave me a German lesson by helping me pronounce the streets we took to get to St. Franuziskus (Francis). The gentleman dropped me off basically at the door of the parish. Night came morning followed the first day.

(This is the general nice-ness that the people of Koln have shown us foreigners.)

Day 2 - First fool day

This day was given to us as a free day to walk around Koln and see the city. Done. The cathedral is a massive gothic building in the middle of town that is breathtaking. Lunch was fun waiting for...got in line at 1:50 and got lunch at 4:10, but ended up getting two lunches and dinner all at once because one in my group is more shameless than me and finagled the extras. I sit now in an internet cafe for volunteers...free internet, WHOOP!

Pictures hopefully to come.

First Leg of my World Youth Day Pilgrimage
Topic: World Youth Day 2005
I got to the ticket counter in Intercontental Airport in Houston and found out that due to a strike in England at my arriving airport (not the other one) my flight was canceled. After some time at the counter we found me a flight that actually arrives in Cologne sooner than my original flight would have. I was not routed through London but through Amsterdam, which is where I sit right now waiting for my next flight to Cologne.

The flight was rather uneventful...read my book, Chronicles of Narnia (the complete collection), and watch a movie, Miss Congeniality 2. I was lucky though. No one was in the seat next to me in a two seater row and I could spread out...well sort of spread out.

More at a later time.

Weltjugendtag 2005
Topic: World Youth Day 2005

I thought I would share with you a bilboard that went up recently in Cologne for the marking of the 2005 gather of the world's youth.
Translated:

800,000 Youth. 160 Nations. 1 World Youth Day.

August 16-21, 2005. Held in Cologne.