SYDNEY

The main Diocese of Honolulu pilgrim group attended catechesis on the mornings of July 16-18, at St. Scholastica’s College, one of 235 sites around Sydney where pilgrims came to enrich their faith life while at World Youth Day.

On the first morning, July 16, after the several dozen pilgrims had finished their daily breakfast of eggs, sausage, thick Australian bacon, hash browns, cereal, and toast (with Vegemite for those with adventurous palates and butter and jam for everyone else), they took the Metro Light Rail to Jubilee Park, a 10-minute ride west of the Sydney Central YHA.

About 200 other pilgrims from the U.S., Sri Lanka, Canada, Australia, Tanzania, and the Philippines joined them in St. Scholastica’s hall where two young “animators” directed the session, beginning with icebreakers, silent prayer and a video with pilgrim testimonies.

Then Bishop Denis Brennan of the Diocese of Ferns in Ireland gave a talk on the Holy Spirit and how Catholic youth can affect the world.

He recounted how an Australian priest he’d met the other day told him that the city had “been invaded by joy.”

“So long after you go home,” Bishop Brennan said, “not only will you have been touched, but the people of Sydney will have been touched too.”

After some reflection, attendees asked the bishop questions. Ayla Bicoy, 18, of Molokai’s Blessed Damien Parish, liked that format.

“I expected more of a lecture style,” she said. “This was more intimate, which was nice.”

In his homily during the Mass that followed his talk, Bishop Brennan spoke of Iraqi priest martyr Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni whom he had met. Father Ganni was murdered a year ago outside his church in Mosel, Iraq, with three subdeacons.

“Surely in his life, the gifts of the Holy Spirit must have been very obvious and very apparent,” the bishop said.

The morning catechesis finished off with an Australian BBQ with sausages and buns, and for dessert, lamingtons (chocolate covered sponge cake), Wagon Wheel “biscuits,” and TimTam Fingers.

On the train back to the central business district, St. Michael’s pilgrim Brianna Acosta, 16, said, “[The catechesis Mass] was more oriented towards teens with the singing and the bishop’s talk when we could ask him questions.”

She thought the highlight of the trip up to that point was meeting pilgrims from around the world.

“It strengthens your faith knowing that you’re part of one big group,” she said.

Wednesday and Thursday’s catechesis sessions followed the first day’s format. South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier spoke on July 17 about his experience with apartheid in his country.

Members of the Hawaii pilgrimage group served as readers, eucharistic ministers and a cross bearer during the July 17 Mass. Father Gary Secor concelebrated with the cardinal and a Tanzanian priest. During the offertory, Tongan community pilgrims from St. Theresa, Kihei, sang a piece called “Tohitapu” accompanied by hand gestures.

In his homily, Cardinal Napier said that God is always working on them.

“My wish for you is that this World Youth Day will allow you to see God’s real presence and grace in your life,” he said. “And that you are much more conscious that you have the power to bring the Holy Spirit into the world.”

Brunei Bishop Cornelius Sim spoke on the final catechesis day and punctuated his lesson with jokes that Hawaii pilgrims were still recounting days later.

St. Theresa pilgrim Maimoa Hokulani Fineisaloi said, “It was good the way he knew how to communicate his ideas and relate it to the youth.”

She added that the catechesis sessions had been a good way to bring the huge crowds of World Youth Day down to the personal level “rather than just us passing each other by at the venues and taking pictures.”