There are several ways to summarise the pilgrimages and WYD 2011 Madrid. But, putting three simple questions to pilgrims from Sydney’s Catholic schools and their leaders along our homebound route seemed the best option.
So here, in their own words, are some of their thoughts on their best and worst moments, along with their thoughts on the overall experience.
We start with Benjamin Alfred from Patrician Brothers College, Fairfield. Benjamin – an incredibly fluent Spanish speaker, thanks to his Chilean roots – felt honoured to be able to participate.
- Spanish-speaking Benjamin Alfred
“The best thing? There was a lot more than one best thing!” he said. “But, for me, the very best thing was the first day of our pilgrimage when we arrived in Montserrat – especially our first Mass and, afterwards, when we were all just starting to get to know one another. That was so good.
“The walk from the funicular train and the walk down to see the Black Madonna – even though it was so hot and we were so tired and we had only just arrived after such a long flight. But, all the effort we had to put in made it all the more worthwhile.
“The worst parts? I don’t think there were any really bad parts, but there were difficulties to cope with like the time [in Manresa] when the bus stopped at McDonald’s and I had to pretty much had to order meals for everyone on my bus because I speak Spanish – including my order as well.
Benjamin said – that by the time he got through all the ordering and passing out the meals – his own was cold and, well, horrible. “But that was still fun!”
Being in Spain and speaking Spanish was a buzz, too, as Benjamin had never really conversed in the language outside of Chile where, as a young man, his great-great grandfather – with the surname Alfred – met and married a local woman.
Overall, the whole WYD experience for Benjamin was “really worthwhile”.
“The best religious moment would have to be visiting Gaudi’s Cathedral of the Holy Family in Barcelona,” he said. “Probably not ‘religious’ in the real sense, but like everyone else, I felt something special inside that church, even though there was no Mass on at the time. It was just so impressive!”
Benjamin made a point of adding another dimension to the three-question survey. “I would like to thank Mr Marshall, he’s the assistant principal at my school,” he said. “And that’s because I was not going to go to WYD, but he pretty much just helped me get here.
“Mum and Dad have also been so supportive and they were really happy to see me go to WYD … it will be really good to see them.”
For Catholic Education Office Sydney RE&E staff member, Mary Musolino, who doubled as a pilgrim group leader 
(left), the WYD 2011 pilgrimage highlights will always be watching the looks of awe and wonder on the faces of the young pilgrims in her charge.
“Especially when we visited Montserrat and the Holy Family Basilica in Barcelona,” she said. “And the excitement of the students being part of the ‘Welcome’ youth festival where they danced and mingled with other young Catholics from all over the world.
“The worst part of the pilgrimage was the storm at the sleep-out,” she said. “That really dampened – literally – spirits as well as sleeping bags!”
Overall, Mary said WYD 2011 was “terrific”.”This is my fourth WYD and I can’t wait to get to my fifth in Rio!”
For Lauren Beaufils, a pilgrim group leader and teacher from De La Salle, Caringbah the cultural and scenic experiences were unbeatable.
“Especially breaking up the bus ride to Valencia with a visit to Orpeso de Mar where we swam in the Mediterranean and shopped along the tourist strip,” she said. “It was the Feast of the Assumption and when we got to Valencia, there were people from all over the world singing the Rosary in a procession outside the cathedral dedicated to
Mary’s feast day. “And we saw the Holy Grail! That was pretty cool!”
Lauren nominated the worst day as when the bus tour guide, Jose, walked away from his post.”He just resigned on the spot!” she said. “Between Jose and the bus driver, they got us so lost and they kept fighting.” The encounters between the driver and guide were “pretty confronting and threatening”, she said. “Especially when Jose wanted to stop and ask for directions and the driver refused to open the door to let
him off the bus.”
But, upon thinking a little more, the packed lunches/dinners were far worse, she said.
“All I can say is that they were, literally, inedible,” she said.
“Overall, the experience was good, though. Very rewarding. Fantastic kids, and a fantastic bus group and an excellent leader on Bus 3. But, right now I am just looking forward to getting home because I miss my family.”
Suzanne Whaley, on the other hand – no doubt thought to mentio
n her parents – but only got around to getting misty about her five-month-old West Highland Terrier puppy, Lachie. “I hope he hasn’t grown too much while I’ve been away,” she said.
Suzanne, from St Claire’s College, Waverley probably omitted her family as they’d been in constant touch, ever since she fell quite ill on the first day of the pilgrimage. But she’s saving that story for her ‘worst’ moment below.
The best moment for the 16-year-old was meeting new people. “Even just on our bus – it was great meeting everyone. I didn’t know anyone, except, Blaise from my school. Oh, and I knew of Gaby …“ Gaby, sitting nearby at the time of this mini interview, piped up: “Who doesn’t know about me?!”
It was easy to see the very natural camaraderie that had developed far and wide among the pilgrims – all the more special because these new friendships were formed under duress and hardships experienced well outside a normal young girl’s comfort zone.
“For me, it was the actual experience of the whole thing – and just being with people who you have never met before, but who share the same Catholic background as you. That was the best,” Suzanne said.
“The worst? I got so sick during the first week – for the whole week, so I didn’t get to go to the Barcelona’s music and light show or youth festival that followed.
“I did go to the Mass in Barcelona that was on before the festival, but I was too sick to stay and I had to get a taxi back to the hotel. I suppose I could have gone on to the festival, but I decided to stay home and get better.
But, Suzanne was up and about by the time the group arrived by bus – a more than six-hour ride – and made sure she didn’t miss the well-touted sleep-out. There the pilgrims awaited the Pope in the evening, were to sleep under the stars that night, then stay put for the final Papal Mass the next morning.
“And then it started to rain on all the pilgrims at the sleep-out,” Suzanne said. “The big screens went off and you couldn’t really see anything and then the scaffolding fell down behind us, and we were lucky that we were far enough forward so we didn’t get hurt. We were okay. Bu then we couldn’t hear anything!
“I think the organisation of the actual sleep-out was, overall, fairly poor. The screens were useless when the rain started and we couldn’t see or hear anything – it was so funny!
“When it stopped raining, it was then – supposedly – time for bed, but it was so cold because we didn’t take jumpers and not everyone took sleeping bags and there were no blankets. We were saturated and we had to open up the sleeping bags we had and we shared. There was a lot of giggling and laughing and carrying on! But it really was absolutely freezing! We had shorts on!
During daylight, which lasted well into the evenings, the pilgrims had to contend with searing temperature, she said. “That was a really big thing the pilgrims had to contend with.
“But, overall, I really did like WYD 2011 and I would do it again, for sure. I am not that happy to be going home just now, mainly because I felt that I was just beginning to get settled in when it was time to go. That’s because I pretty much missed all of Barcelona so I do feel as if I have done about three-quarters of the pilgrimage. I don’t feel I have done as much as everyone else.”
Daniel Cavalcanti Martin from
Marist North Shore didn’t have to think too hard to come up with the best day of his Spain Direct pilgrimage.
“The Youth Festival on our second night in Spain and our first in Barcelona,” Daniel said. “That was amazing and we were dancing and doing anything and everything! It was a big celebration of WYD pilgrims who had come to Spain early and it was a mass celebration of young Catholics cutting loose.”
And, equally, it didn’t take Daniel long to name his worst day. “I was disappointed that I couldn’t party at the sleep-out because we had to go to bed,” he said. “Because our bus leader said so, that’s why.
“A lot of people found the sleep-out really uncomfortable being so cold and wet, but I was just really into it.”
Daniel said his best religious experience happened in Montserrat where pilgrims walked up then down a mountain to get a close-up look at the Black Madonna, sit a while in her company, and see all the treasures left for her in thanks for prayers granted. Treasures such as soccer balls, rosary beads, intricate embroidered works and simple notes – some scratched into the timber pews over many years.
“I really liked that,” Daniel said. “And walking past the 15 sculptures – some by Gaudi – which depict the Stations of the Cross.
“Overall, the WYD experience was great,” he said. “I have had such a fun time and over the course of the whole trip, we seem to have all become one big family. I would certainly do it again.”
Blaise Cerncic, from
St Claire’s College at
Waverley, most enjoyed the “cultural immersion”.
“That was probably the best thing for me,” she said. “Being able to immerse myself in another culture and it was just amazing to see how other people live and to see the environment in which they have grown up.”
Blaise was especially surprised at the way the heat – up to 42 degrees every day in Madrid – altered the way people went about their daily lives. There were small children playing in parks at midnight, and people sleeping through the hottest part of the day for ‘siesta’, then coming out again for strolls after very, very late dinners by Australian standards.
“The worst thing for me was that heat!” Blaise said. “Because I am just not used to that heat and I don’t particularly like going outside in the blazing sunshine, so to have 42-degree temperatures everyday was really intense.”
She singled out the visit to the Cistercian Monastery at Poblet, a stop between Manresa and Madrid, as presenting another big challenge.
“That’s because I was not really able to follow the meaning of the whole place or understand what it was all about,” Blaise said.
Part of the problem was the lack of air in the monastery and the overpowering smell of incense, she said. “It was also just so hot and stuffy and it just dragged on too long.”
Overall, though, Blaise labelled WYD “an incredible experience”. “It was more that I feel my mind has opened up a bit to a newer way of living and it makes it easier to accept diversity and different cultures and religions.
“I can now stand back and view Catholicism from other people’s point of view and I can understand how much they can be dedicated to their faith.”
Gaby Fahy looks back on her fortnight away very fondly.
“It was all a very good experience, in general, but the best thing was making new friends from all across Sydney’s Catholic schools. And seeing all the beautiful cathedrals, that was just amazing!
“And, the whole time, there was this really good atmosphere and that made everything feel, well, comfortable,” said the girls from St
Vincent’s College, Potts Point.
“And our leaders were all very good and
supportive. You know, I thought I would miss my family more, but because we had such great leaders from the Catholic Education Office Sydney, I think that helped with the homesickness. That and the fact that we were just so busy!”
The pilgrims were offered a “really good mix” of activities, Gaby said. “But, I think, if there had been any more churches, then it might have been a bit much, so I thought it was a really good balance of religious and cultural aspects.”
She named the sleep-out – ahead of the Pope’s arrival – as her favourite day. “It was just so amazing to go!”
“My worst moment was the football; I hate football,” she said. “And do you know the only thing worse than football for me is having to sit there and watch it in the rain!”
And now comes the spider tale. “I was at the sleep-out and had just gotten off to sleep, and something woke me. I said to the girls, ‘A spider just crawled across me!’ But they
thought I was just dreaming – and so did I – until Suzanne picked up her back-pack in the morning! And there was this massive spider there and I just knew it was the one that crawled over me last night!
“So that was definitely the worst part of the trip! And the other girls, including Suzanne, were bitten by these beetles!”
Overall, Gaby’s impressions amounted to a “really good experience”.
“I also realised how much I had been taking my family for granted – especially my Mum and her food! Yes, I am very much looking forward to getting home.”
For Amber Bowles (left) of Our Lady of Mercy College, Burraneer there was no “best part” of WYD.
“There were just so many things! I really enjoyed the Youth Festival in Barcelonaand we got to be with all the other WYD pilgrims who were travelling to Madrid from Barcelona. It was a really unique atmosphere – singing, dancing and everyone was happy and it was such a unique and great environment.”
Amber, who celebrated her birthday at Kingsford Smith Airport on 9 August en-route to Barcelona, likened the event to the Big Day Out. “But minus the alcohol, minus the drugs, and minus all the messy things and we felt safe and it was pure, innocent fun that everyone really appreciated.”
Amber said the impact of such a “pure, innocent” event was not lost on the young crowd. “It is very hard for young people now to experience something like this in our modern-day society, and that’s a shame,” she said. “As far as the sight-seeing goes, I was amazed at Gaudi’s Holy Family Cathedral in Barcelona and I was so in awe of the skill of it all.”
For Amber, the worst aspect of her time in WYD was hard to name. “I don’t really have a ‘worst’,” she said. “But the food and the Metro weren’t very good. The Metro filled with pilgrims made it so much better even having to be saturated in other people’s sweat!
“The food was inedible!” she said. “Those packed lunches were horrible – one girl I heard about found green fur growing on her cheese.” Amber said it was lucky that the girl found the bread roll too difficult to chew, otherwise she may have swallowed the frightening filling.
“I heard that quite a few people got food poisoning.”
But, overall, the experience was one she would be keen to repeat. “Yes, of course, I would come again,” Amber said. “I think it was so great and I have become so close with all the girls I went with and have made heaps of new friends. And the Spanish people’s faith is amazing. I think I have just now been able to see how dedicated to Catholicism they are and that has really inspired me. It was also amazing to see how much tradition is behind the Catholic church, and that has really inspired me as well.”
The best thing that “really sticks” in Larissa Grinsell‘s mind is the trip to Manresa, home of the Cave of St Ignatius, just a bus ride from Monserrat en route to Madrid.
“At the cave, I felt like that was really a turning point for me and my faith,” Larissa said. “It was not one of the really big cathedrals that you visit where everything is gold and ornate, it was just humble and simple but it had such an aura about it. I just really felt a spiritual connection to that cave and it was good to have that experience, I think, early on in the pilgrimage because it really set me up for what was going to happen next.”
For Larissa, the worst thing about WYD occurred at the Opening Mass. “That’s when it took us an hour and 10 minutes to find a bathroom,” she said. “People were pushing us from every angle and you literally felt that you might have some of your ribs crushed. We couldn’t breathe and it was just so hot and such a nightmare.”
But, overall, Larissa loved the experience. “I thought it really lived up to its name as a pilgrimage rather than a holiday because it really did feel like that. Everything we did had a special focus on faith, and I do feel like as if I have come out the other side as being closer and more spiritually connected to God.”
Elena Bonello from St Vincent’s College, Potts Point also chose the visit to St Ignatius of Layola’s Cave as her best-ever WYD moment.
“I felt like it was a truly spiritual place for me,” she said. “Making new friends was also a
great thing and, yes, we will be definitely be catching up when we get home.”
The worst thing about WYD, urrggh! “Well, I got sick on the plane – I think it was from the water so that was really uncomfortable for me, and everyone around me!”
And, Elena thought the itinerary could have included more towns. “We didn’t really do that much,” she said. “I suppose we did a lot, but I think we could have fitted more in – more sight-seeing and more trips to different places. Maybe added another town or city to the journey?”
Overall? “I would definitely go again,” the weary pilgrim said. “I want to go to the next one in Rio and we will start looking into getting that organised now.”
Pilgrims who attended World Youth Day XXVI (WYD) in Madrid are invited to participate in a research project which explores how the events of WYD – and its associated pilgrimages – might impact upon a pilgrim’s perception of spirituality, religious practice, community and self.
A highlight for me was definitely going out on a boat on to the Sea of Galilee. The accounts from the Gospel that centred on this lake just came alive: the calming of the storm, Jesus walking on the water, the massive catch of fish by the disciples after Jesus’ words of encouragement.
WYD Spirit of Madrid 