Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is the last post in my World Youth Day post series. It's taken me long enough, but forgive me, I have been absurdly busy lately. Thank you Jesus for weekends! Anyhow, now for my WYD trip conclusion post... (drumroll please)
August 19th 2011
Madrid
This will be brief, I don't have much time. Today was blessed. Left Rome at 6:30, missed bus, took cab, flew to Madrid, arrived at Colegios Bosque. We went to way of the cross with the Pope! Ran into Steven from ECHO, that was crazy. We missed adoration, came home and had an awesome prayer. The Pope's address was sooo beautiful and inspiring! God blessed by him, it was Hollis' birthday.
-Alyse
So, that was basically a key word outline of my day, now to expound. We did leave from Rome at 6:30 and manage to miss our bus, non-refundable of course, and had to take cabs. It was funny to see how some of the people who hadn't ever ridden in cabs were excited about it, until the insane Italian cab drivers almost killed us all (not really but it felt like it). By the grace of God we made our flight to Madrid. We walked to the school that received us and got settled into the gym, the guys slept outside. Then we went out amongst the millions of people to the stations of the cross. Every station, the cross was carried by a group of people that the station related to, it was really beautiful. We were all blessed by the Pope after an amazingly inspiring address that I only wish I could remember. My beautiful friend Hollis received her first Papal blessing that day on her birthday, it was super cool. Then we went to the English speaking building for WYD, planned to go to adoration after going to supper, and then missed adoration. It was disappointing, but God really looked out for us. Also, crazy side note, Hollis and I ran into Steven who we had met at T.O.B camp this summer. Steven is from South Africa, was in Louisiana for a little while, and was at WYD with some of his South African buddies. It is truly a small world. That night we went back to the school and had a really blessed prayer time under the glorious blanket of stars and realized, "Guys we just saw the Pope!" it was a pretty epic day.
August 21st 2011
Flight Madrid to London
Yesterday was so blessed! We walked to the WYD field after leaving our school accommodations. It was insane to see how many people were there! More than the eye could see in every direction, they estimated between 1.5 and 2 million people! It was such a blessing to see so many Catholics in one spot. We ate lunch, and then walked around. We me Mexicans, Italians, Americans, Canadians, and Irish people. I was able to go to confession in one of the chapel tents. The Pope arrived and it began to storm! Wind was blowing and it was raining. He had to pause in his address to let it pass. During the pause, the chapel/canopy tent thing collapsed, with the babies and moms of our group inside. Only by the grace of God were they not injured. We had to leave that night, because we would miss our flight today if we didn't. We did stay for the Pope's address, benediction, and adoration. It was so blessed to be a part of the multitude. As I prayed the Our Father and said "Thy kingdom come" I felt that WYD was a foreshadowing of heaven. We are His kingdom! We spent the night in the airport, went to mass there, and are now headed to London. Praise God for His faithfulness!
-Alyse
WYD was really such an amazing blessing. I really felt that I was in God's kingdom. I always hear how we are His church, but I have never had such a clear image before that. That crazy night, when there was an extreme storm and the Pope's hat flew off (pretty awesome) the tent collapsed. I say tent, but it was more of a temporary building, the same that I had gone to confession in earlier. About two hundred people had gathered inside to stay dry from the rain, including my aunts and cousins. When it started to sway the people left, including my aunts, they say that they saw a metal beam fall on the place they had been sitting only seconds after they walked out. God really protected them. My Uncle John Paul was afraid that his family had been killed, this experience was a really profound one for our whole group. It seemed sad at the time to miss mass, but we had to leave for the babies, since they had no shelter now. We left and the next day found out that mass didn't have communion or electricity anyway, no one there received Jesus or heard the Pope's homily. Even though it was sad, God was looking out for us. We were able to go to mass in the airport with a little priest that made me think of Saints. Then, we caught a flight to London where we enjoyed each other's company before a many-hour-long plane ride. It was a life changing two days.
August 23rd 2011
Home- Wrap Up
To sum up our trip, we arrived in London at Gatwick and went to Heathrow, where we stayed the night. That night we all shared the ways that we were touched on the trip, it was so blessed. It was so wonderful to see the unique ways that God impacted each of us. I realized just how blessed I was to be around such an amazing group of people. The next morning we flew to Houston and were greeted at the airport. I knew that the 27 people that stepped off of that plane were not the same as the people who stepped on 15 days before. God had impacted us so much, and we all were changed. Even if it wasn't something super noticeable, it was profound, lasting, and unique in each one of us. God's promise was fulfilled, "Where two or more are gathered in my name", we gathered and he came. I arrived home with Anika and we shared our experience with our family. Summing it up for them made me realize just how full and blessed it was. I can honestly say it was one of the most blessed seasons of my life. The knowledge, growth, truth, sacrifice, and divine love that I was able to partake in still amazes me. It was all so big that it was/is hard to grasp. I do know that God is good, he showed up, and we lived with and for Him. Praise God!
-Alyse
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Friday, September 30, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
WYD Trip- Part 3 Rome, Italy
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have been so busy lately it has taken me a while to finish this post series, but I am still trying and this is my third shot at sharing about my wonderful, life changing experience at World Youth Day a little over a month ago. This post will cover my visit in Rome, la cita eterna (the eternal city)!
August 15th 2011
Rome
We've been traveling all day long. We had mass in Cordoba and said goodbye to our families. Everyone was crying, it was a total God moment. We took a bus to Madrid, said a rosary in the airport, and flew to Rome. Then we caught a bus, to a metro, to a bus, to walk to our "Peter Pan" hostel. God has really been with us in our travel.
-Alyse
Let me pause for a second to let you know that my dad is a professional tour guide that lives in Rome with Simona, my step mom, Livia, my little sister, and Bea my little step sister. (This post might be confusing without knowing that)
August 16th 2011
Rome
Today was a super blessed and full day. We saw so much of Rome! My dad gave us all a super full tour, it saved us thousands of dollars today alone. He has been so generous to us, it is such a blessing. We saw Piazza del Popolo, a really fancy street, the Trevi fountain, the church with Bernini's angels, the "Spanish" steps, the Sistine bridge, the Pantheon, the Piazza de Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Mamertine prison, the Roman Forum, and the big white building with the horse, also the square designed by Michelangelo, and the ruins that are a cat sanctuary. It was so awesome! Dad paid for the whole group to get gelato, I actually ate gelato twice today. We went shopping for free time. Today has been such a blessing! Praise God.
-Alyse
Just a commercial break, my dad who is a wonderfully generous person is also a wonderful tour guide. (No you couldn't go for free, unless you're his family) but if you are going to Rome it is worth looking into my dad's tour company to enlighten your visit. If you plan to go to Rome soon, check out www.walksofitaly.com . Thanks ;)
August 17th 2011
Rome
We had another full day today. We saw the Vatican museums, St. Peter's basilica, St. Peter's square, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and maybe the oldest Catholic church in the world. Livia came with us today! It was such a blessing to see her. It was such a blessing to be where Christ's disciples lived and dies. I was so inspired. I also saw Pope John Paul the second's grave, that was so cool! God has been blessing us so much, it's crazy. Rome has so much rich church history.
-Alyse-
August 18th 2011
Rome
Today was such a blessing! We saw the basilica of St. Paul, Sta. Maria Magiore, Sn. Juan Lattero, St. Peter's, and we climbed the steps Christ climbed. It was really such a blessed day. St. Paul's was my favorite, it was so gorgeous! Mary's church was beautiful too, and I could feel her smiling down on us. I was able to climb the steps that Christ climbed on my knees, it was a wonderful opportunity for prayer. We, well five of us, were able to catch mass at St. Peter's. It was so wonderful! While we were there, I got so excited at the thought of seeing all of the Saints, who we venerate, in heaven! I am so excited at that coming soon. It was so nice to spend the day with Livia, she is so big now, and it was a blessing to see her. I will miss her so much. Being in Rome reminded me of the majesty of the universal church, and made me realize how small we are compared to God. Well it's late now, I'll write later.
-Alyse
Being in Rome was really such a blessing, that last day especially. At St. Paul's I was able to see the chains that held St. Paul while he was in Rome. It is amazing to see the links of our church and a tangible piece of history. We aren't composed of a recent group of people who had a neat idea to do something cool, our history is built on the blood of martyrs who died for the church and for love of Christ Jesus who they knew was God. There is so much history held in Rome. It seems like most buildings are older than the United States. Another cool thing about Rome was to see an image of Mary and Jesus on almost every corner, even if the city itself is not religious, it is built on religion and love of the church. Being in Rome made me appreciate my church and it's real history so much, that visit will be one I will always hold close in my heart.
Peace and love in Christ Jesus,
Alyse
I have been so busy lately it has taken me a while to finish this post series, but I am still trying and this is my third shot at sharing about my wonderful, life changing experience at World Youth Day a little over a month ago. This post will cover my visit in Rome, la cita eterna (the eternal city)!
August 15th 2011
Rome
We've been traveling all day long. We had mass in Cordoba and said goodbye to our families. Everyone was crying, it was a total God moment. We took a bus to Madrid, said a rosary in the airport, and flew to Rome. Then we caught a bus, to a metro, to a bus, to walk to our "Peter Pan" hostel. God has really been with us in our travel.
-Alyse
Let me pause for a second to let you know that my dad is a professional tour guide that lives in Rome with Simona, my step mom, Livia, my little sister, and Bea my little step sister. (This post might be confusing without knowing that)
August 16th 2011
Rome
Today was a super blessed and full day. We saw so much of Rome! My dad gave us all a super full tour, it saved us thousands of dollars today alone. He has been so generous to us, it is such a blessing. We saw Piazza del Popolo, a really fancy street, the Trevi fountain, the church with Bernini's angels, the "Spanish" steps, the Sistine bridge, the Pantheon, the Piazza de Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Mamertine prison, the Roman Forum, and the big white building with the horse, also the square designed by Michelangelo, and the ruins that are a cat sanctuary. It was so awesome! Dad paid for the whole group to get gelato, I actually ate gelato twice today. We went shopping for free time. Today has been such a blessing! Praise God.
-Alyse
Just a commercial break, my dad who is a wonderfully generous person is also a wonderful tour guide. (No you couldn't go for free, unless you're his family) but if you are going to Rome it is worth looking into my dad's tour company to enlighten your visit. If you plan to go to Rome soon, check out www.walksofitaly.com . Thanks ;)
August 17th 2011
Rome
We had another full day today. We saw the Vatican museums, St. Peter's basilica, St. Peter's square, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and maybe the oldest Catholic church in the world. Livia came with us today! It was such a blessing to see her. It was such a blessing to be where Christ's disciples lived and dies. I was so inspired. I also saw Pope John Paul the second's grave, that was so cool! God has been blessing us so much, it's crazy. Rome has so much rich church history.
-Alyse-
August 18th 2011
Rome
Today was such a blessing! We saw the basilica of St. Paul, Sta. Maria Magiore, Sn. Juan Lattero, St. Peter's, and we climbed the steps Christ climbed. It was really such a blessed day. St. Paul's was my favorite, it was so gorgeous! Mary's church was beautiful too, and I could feel her smiling down on us. I was able to climb the steps that Christ climbed on my knees, it was a wonderful opportunity for prayer. We, well five of us, were able to catch mass at St. Peter's. It was so wonderful! While we were there, I got so excited at the thought of seeing all of the Saints, who we venerate, in heaven! I am so excited at that coming soon. It was so nice to spend the day with Livia, she is so big now, and it was a blessing to see her. I will miss her so much. Being in Rome reminded me of the majesty of the universal church, and made me realize how small we are compared to God. Well it's late now, I'll write later.
-Alyse
Being in Rome was really such a blessing, that last day especially. At St. Paul's I was able to see the chains that held St. Paul while he was in Rome. It is amazing to see the links of our church and a tangible piece of history. We aren't composed of a recent group of people who had a neat idea to do something cool, our history is built on the blood of martyrs who died for the church and for love of Christ Jesus who they knew was God. There is so much history held in Rome. It seems like most buildings are older than the United States. Another cool thing about Rome was to see an image of Mary and Jesus on almost every corner, even if the city itself is not religious, it is built on religion and love of the church. Being in Rome made me appreciate my church and it's real history so much, that visit will be one I will always hold close in my heart.
Peace and love in Christ Jesus,
Alyse
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
World Youth Day Trip Part 2- Cordoba, Spain
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to post this next part, I have been so incredibly busy/blessed this past week or so. Anyhow, here is for the next part of my trip. After we left London we headed for Cordoba, Spain, a city where I lived back in 2008. This is my journal entry from my first day there.
August 11th 2011 Cordoba
So after a day of frantic running, endless mishaps, and "that was so close"s God got us through. We were greeted in Cordoba by the parish of Sta. Beatriz de Silva. Our host family, the Morales family, was so hospitable! They made Amelie and I feel right at home. We received Christ's body at mass and had a big supper afterwards. It was so much fun! Our family is the greatest. God is sooooo good!
-Alyse
That was my first night in the parish in Spain, one that I had never been to while I had lived in Cordoba. Our group was split up, I was with Amelie, and we stayed with separate families (no family was crazy enough to accept 27 of us (-: ). My next journal entry is two days later...
August 13th 2011 Cordoba Yesterday, since I didn't write, we walked through Jewish Cordoba and had a tour of the Cathedral. We were allowed into the "Spanish Sistine Chapel" to pray and sing. The tour was such a blessing! We saw a place where a martyr carved a cross into the pillar with his finger nail. After, we came home, ate, swam, napped, and went to a get together that was a lot of fun. We stayed up till almost two talking with Luisa and Cristina. It was a great day. Today we saw an ancient hermitage at the top of a mountain. It was sooo, breathtakingly gorgeous! It was amazing to see the way those men lived. We celebrated mass and it was such a total blessing! I am going to swim again today, which will be so refreshing.
-Alyse
As you probably noticed I really enjoyed my family's pool... As mild as the weather was compared to most of the time (Cordoba is one of Spain's hottest cities) it was still nice to take a swim, especially in a non-air-conditioned country like those in Europe.
August 14th 2011 Cordoba, Spain Today has been such a blessed day. Today we went to mass, with the other pilgrims in Cordoba, at the Cathedral. It was so cool to see us united by the mass, I think it was a beautiful foreshadowing of WYD. Afterwards we shopped, I got a fan and a bunch of candy. We came back home, ate lunch, showered, and napped. We went to adoration after and there was confession. God is so good! After that, we had another BIG community meal with sharing afterwards. Almost everybody was in tears as we shared how God blessed us. It's crazy to think this is my last night here. My "mom", Luisa, shared afterwards that she loved having us, and that our faith inspired her. It blessed me to see a change in Cristina, I felt her love of our faith in her attitude. I wish I could better express to my new family how much they have blessed me. Being with them made me less home sick. God really does have a universal church, family, and I felt it here. When I lived here it was a tough time for my family and now I was able to enjoy the city for what it is. I know how much God loves us, His church on Earth, and this experience confirmed it. Now I will write for last night, because it was SO cool and I didn't get a chance to write. We went to the church I used to attend, and gathered with the other pilgrims here. There were people from the U.S, Spain, France, Canada, Iraq, and even more. We had demonstrations from the different countries. Spain put on a play of the life of St. John the baptist, and then it was our turn. We showed them Cajun dancing, I danced, it was so much fun! Then we sang a song all together. As I sang I felt God's presence so strongly. There I was, in Spain, on stage in front of a whole bunch of youth, singing to my God, the God of the universe! It was so, so, so beautiful. We had an encore and sang "Rise Up" which was awesome. After, I was Sara and said hi. Then, Amelie and I, and our family, went out to eat and for ice cream. It was a blessed day. I could write for hours, but it's late now.
-Alyse
Spain really was so blessed, and the night where we sang on stage was an experience that I will never forget as long as I live. I still miss the family I met and made in Spain, and it shows me how much people can be united through Christ and love of Him. The next portion of my trip is coming up, hopefully soon, God bless!
Peace and love in Christ, Alyse
I am sorry it has taken me so long to post this next part, I have been so incredibly busy/blessed this past week or so. Anyhow, here is for the next part of my trip. After we left London we headed for Cordoba, Spain, a city where I lived back in 2008. This is my journal entry from my first day there.
August 11th 2011 Cordoba
So after a day of frantic running, endless mishaps, and "that was so close"s God got us through. We were greeted in Cordoba by the parish of Sta. Beatriz de Silva. Our host family, the Morales family, was so hospitable! They made Amelie and I feel right at home. We received Christ's body at mass and had a big supper afterwards. It was so much fun! Our family is the greatest. God is sooooo good!
-Alyse
That was my first night in the parish in Spain, one that I had never been to while I had lived in Cordoba. Our group was split up, I was with Amelie, and we stayed with separate families (no family was crazy enough to accept 27 of us (-: ). My next journal entry is two days later...
August 13th 2011 Cordoba Yesterday, since I didn't write, we walked through Jewish Cordoba and had a tour of the Cathedral. We were allowed into the "Spanish Sistine Chapel" to pray and sing. The tour was such a blessing! We saw a place where a martyr carved a cross into the pillar with his finger nail. After, we came home, ate, swam, napped, and went to a get together that was a lot of fun. We stayed up till almost two talking with Luisa and Cristina. It was a great day. Today we saw an ancient hermitage at the top of a mountain. It was sooo, breathtakingly gorgeous! It was amazing to see the way those men lived. We celebrated mass and it was such a total blessing! I am going to swim again today, which will be so refreshing.
-Alyse
As you probably noticed I really enjoyed my family's pool... As mild as the weather was compared to most of the time (Cordoba is one of Spain's hottest cities) it was still nice to take a swim, especially in a non-air-conditioned country like those in Europe.
August 14th 2011 Cordoba, Spain Today has been such a blessed day. Today we went to mass, with the other pilgrims in Cordoba, at the Cathedral. It was so cool to see us united by the mass, I think it was a beautiful foreshadowing of WYD. Afterwards we shopped, I got a fan and a bunch of candy. We came back home, ate lunch, showered, and napped. We went to adoration after and there was confession. God is so good! After that, we had another BIG community meal with sharing afterwards. Almost everybody was in tears as we shared how God blessed us. It's crazy to think this is my last night here. My "mom", Luisa, shared afterwards that she loved having us, and that our faith inspired her. It blessed me to see a change in Cristina, I felt her love of our faith in her attitude. I wish I could better express to my new family how much they have blessed me. Being with them made me less home sick. God really does have a universal church, family, and I felt it here. When I lived here it was a tough time for my family and now I was able to enjoy the city for what it is. I know how much God loves us, His church on Earth, and this experience confirmed it. Now I will write for last night, because it was SO cool and I didn't get a chance to write. We went to the church I used to attend, and gathered with the other pilgrims here. There were people from the U.S, Spain, France, Canada, Iraq, and even more. We had demonstrations from the different countries. Spain put on a play of the life of St. John the baptist, and then it was our turn. We showed them Cajun dancing, I danced, it was so much fun! Then we sang a song all together. As I sang I felt God's presence so strongly. There I was, in Spain, on stage in front of a whole bunch of youth, singing to my God, the God of the universe! It was so, so, so beautiful. We had an encore and sang "Rise Up" which was awesome. After, I was Sara and said hi. Then, Amelie and I, and our family, went out to eat and for ice cream. It was a blessed day. I could write for hours, but it's late now.
-Alyse
Spain really was so blessed, and the night where we sang on stage was an experience that I will never forget as long as I live. I still miss the family I met and made in Spain, and it shows me how much people can be united through Christ and love of Him. The next portion of my trip is coming up, hopefully soon, God bless!
Peace and love in Christ, Alyse
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