Twentieth World Youth Day

MEMORIES OF WORLD YOUTH DAY 2005

"We cannot keep a great joy to ourselves"
- Pope Benedict XVI, WYD 2005.

Although I was going into the unknown, the experience I had in Cologne is one I will never forget. As I was the only young person going from Knocklyon, I felt a little apprehensive because I knew nobody else going (except Fr. Philip of course). However, the friends and memories I made over in Cologne are ones which I will never forget.

The journey began at 9.00 am on Sunday morning, August 14th. Approximately 700 pilgrims from all over Dublin between the ages of 17 and 30 filled eleven buses and set out from Arran Quay. We travelled via Holyhead all the way down to Dover, crossed overnight to Calais, and next morning stopped off in the Benedictine Monastery of Maredsous in Belgium for 10.00 am Mass celebrated by Cardinal Desmond Connell.

Some 31 hours after leaving Dublin, we eventually arrived during rush hour on Monday evening, August 15th, in a very "wet and humid Cologne, to which all roads led that day. As you can imagine, w~ were very tired and stiff by then, and more than ready for our sleeping bags (or beds for those lucky enough to be staying with host families). But there was to be no rest for the wicked, for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was ready to celebrate Mass for us at 8.00 pm in our host parish for that week, where we were warmly and joyfully welcomed by all the parishioners. Afterwards, having collected our World Youth Day haversacks and food vouchers for the week, and having found our accommodation (most of us slept in the local school halls), we literally fell into our beds on the point of collapse after such a punishing journey.

The week began in earnest the next day when we negotiated our way through the enormous crowds to the Rhein Energie football stadium for the spectacular opening ceremony, which consisted of music, dance, Mass and lots of Mexican waves (which went on for about 20 mins around the packed-to-capacity stadium which was a sea of flags and a riot of colour). It was an amazing sight to see. The atmosphere was electric, not a bit as I had imagined it might have been, and the celebrations in the stadium continued well into the evening.

The following morning we had an excellent Catechesis session with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in our host parish church. He recalled a recent interview in which Pope Benedict said: "For so many, Christianity is presented as an impossible catalogue of rules; but it is not about that, it is primarily about love." The Archbishop couldn't believe the amount of questions he was asked in the question and answer session afterwards. As that day was the Ireland v Italy game and some were getting their Leaving Cert Results, Fr Jim Caffrey (director of the pilgrimage) arranged for us all to take a cruise down the River Rhine that evening. It was truly enjoyable.

On Thursday afternoon Pope Benedict arrived in Cologne amid tremendous excitement, this being his first Papal journey outside Italy, and his first journey back to his native land since becoming Pope. He arrived via boat on the River Rhine, following the same route we had gone the night before. We had taken up position on the banks of the Rhine at midday to secure a good viewing spot. It was an absolutely glorious day. The Pope was due at 4.00 pm so there was lots of time to spare, to sing, have fun and make more new friends from all over the .world. As his arrival came closer, the excitement really began to mount. The Spanish beside us erupted into joyous song as we got the first glimpses of him! As he arrived, the boat on which he was travelling stopped every couple of hundred yards and he waved and said something to the hundreds of thousands who lined the banks of the Rhine with their flags and whistles.

Finally at about 5 o'clock he came "close to where we were. Having given him a huge Irish cheer, he said a few words to us and continued on to the nearby Cathedral for his welcoming ceremony. This magnificent Gothic Cathedral, with its two gigantic spires, is Cologne's landmark and was a focal point for the week. It houses the golden Shrine of the Magi (Three Wise Men) as well as numerous other outstanding treasures. It is the most impressive Cathedral I have ever seen. Both day and night huge queues lined up outside, often in a vain effort to get a mere glimpse of the inside.

On Friday morning we had another very thought-provoking Catechesis session, this time led by a very charismatic Cardinal from California, during which a number of young people from the United States gave moving testimonies about their faith. We had the rest of the day to ourselves, to buy gifts, visit the Cathedral and see some of the other famous sights of this most beautiful and historic city.

On the Saturday morning we started getting ready for the vigil ceremony with Pope Benedict in 'Marienfeld', on the outskirts of Cologne, so we all had to pack up and leave our accommodation. As the field we were camping out in was about 20km from where we had been staying all week, we all got on our buses again, which left us as close to the site as was possible. We still had to walk over l1km to get to our destination. Along the way, we passed through a few housing estates and a number of families had tables out for us with water and refreshments which was most welcome. Eventually we reached Marienfeld, a massive field, stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was bigger than the Phoenix Park and filled with over a million young people from every corner of the earth! We went looking for the section that we had been allocated but, just our luck, the Italians had taken it before us! However we didn't allow this to dampen our spirits and in the end we found another spot to camp out in, albeit further away from the stage than we would have liked.

The vigil ceremony was spectacular. Among the many 'acts' on stage "that night with Pope Benedict were a juggler and a flame-thrower, as well as some fabulous dancers and South American drummers, all of which we could see via big screens dotted around. The scene and atmosphere was just like any large open air rock concert. The highlight for me was to see the huge World Youth Day Cross and Icon of Our Lady, which came to our parish in 2003, being lifted high by scores of young people up to the stage for the Pope to bless. It was very moving to see them being carried along pathways lined with hundreds of candles. To think that so many people in Knocklyon, young and old~ had touched these sacred objects, and here they were at journey's end after travelling all over the world since the last World Youth Day!

Even though the temperatures dropped considerably as the night drew on, after the vigil a fantastic time of craic agus ceol lasted into the early hours.

The following morning, the culmination of the week - World Youth Day itself - I woke up shivering with the cold and with a stiff neck as I think everybody did. The music and dance continued on the stage right up to the start of the memorable three-hour Papal Mass. During the Mass, concelebrated by Fr. Philip and thousands of other priests, Pope Benedict said: "anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to Him. We cannot keep a great joy to ourselves. We have to pass it on. “Afterwards a huge concert began which included Cliff Richard and our own Maire Brennan of ‘Clannad’ fame. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for it all as we had to pack up to get back in time for the ferries.

After a long but unforgettable week we were all totally exhausted and looking forward to our own beds. We eventually got home to Smithfield about 9 0' clock on the following Monday evening still wishing to be back in Germany but looking forward to another fantastic World Youth Day in three years time. Roll on Sydney 2008!!!!

- Martin Cunniffe, Knockcullen Rise

For further images check out www.wyd2005.org