Pope recalls WYD, prays event may inspire more vocations

Cologne, Aug. 22, 2005 (CNA) - It was a sight to remember. Nearly 700,000 pilgrims joined Pope Benedict XVI Saturday in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the evening vigil of World Youth Day 2005.

The young pilgrims stood in silence and knelt on the damp ground of Marienfeld for nearly 20 minutes to worship Jesus Christ, in Eucharist, which was placed in a monstrance on the main altar. The Pope was on a kneeler in front of the monstrance.

For Vincent Fernandez, a German pilgrim of Indian heritage, adoration was the most significant part of the evening. The Blessed Sacrament was brought to a tent, in the center of Marienfeld, which would remain open all night long.

“The most impressive thing about the vigil was the Pope kneeling before Jesus Christ,” said Fernandez, 25. “This is the first time I see the Pope and it was very special to see him kneel before the Blessed Sacrament.”

Eucharistic adoration is a perfect expression of faith and worship for this WYD since the theme is “We have come to adore him.” In deed, the Church is currently celebrating the Year of the Eucharist. Benedict has already said that John Paul had wanted WYD to be a highpoint of the Year of the Eucharist.

Genny Rojas of Costa Rica appreciated Benedict’s message that God is everlasting love and that he is calling his people to journey in a pilgrimage with Mary and the three Magi.

Fernandez was an admirer of Pope John Paul II and really appreciated the tribute to the late Pope at the beginning of the service. Pope Benedict XVI blessed a huge church bell that was dedicated to John Paul.

“I thought the tribute to John Paul was very good. “It was the very first thing he did,” said Fernandez. “This was necessary because this World Youth Day was the bridge from Pope John Paul II to Benedict XVI.”

The Pope had arrived to Marienfeld, as scheduled, at 7 p.m., and he made his way through the crowds.

The two-hour prayer service began at 8 p.m. Music was provided by World Youth Day Choir B, an Indian dance choir and a dance and music group from Ghana.

Pilgrims were given candles and, during the Service of Light, all of the candles were lit from the Light of Bethlehem. The Light of Bethlehem comes from the holy city. It was brought to about 25 churches.

To read full text of Pope Benedict’s vigil speech:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=94

Bookmarking this thread.

Thanks for all your excellent work, Salvation and NYer.

Prayers for GG's happy and safe return.

BTW, here are the threads I was able to locate about GipperGal's visit to WYD.

GIPPER GAL DIARY -- all dates are the dates articles were posted!

GIPPERGAL at WYD - "Under the Koeln Sun" [August 18, 2005]

GIPPERGAL's Daily Dispatch from WYD - Feast of the Assumption - "Meet the Group" Part 1[August 16, 2005]

GIPPER GAL's Diary for August 15 - "A boat on the Rhine!"[August 16, 2005]

DIARY UPDATE or how GipperGal charmed the Italians and VV! [August 14, 2005]

Gipper Gal's Friday Diary Entry - the train trip from Italy to Germany [August 14, 2005]

Papal Audience Part III: Bordering. Denver and the Slovak Republic - GIPPERGAL Reports! [ August 14, 2005]

Nightmare Train! - GipperGal's Italian version of the 'Orient Express'[August 12, 2005]

Benedetto Viva! Part II [Augusut 11, 2005]

"BEN-NEE-DETTO" - Become Pope, get a soccer chant - GipperGal at Papal Audience [ August 10, 2005]

A Funny Thing Happened On My To The Forum - GipperGal Rerouted through Milan - Diary Day 2 [August 9, 2005]

On A Wing And A Prayer - GipperGal Takes Off For World Youth Day [August 8, 2005]

Bless you!

Full Text of the Pope's Address

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

As our beloved John Paul II used to do after every apostolic pilgrimage, today I would also like to review with you the days spent in Cologne on the occasion of World Youth Day. Divine Providence willed that my first pastoral trip outside of Italy should have, precisely as its object, my country of origin and that it should be on the occasion of the great meeting of young people of the world, 20 years after the institution of World Youth Day, established with prophetic intuition by my unforgettable Predecessor.

After my return, I thank God from the depth of my heart for the gift of this pilgrimage, of which I have fond memories. We all felt it was a gift from God. Of course, many collaborated, but in the end the grace of this meeting was a gift from on High, from the Lord. At the same time I am grateful to all those who, with commitment and love, prepared and organized this meeting in all its phases: in the first place, the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner; Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the episcopal conference, and the bishops of Germany, with whom I met, in fact, at the end of my visit.

Then I would like to thank the authorities, organizations and volunteers who made their contribution. I am also grateful to the persons and communities that, in every part of the world, sustained the meeting with prayer, and to the sick, who offered their suffering for the spiritual success of this important meeting.

The ideal embrace with young participants in the World Youth Day began from the moment of my arrival at the Cologne-Bonn airport and became ever more charged with emotions when sailing on the Rhine from the Rodenkirchenbruecke pier to Cologne escorted by five other vessels representing the five continents. Evocative, also, was the pause in front of the Poller Rheinwiesen wharf where thousands upon thousands of young people awaited, with whom I had the first official meeting, called appropriately "welcome festival" and which had as its motto the words of the Magi "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2a).

It was precisely the Magi who were the "guides" of those young pilgrims to Christ. How significant it is that all this took place as we prepare for the conclusion of the Eucharistic Year called by John Paul II! "We Have Come to Worship Him": The theme of the meeting invited everyone theoretically to follow the Magi, and to undertake together with them an interior journey of conversion to the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, to know him, meet him, adore him, and after meeting and adoring him, to then depart bearing in spirit, in the depth of our being, his light and joy.

In Cologne, young people had repeated opportunities to reflect profoundly on these spiritual themes and felt themselves driven by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ, who in the Eucharist has promised to remain really present among us until the end of the world. I recall the different moments that I had the joy of sharing with them, especially in the Saturday evening Vigil and Sunday's concluding celebration. Millions of other young people from all corners of the earth were joined to these thought-provoking manifestations of faith thanks to providential radio and television connections.

But I would like to recall here a singular meeting, the one with the seminarians, young men called to a more radical following of Christ, Teacher and Shepherd. I wished to have a specific time dedicated to them, to highlight also the vocational dimension typical of World Youth Day. Not a few vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life have flowered in these 20 years, privileged occasions in which the Holy Spirit makes his call heard.

Very well placed in the rich context of hope of the Cologne Day, was the ecumenical meeting with representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial communities. Germany's role in the ecumenical dialogue is important whether because of the sad history of divisions or the significant part played in the path of reconciliation. I hope, moreover, that the dialogue, as a reciprocal exchange of gifts and not just of words, will contribute to make that ordered and harmonious "symphony" grow, which is Catholic unity. In such a perspective, World Youth Day represents a valid ecumenical "laboratory."

And how can I not relive with emotion the visit to the Synagogue of Cologne, where the oldest Jewish community has its headquarters? With our Jewish brothers I remembered the Shoah and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. This year, moreover, marks the 40th anniversary of the conciliar declaration "Nostra Aetate," which opened a new season of dialogue and spiritual solidarity between Jews and Christians, as well as of esteem for the other great religious traditions. Among these, a particular place is held by Islam, whose followers worship the one God and refer gladly to the Patriarch Abraham. For this reason I wanted to meet with representatives of some Muslim communities, to which I expressed the hopes and concerns of the difficult historical moment that we are going through, hoping that fanaticism and violence will be extirpated and that we will be able to collaborate together in defending always the dignity of the human person and in protecting his fundamental rights.

Dear brothers and sisters, from the heart of "old" Europe, which in the past century, unfortunately, knew horrendous conflicts and inhuman regimes, young people relaunched to the humanity of our time the message of hope that does not disappoint, because it is founded on the Word of God made flesh in Jesus Christ, dead and risen for our salvation. In Cologne, young people met and worshipped the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, in the mystery of the Eucharist and understood better that the Church is the great family through which God creates a space of communion and unity among all continents, cultures and races, a -- so to speak -- "great group of pilgrims" led by Christ, radiant star that illuminates history.

Jesus makes himself our travel companion in the Eucharist, and, in the Eucharist -- as I said in the homily of the concluding celebration, borrowing a well-known image from physics -- effects a "nuclear fission" in the depth of the being. Only this profound explosion of goodness that overcomes evil can give life to the other transformations necessary to change the world. Let us pray therefore so that the young people of Cologne will bear with them the light of Christ, who is truth and love and will spread it everywhere. In this way we will be able to witness a springtime of hope in Germany, Europe and the whole world.

[Translation by ZENIT]

[At the end of the audience, the Pope read the following summary in English:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I wish to reflect on my recent pilgrimage to Cologne for the World Youth Day. Hearing the call "Come let us worship him," young people from all cultures of the world gathered as pilgrims seeking Jesus Christ, whom we adore in the Eucharist. Together, they made a journey of interior conversion, coming to embrace and know our Lord more intimately, in order to bear witness to his light and joy.

Of particular significance was my meeting with seminarians, called to a radical following of Jesus the Shepherd and Teacher. World Youth Days have given rise to many vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. Let us pray that many more young adults will heed Christ's call!

During these days I also met with representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities with the hope that our continuing ecumenical dialogue will contribute to the goal of Christian unity. With great emotion I visited the Synagogue of Cologne where I recalled the Shoah and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. And with representatives of Muslim communities, I underlined our need to work together to eliminate fanaticism and violence and to defend the dignity of all people while promoting fundamental human rights.

Dear friends, let us together pray for our young people! Bearing the light of Christ's truth and love, may they witness to a springtime of hope in Germany, Europe and the whole world!

[The Pope then greeted pilgrims in several languages. In English, he said:]

I extend a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims here today, including groups from England, Ireland, Gibraltar, Malta, Japan, Taiwan and the United States of America. May you have a happy stay in Rome and a safe return to your homes. Upon all of you, I invoke the peace and joy of Jesus Christ our Lord!

What a wonderful read to end the night.

Thank you, NYer.

“World Youth Days have given rise to many vocations to the priesthood and religious life,” he said. “Let us pray that many more young adults will heed Christ’s call!”

My sons (12 & 16) are both considering the Priesthood. We have discussed vocations since they were very young. I hope all parents will present the religious life as an option for their children.

Thanks for posting that, NYer!

Bless you!

(But I think you are probably the exception.)

Let's not forget the vocation as a faithful, solid married guy with as many children as God gives him. The vocations crisis goes all the way around. It is particularly acute for married Catholic men...worse than the priest situation.

Pope Benedict XVI waves to pilgrims and faithful gathered in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican to attend his weekly general audience, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI said his historic visit to the synagogue was an emotional highlight of his trip to Germany, and he praised the participants in World Youth Day for helping to bring 'a springtime of hope' to the world. Benedict's Aug. 18-21 visit to Germany was his first foreign trip as pope. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Pope Benedict XVI attends his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI said his historic visit to the synagogue was an emotional highlight of his trip to Germany, and he praised the participants in World Youth Day for helping to bring 'a springtime of hope' to the world. Benedict's Aug. 18-21 visit to Germany was his first foreign trip as pope. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

You are so correct. Prayers for all married couples and their families.

Thanks for the general audience pictures!

Some reports after WYD:

Young man tells NBC Today about WYD conversion, Newsweek to feature Franciscan University

After Cologne: The Remarkable Lesson of Professor Ratzinger (A Must Read Analysis!)