austraLasia #2188


WYD08 - Pilgrims arrive at Salesian College Chadstone, Melbourne

MELBOURNE: 7th July 2008 --  Salesian College Community at Chadstone is providing accommodation and meals for the first pilgrims to arrive for WYD08. Pilgrims from Paraguay, Venezuela and Cambodia have arrived in Melbourne and are being hosted by the College Community.
    On Sunday 6 July, together with representatives from the local College Community, the pilgrims gathered in the College Chapel to celebrate a multi-cultural Sunday Eucharist. Fr John Papworth, the Vice Provincial for the Australia-Pacific Province, joined the gathering to be the Main Celebrant for a concelebrated Mass with 10 Priests.
    After a welcome and introduction by Fr Chris Ford the Principal of Salesian College, who pointed out that this gathering is a reversal of the Tower of Babel experience, the entrance hymn was lead by the Spanish speaking group (Paraguayans, Venezuelans and some local Spanish-American people) and the Mass began on a note of grateful celebration. The Cambodian Pilgrims alternated with the Spanish-Speaking Pilgrims in singing the Responsorial Psalm and the various parts of the Mass. Some parts allowed for each language group to pray in their own language; the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer were proclaimed in this way.
    As several visitors from the local area said after the Mass, “This was truly a wonderfully prayerful experience; a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” The festive joy of the whole celebration was testimony to the unique way the Spirit unites us, despite the language barriers.
    Pilgrims from other corners of the world will join this gathering over the coming days and the momentum will build towards the major Celebration with the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez and Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez SDB. They will be present amongst a very large gathering including pilgrims from all Continents and a large number of local young people, on Friday 11 July.
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 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org

Title: australasia 2188
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces, SDB General WYD
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2188