Closing Reflections - Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ! It is with much gratitude that I write these closing reflections. The heart is so full, I'm not quite sure where to begin.

Just to share...I don't usually like to travel, and I've never really had a desire to go to a particular place, on a pilgrimage or anything of that sort. Even past world youth days, I enjoyed hearing about it but never really desired to attend. Sometime in April or May of this year (can't quite remember the time frame) the Lord put a very strong desire in my heart to attend WYD in Australia. Not only was there a strong desire, but simultaneous to this, there was a sense of knowing that somehow I would be going. I can't tell you how or why, I just knew. When Sister Joseph Louise mentioned to me in passing one day that I had a very important letter in my mailbox - even before retrieving it, I knew it was something connected to WYD. And indeed it was. It was a letter requesting that I and another sister represent our community for this wondrous event. In the privacy of our office, I did a bit of jumping up and down. :) Even some holy hollering. :)

Skipping ahead...when one of the Nashville Dominicans approached me in Australia and spoke about the possibility of my receiving Holy Communion from our Holy Father, I was indeed surprised and grateful beyond words, but there was with it, the same sense of knowing...knowing that somehow I would see this pope whom I so love...and gratitude that the Lord chose to plan it in this way.

Why do I mention all this? Simply because it encompasses my WYD experience. It speaks so clearly of God's unfailing love and generosity, His lavishness, His attention to every detail, His fidelity. The Lord is God. Sometimes I forget this. The Lord is by my side, my Helper, my Guide, my Friend, my Beloved. Sometimes I forget this too. It's the human element that draws us many times to be self-sufficient and selfish. Nothing to beat oneself over the head with because in a certain sense it's part of the human experience. But my coming to Sydney was our Lord asking me in a particular way to abide in His love and to experience it in a particular way. He brought me out all this way to show me how much it is that He loves me. This may sound a bit funny to state it so...but it's something that we each in our own way have to be deeply convicted of. We have to know God loves us. We have to know and believe that if it were only me, He would still have died on the cross. Conviction in this love is what will inspire and draw us to be whole-hearted in our own unique individual response. When one is loved and knows it, one cannot help but want to reciprocate that love. Thank you for reading and for letting me share my blessings with you.

Sister Mary Scholastica

Final Reflections on WYD from Sister Grace Helena

Praised be Jesus Christ! World Youth Day has come to a close and I cannot help but reflect on the great grace of realizing how every soul really longs for truth. This may seem elementary to many because if we are made in the image and likeness of God, of course, we long for ultimate Truth, which is our Creator. In day-to-day living, though, our activities and responsibilities, many times, hinder us from reflecting on the truth that each soul is infinitely loved by God and that actual grace is working at every millisecond of each person's life to be drawn to know Him and desire Him. I have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in a new way through my opportunity to participate in WYD. This power was revealed to me to be very gentle and unassuming.

I had always pictured the "power of the Holy Spirit" as something very forceful and strong. My encounters with those who attended WYD (old and young alike), those who observed from afar, those who were skeptical at first, those who are of other faiths - have helped me to understand in a new way that the Holy Spirit is gentle and He allows each individual to grow at their own pace...and grapple, if necessary, to understand truth - just as Jacob wrestled with the angel all night. No person is left in the dust, so to speak - God is active in every soul, it is simply a matter of consent on the person's part to open their heart to His inspirations - and even then it does not happen like a Saint Paul conversion being thrown off his horse - no, the Spirit works in slow, gentle, and quiet movements of the soul for most common folk. I witnessed this gentle opening of people's souls to His inspirations - many did not even realize that this was what was happening and yet by either their questions, their thoughts shared, and their willingness to listen to others' thoughts - one could see that the Holy Spirit was living and active, and working with souls where they were at.

I have been told that this WYD held the great gift of very accessible adoration throughout the city. The youth were able to kneel before our Lord in almost every venue and could find Him in many places anytime of the day or night through the week - what a tremendous outpouring of grace! And what is prayer before our Lord but an encounter with the living God Who transforms us and molds us and teaches us to pray for one another as He intercedes for us daily before the Father. Having a half a million youth praying for our world, our Church, and one another must have resounded in heaven and made the angels both weep for joy and rejoice - and how it must have worked in the hearts of the people of Australia and around the world! Hearts were opened because of prayer - how powerful is prayer when we ask sincerely before our Heavenly Father.

The gift of having our Holy Father so close to us is beyond words. There is a grace with the Office of Peter that transcends boundaries of faith - people of different faiths shared how happy they were to have Pope Benedict visit Sydney. There was a tug in my heart when I heard that his plane left for Rome. I thank our Lord for the gift of my faith, to have had an opportunity to be a witness of His love, and to be transformed (God-willing) by my encounter with others who are living witnesses of their faith.

As Sister Mary Scholastica and I close our reflections,ending our World Youth Day journaling in the blogging world I hold each of you in my heart. My prayer for each person who has walked this journey with us and those who have been touched in other ways through this grace-filled time is that you will be drawn more deeply into the truth that you are uniquely loved by God and that He desires your friendship as though you were the only person on earth. May the Holy Spirit be our beacon of light and burn brightly in our souls so that we truly will be His witnesses before the world and give testimony to the power of His love and mercy in our lives.
With much love and gratitude...
Sister Grace Helena

Day 17...The Last Day at the Cathedral

I pray this day was filled with many blessings and graces for each of you. Praised be Jesus Christ! Today was our last day of "official" work at Saint Mary's Cathedral. I was surprised at how many pilgrims were still coming through. The morning was a bit slow, but by the time we left, around 2:00 PM, there were at least 1000 people who had gone through and a group of about 2000 had reserved a time slot shortly after we left!

Today was very low key, which I am grateful for. The Australians continue to tell us how much they loved having us here. Many have tears in their eyes and ask us to stay. I am very edified by the simplicity of their gratitude, their openness, and their inhibition to speak with us about the impact this last week has had on them. Sometimes, it seems, pride keeps us from showing and expressing gratitude...these people are so gracious and desire truth...and have taught me much about humility. These past two and half weeks have showered Australia and us with torrents of graces. May we give as much as we have received (...and more).

God bless each of you. I have loved Australia and my time here...but, I am looking forward to being home. I miss you all very much.
Sister Grace Helena

Praised be Jesus Christ! I ditto what SGH has written above. AND I also look very much to returning home. Praying for all of you!
Sister Mary Scholastica

Day 16 - General Audience with our Holy Father

Praised be Jesus Christ! Today our Holy Father left Australia to head home for Rome. We had the tremendous gift of attending a general audience with him this morning (it was for all volunteers and staff - all 8,000+ of us). SGH and I left the college early in hopes of getting there before the bulk of the crowd. Our efforts were duly rewarded. And even in this, the good Lord watched over us. We missed a bus and got a bit turned around as to which direction we were supposed to go which happened to be providential as another volunteer flagged us down as we were about to turn a corner and gave us a ride to the Domain where the event was held. Otherwise we would not have gotten the spots that we did. We were close enough to see the emblem on his stole - which means we were quite close. I took photos to share with you. What a beautiful pope we have!

I cannot begin to tell you what it was like to be so close to Peter (meaning PBXVI). To pray with him, to be blessed by him, to be with him. And just so you know...all the blessings we received from him this week were received for all of you. Please God, may it bear fruit.

After our morning audience SGH and I headed back to St. Mary's Cathedral as we were on duty. Both of us were manning different stations connected to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati - Sister by his relics, and I passing out booklets on him in the front section. We were probably busier today than most other days, praise God! We also had an opportunity to meet his niece who was actually leaving Australia today to return home to Turin. A blessing. The days have been quite full and sometimes long - and though our time here has been abundantly grace-filled, I do look forward to returning home.

Sisters, the following send their greetings: Fr. Bob Lombardo, Fr. James Adams, Fr. John Montejano, and I know there are many more but my mind draws a blank.

We miss Pope Benedict but rejoice in the blessings afforded us with his presence. God bless and good night.
Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ! Happy Belated Feastday, Sister Maria Elia! I am sorry we did not greet you on your day... actually, your day for us was a day early for you...anyways, I prayed for you and hope your day was filled with every blessing from our Lord!

A quick reflection about the closing Mass at Randwick Racetrack...

I do not know how many priests con-celebrated, but there were many. We had met many throughout the week who were having difficulty getting accredited in order to participate in the Mass. This means that they needed to go through a screening process, and for whatever reason there were many difficulties for many priests. We assured them all of our prayers. Today, the day after the closing Mass, we providentially saw two of these priests and they said their accreditation came through at the last minute - many more priests said the same thing. I asked a priest I met today at the cathedral how he felt to be so close to the Holy Father and to con-celebrate Mass with him. His response was that it was the best experience of his life so far, he said it was an honor and gave him new energy to go back home. Another priest told me that the sacrifice of having to wait to the last minute - the 'not knowing for sure' - was difficult for him, but that he realized our Lord was asking this sacrifice of him for graces that were needed this week. As I spoke with them, I thought: Men of faith and prayer - men willing to be molded and led by the Holy Spirit. How much we need to pray for our priests!

As most of you probably saw, the Mass was beautiful. Pope Benedict spoke so eloquently. The young people were really listening. The opportunity to to be in the same place with our Holy Father has been such a gift. I know Sister and I keep saying this, but when you are near him there is an undeniable grace.

This morning there was a special meeting with the Holy Father for all the volunteers. We were a part of the volunteer work force! We woke up very early and tried to get to the place of "Meeting" before the other 8000 volunteers showed up. Well, we were about the 1001st and 1002nd volunteers to beat every one else to the front lines :) We actually found a very good spot very close, as you will see from the pictures Sister took. She was able to get some great pictures of our Holy Father. To be soooo close to him that you could actually see his smile and his reactions as people spoke, this was very special. It felt a little lonely when he left the stage, knowing that he was on his way to the airport. How deeply bonded we are in the Mystical Body of Christ.

On our bus ride back to the college after working at the cathedral a young woman thanked us for being here and shared how joyful our presence made Sydney. She was speaking of all the pilgrims and the WYD events. She did not participate in the WYD, but her sincerity and genuine gratitude was resonant of so many, many other Austalians and Sydneysiders (as those who live in Sydney are called). Today, there was a bittersweet feeling amongst many as the Holy Father returned home. We miss him already.

Have a blessed day. With many prayers for you.
Sister Grace Helena

Day 15...The Vigil and Closing Mass

Praised be Jesus Christ Sisters! Made it home from the closing Mass! What a week to remember. Last night's vigil as you probably already know was beautiful. I almost don't want to go into a blow by blow account simply because I'm still processing it myself and am also a bit under the weather. I'm sure SGH will do a nice job explaining it all to you.

All I can share was that it was an immense gift to be in the presence of our Holy Father(even from afar) and words cannot express what it is like to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with Pope - Christ's Vicar on earth. God bless and good night.
Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ! We have just returned from the pilgrimage Vigil and Mass with our Holy Father. The whole event was blessed. First of all I wanted to share that the Saturday Mass in which Sister Mary Scholastica received Holy Communion from our Holy Father was really heavenly! I was not sure if I could get in due to the special invitations necessary, in fact, I was told I could not. At 8:15 AM I decided to venture across to a nearby park where the American Bishops were celebrating Mass for the American pilgrims when I saw a small group of Sisters who were on their way to the cathedral. They, too, had been told they could not get in, but heard that there was a good chance we could - so I turned around and went back. We were able to get in without a problem. What a special moment to see Pope Benedict as he was processing down the aisle. I was not seated where I could see him during the Mass, but it just was not important. There was a sense of gift - freely given to uplift and plant deeply in the soul that this moment in time was eternal - just as our destiny is. Nothing seemed to matter but being present to each moment of the Mass. There were monitors throughout the cathedral so that all the faithful could see what was happening throughout the Mass. The consecration of the altar was beautiful! I have never seen a dedication of an altar or church before. The prayers were powerful and inspiring, as they can be connected with our own consecration and total gift of self.

After the morning Mass, SMS and I packed and began our pilgrim walk with four other Sisters. It was blessed and quite "pain-free", as pilgrimages go :) We prayed along the way, as well as visited with pilgrims. When we arrived at Randwick Racetrack, it was already packed - the trek to find our assigned area took as long as the pilgrimage walk, itself! By the time we found it, almost all the CMSWR Sisters were there. We squeezed in and, as WYD Vigil camp outs go, began to make friends very quickly, as you are in very tight quarters - the young people were very respectful and went out of their way to offer us water, a pillow (!), vigil candles -good young people! SMS and I had the late evening/morning shift at different Adoration tents. I was assigned to the tent with the Sisters of Charity. It was truly lovely. At 10:00 PM, when my shift began, I found the tent packed to the gills. It started to loosen up around 12:30 AM. Adoration and Confessions were going on throughout the whole night - and the priests remained busy. God's grace is strong. I was there until about 1:15 AM, then made it back to our campsite by 2:15 AM.

The Holy Father drove around the race track before beginning Mass - we were able to see him really well - the driver drove a lot slower this time :) Our Holy Father's smile is so endearing... I am going to write this in two installments...to be continued tomorrow....tomorrow we will write about the Mass.

A quick reflection...have you ever been in a place with a half a million people and heard the silence? That's what happened during Holy Communion and through many parts of the Mass - there was such reverence. There is deep faith - it needs to be nurtured in our young people, that's all. We are blessed. God bless you. With much love in our Lord,
Sister Grace Helena

Day 14...Holy Mass with the Holy Father

Praised be Jesus Christ! We wanted to share a little bit with you before we headed off for the pilgrim walk - for the evening vigil at Randwick park as we wouldn't be returning home until the afternoon the following day. We are on duty at the Cathedral right after the Sunday colsing Mass for WYD.

SGH and I headed towards St. Mary's Cathedral bright and early this morning at 5am. By the time we got there quite a few seminarians had already formed a line. At this point SGH and I were placed in seperate lines. Jumping ahead...I was seated 5 pews behind the con-celebrating priests which means I was quite close to the altar. About 9:15ish, our Holy Father processed into the Cathedral - preceded by "Viva el Papa" which is why we knew he was coming. If I wanted to - I could have stretched over (really stretched)and touched him which is how close I was as he was coming down the main aisle. What a beautiful pope we have!! Holy Mass was heaven on earth - words can't quite describe what it is like to attend Mass when the Vicar of Christ is the main celebrant. The ritual, the music...everything simply lifted your heart and mind from this earth to that which is above. Receiving holy communion from our Holy Father was a beautiful grace. We lined up in single file and went up onto the sanctuary where they had a kneeler in place for us to kneel and receive communion from his Holiness. All the way up and in my thanksgiving afterwards, I prayed for you Mother and sisters and knew you to be there with me. I don't think I can adequately describe the blessings of this mornings Mass and so will stop here and will hope to do so better later.

I write on behalf of SGH and myself. God bless you dear Sisters! Pope Benedict, we love you! SMScholastica

Day 13...Stations of the Cross and Old Friends

Praised be Jesus Christ! The two Carmelite pilgrims ventured out to Saint Patrick's Cathedral across town for noon Mass and onto Barangaroo for the Stations of the Cross. What has really been striking me the most about the crowds is how very peaceful and quiet they are - really - they are very calm and quiet. We were walking through the streets with literally 1000's of others and both of us could converse in a normal tone of voice, enjoy meeting others without asking twice (because of noise level) what they said, and walk without being run over or pushed. All the pilgrims are very respectful and truly enjoying their time - there is a lot of singing and dancing in the streets. Just for a reality check: there is a tunnel we have to walk through in order to get into Barangaroo - and when the young people walk through it, its an open invitation to hoot and sing as loud as they can to get the echoes - they're normal young people.

We arrived early to our assigned area and enjoyed our lunch...and from here I will let Sister Mary Scholastica share the two graces we received today.

God bless you all. I am praying for you in a special way during these days.

Sister Grace Helena

Greetings everybody! I suppose praised be Jesus Christ would be more fitting! The days have been quite full here and we are trying to be open to all the gifts and graces the Lord is sending us.

1st off...when we first arrived in Barangaroo (the place we were assigned to for the Stations of the Cross) we were placed in an area where you couldn't see anything at all...not even the screen (though we were content as it was a nice spot). As providence would have it, a large group of British pilgrims found there way next to us. We met their priest chaperones (beautiful priests) and their archbishop who was also accompanying them. The good Archbishop did a bit of exploring and found another area which was much more accomodating and so led his crowd of 90 pilgrims (to whom 2 Carmelite sisters were annexed) to an area where we had the pretty much the best view. :) Isn't God good!?

Low and behold...as the evening progressed we ran into our "old" friends from Washington. Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church! What a small world! We cannot even begin to tell you all the people we've seen here who are friends of the community. Well...the sisters have a very striking habit (white) and so when they came through the sea of people, you can imagine how happy we were to see them. We prayed the Stations of the Cross together and as providence would bless us again, found a nice spot by the harbor to enjoy our dinner. What a lovely evening it was. They send you all their greeings. They are doing well - and look oh so happy.

I'm going to close this up so I can take care of some other things on our end. Australia is an awfully nice place. :) Though I miss you all, it will be a sad time when we leave here. We do plan on coming home. :) Prayers tomorrow - Holy Mass with the Holy Father tomorrow morning and then the pilgrim walk for the vigil. Good night all!

Sister Mary Scholastica

Day 12...The Papal Dash

Praised be Jesus Christ to everyone! We are sorry for not sharing reflections yesterday. We arrived back at the campus about 11:00 pm and as it was a long day - the better part of valor, for the sake of writing a coherent reflection, was to wait until today.

Today was the official welcome of the Holy Father, which I am sure many of you have already read or heard about. The welcome was glorious. A reporter in The Australian, this morning's edition, reported that the clouds were covering the sky and when the Holy Father got off the boat at the harbor, the clouds parted and the sun streamed through and filled the harbor and dock area - the reporter stated: "coincidence or divine providence?" Very nice!! :)

We were not at the harbor but had tickets for a park by the cathedral called the "Domain". We were able to watch our Holy Father on a big screen. Once again, it was a very pleasant and grace-filled experience. SMS and I left for the "Domain" early and were one of the first 50 or so pilgrims to be let in - which allowed us to survey the lay of the land and pick a very nice spot by the road our Holy Father would pass by in the pope mobile. We had a simple picnic lunch next to a lovely family with four girls. Since we arrived very early (noon), we had a good five hour wait before the Holy Father would be driving by, so we spent our time talking with pilgrims.

About 5:30 our Holy Father arrived at the "Domian." We were about twelve feet from him as he passed by. Although the driver sped by quickly - much quicker than any of us anticipated would happen - I felt blessed beyond measure. It's hard to explain the feeling - I am not even sure you can call it a 'feeling' because it was more of a knowing that our Lord was so near and so present in this man who has been called to be His voice to us. Grace, mystery, gift, and communion - these are the words that resound in the soul as I contemplate the Office of Peter, Vicar of Christ, to us all.

After the "Papal Dash" - which is actually coined by the pilgrims and the reporters -as pilgrims who run far ahead of the pope mobile to get a second and sometimes a third look at the Holy Father as he is passing by. We, on the other hand, truly felt it was a "papal dash' because of the speed at which the driver was going past us:-) We then, headed to the cathedral for our shift at the crypt of the cathedral for Adoration. Before we went to our posts, the sacristan gave us an unexpected gift (are we surprised anymore?:). He walked SMS and I through the vesting rooms of the cathedral and gave us a whole history lesson of the building - it was originally a Benedictine Monastery. He took us to the Cardinal's vesting room where the Holy Father will vest for Mass tomorrow morning. This will be the Mass SMS will receive Holy Communion from His Holiness. The rooms are filled with portraits fo the first cardinals, also relics - very regal and stately...and old. We were thrilled, to say the least.

We love you and pray for you. God reward you for the various greetings we received on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. To the brides: we just watched the slide show - you all look beautiful and radiant - you were in our hearts and prayers ALL DAY and leading up to the day. To our new novices - your names fit you perfectly - how beautiful they are! We are blessed to have you as our sisters!! We miss you and look forward to sharing more this evening. God bless you!

Sister Grace Helena and Sister Mary Scholastica

Day 11...Celebrating our Lady of Mount Carmel in Australia

Praised be Jesus Christ! Happy feast day of our Lady of Mount Carmel dear Sisters! Our day unfolded to be a bit different than we planned - but all in the good Lord's plans. We ended up going to one of the catechesis sites (near the college) due to an invitation we had received to attend. Many of the young people were from NY, MN area and it was brought to our attention that they did not usually have an opportunity to see sisters, so we went to be be present with them. It was meant for us to be there as Bishop DiMarzo having a devotion to our Lady of Mount Carmel spoke beautifully about her and the scapular.

SGH and I had a dual shift...meaning I had the the day shift and SGH the evening...and as we usually are present with each other, we ended up having a particularly full day. SGH and I are stationed at St. Mary's Cathedral pretty much for all our assignments which is a huge gift in itself, as we are the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, our Lady, Bl. Pier Giorgio and so many faith-filled pilgrims. ALSO, the Pope's residence is right next door believe it or not. B/c our Holy Father was supposed to be arriving today, security was tight to the max. We cannot even begin to tell you how many officers and check points we had to go through. This was quite an adventure in itself.

We have an unexpected GIFT that was given to us today. SGH was assigned down in the crypt where there is on-going adoration. She came to know that our Holy Father was going to be coming into town sooner than later. Sometime in the evening, you could hear the helicopter circling quite low and a bit of commotion off to one end of the outer area of the crypt. Sister non-chalantly walked over and then beckoned for me to come over. I must say that I was a bit hesitant as I could see a lot of police activity and didn't know if it would be a good idea. But Sister motioned to me again and I KNEW that I had to head over to where she was ASAP. By God's grace, she and I saw the back of our Holy Father as he came out of the one of the cars and headed into the Cardinal's residence (which is where he is staying). From what Sister mentioned, he was about 100 yards away from us and minus the security guards and police men, we were the only other ones in the area who knew what was going on. Talk about blessing!

The above note is from the both of us - but I (SMS) wanted to insert this section as a personal note. For the last 2 days, I've been working in the Cathedral in the section allotted to Bl. Pier Giorgio. There is truly a genuine joy of the people in wanting to know more about him to such a degree that the joyfulness that was apparent in Pier Giorgio's life seems to permeate the halls of the Cathedral as well. I had to share this with you as I was one who did not really grow up with a devotion to saints. And speaking about Pier Giorgio to others brought great joy to my own heart in a way that I had not experienced before. Thanks for reading.

SGH's edit: Pier Giorgio's niece arrived in town today. We hope to be able to meet her tomorrow as she will be near Bl. Pier Giorgio's crypt for the next few days. The Holy Father "officially" arrives tomorrow by boat, first, through the harbor; then, he will drive through the streets of Sydney. So, if we have an opportunity to say hello (hey, you never know...we have been receiving an abundance of graces and "surprises" from our Lord...ask big!), we will mention the 3 brides, 2 novices, and our feastday sisters...HAPPY FEASTDAY 'Up and Over'!!!!

With much love and prayers through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Sister Mary Scholastica and Sister Grace Helena

Day 10...Opening Mass for WYD

Praised be Jesus Christ to everyone!

Today, as all the others, was exceptionally graced. We met with nine other sisters from our group and found our way to Barangaroo in Darling Harbor, which was the place of the opening Mass for World Youth Day. (A little history lesson: "Barangaroo" is the name of the wife of an indigenous King named "Bennelong." Both he and his wife had influence in the colonization of Sydney.) We were actually one of the first couple of 1000 that arrived - which was very nice. We were able to find our area with "no worries" - that's a famous Aussie phrase :) We got our lunch within 15 minutes of entering our area - another blessing. The young people were so excited and you could feel the genuine happiness of the people - it was an excitement that was not obnoxious or hysterical - it was true joy with a peace. This peace seemed to ripple through the crowd of about 150,000people as Mass began, because there was an amazing quiet and reverence during the whole of the Mass. At the last minute, the Sisters, along with many pilgrims, were ushered into the VIP section - there were empty chairs. Though we were not super close, we had chairs to sit on (a blessing from our Lord!) and we could see the stage. As the Mass proceeded, I marveled at the quiet hush that fell over the masses - it was very reverent. Holy Communion was the same. There was a quiet peace. If the pilgrims were not singing, they were in silent thanksgiving - there was a true sense of the sacred.

Cardinal Pell's words: "You must let the Holy Spirit mold you,be open...be docile to the Holy Spirit so that He can guide you in your life." Profoundly simple. The young people we have met thus far (and we saw many more today that we know personally) want this very much. For those Sisters who may not know, the theme for World Youth Day is taken from Acts 1:8 - "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be My witnesses."

I prayed for you very specailly - I know that we are one day ahead of you, but my Mass was offered for you all onthe vigil of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (for us, anyways...)and for the 3 brides and our 2 new novices, soon to be. We love you all!!!

Sister Grace Helena

I will keep this short as it has been quite a full day. The opening Mass for WYD was truly beautiful. There were literally thousands of people present and though so many...the spirit of prayer and quiet was very evident during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As many of you know, I love music. And what I found so deeply moving was to see and hear all these young people from around the world singing with their whole hearts...esp. when they recognized the songs. The oneness was tangible. And the underlying spirit present amongst the pilgrims brought tears to your eyes on a continual basis.

Cardinal Pell spoke beautifully to the young people and called them on to faithfulness. Hearing him speak and hearing the Cardinal (who heads the office at the Vatican that oversees these sort of gatherings) speak at the end of Mass made one reminiscent of our late Holy Father who was very present this evening.

We saw many young women whom we know from around the US which in itself was a joy. Imagine! What a small world we live in! All in all, it was a grace to be there. I kept having to tell myself that I was at WYD and that I was in Australia. Tis a little past 11pm our time so I think I will call it a night. God bless and blessed night to you! I think SGH sent out greetings to all and assured certain sisters who are looking forward to the 16th of our prayers so I will leave it at that.

Sister Mary Scholastica

Day 9...The Big News!

Praised be Jesus Christ Sisters and friends!!! We arrived home late last night and because we couldn't open our eyes long enough to share the wonders of the day - we thought we'd save it for today.

SGH will share with you about our day yesterday. What I'd like to do is to share with you some very SPECIAL news! :) About a week ago, a very dear Nashville Dominican was looking for an Asian (young) Sister to be one of the few to receive Holy Communion from our Holy Father. She shared that as she was thinking where in the world she would come across such a sister...I walked by her to attend Mass. Needless to say, we connected. She shared the possibility with me and told me that I needed to await the Bishop's approval. As you know we don't usually celebrate birthdays (for those not sisters reading this...) we celebrate our feast days. Well, yesterday (Australian time) happened to be my birthday and the good Lord lavished many gifts upon me. Among the many blessings, the greatest that I received yesterday was an "official" invitation to attend Holy Mass with the Holy Father on Saturday when he will consecrate the new altar at the Cathedral and I will be one of the 50 to receive holy communion from him. Talk about pure gift! SGH, the Nashvilles in a very particular way and the CMSWR sisters made the day so amazingly special. Growing up my family didn't celebrate birthdays, it wasn't a bad thing...it just wasn't something we did. Well, yesterday was the mother birthday of birthdays and I think I will be forever 21. :) Sisters, I think you get this last part and for those of you not sisters...I am very obviously not 21. :) God bless you, you are in my prayers and here comes SGH with her part. She'll share with you another wonderful unexpected gift we received which was kind of cream on the topping - I was just told the colloquial is "icing on the cake". :) :) :) :)
Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ! First of all, we want to wish Sister Juanita and Sister Kateri a belated feastday (actually: "Happy Feast day, Sister Kateri! As today is yesterday for you!...still the 14th 'up and over')...we prayed for you very specially on your special days. (Edit from SMS - oopsie...we did. Glad SGH is mentioning it.)

Now, for a gift we received before the BIG gift...As sister and I were working at the cathedral, we heard that Archbishop Chaput from Denver was going to celebrate Mass at Sydney University, no less - that's where we are staying! It was confirmed throughout the day, through hearsay only, from different Sisters, as we really had no one to confirm the Mass time with. Sister and I had to be at the cathedral very early for our shift so we had not yet attended Mass. We decided to try for the 6:00 PM Mass at Sydney Univ., hoping the speculation was correct - and it was. As we walked in to "The Great Hall" on the campus, we saw our Archbishop from Denver. Sister and I greeted him - there were very few people there at the time we arrived - and we were able to spend a few minutes speaking with His Excellency. He sends his greetings to all the Sisters. What a wonderful priest - very fatherly.

After Mass, we attended the first event of WYD at the Sydney Opera House. (The Sydney Opera House is world famous. Usually tickets for a regular concert would be $120.00 and up. The architecture, which you will see in the pictures we took is very striking. We heard that people come from all over even just to look at the public restrooms which gives you a sense of the unique grandeur of the place.) It was a choral concert of Sacred Music. Right before we had left for Mass we were invited to go, as some of the Sisters had obtained tickets and there were two extra - another surprise from our Spouse. SMS had really wanted to see this concert - and so had I - but more so, SMS, as she has such a love and gift for Music - so - we went (another birthday gift for SMS :-)! (The concert has booked to capacity for many weeks now, that's why we originally could not make plans to go.) It was beautiful. The singing was amazing. There were two different choral groups - the first was very interesting, as the choir director gave us the history of each piece beforehand - this I loved - it really helped me to appreciate the piece more. So, we received a European and Church History lesson, as well:-)

We miss you very much and are grateful for the opportunity to be present here - representing our Community. And what a special gift of His love to have SMS receive Communion from our Holy Father. One of the Sisters from the group mentioned to me how special it must be for me - and it is - I replied that it is a gift for our whole community, as she takes each of us with her in her heart. We each do every day, don't we? I feel as though I have received this gift with Sister and it has made this trip a gift beyond gifts for us both!

We pray for you each day. We love you.

Sister Grace Helena

To Sister Teresa Mary's dad...

Dear Proud Dad of Sister Teresa Mary, RSM :) ...Sister is indeed with us. AND we will be sure to surprise her with a greeting from dad. What a small world!! God bless you!!! Carmelite Sisters in Australia!

Day 8...Carmelite "Day Trippers"

Praised be Jesus Christ! It's 2:35 am your time - 7:40pm our time and we have had the most delightful day. SGH and I were not assigned to work today and decided to take the grand tour around Sydney while we still could. Sydney has this lovely thing called the "day tripper" - a ticket which enables you to go on all trains, buses and ferries for a flat rate. Guess what we did??

The morning began with Mass at St. Joseph's in which they had the most unusual painting of Edith Stein. We'll take a picture to show you. From there we headed out for our grand adventure. Beginning with a train ride from Central Station we made our way to Sydney Harbor at which we boarded our first ferry. Lovely! We made our way over to Manly Harbor where we received many unexpected gifts from the good Lord on our "p-day". There was a group of Australian bagpipers who were on the corner in their garb playing and dancing for the people in hopes to raise money. We enjoyed their music and dancing, a walk along the shoreline and free coffee with the Sisters of Life (whom we ran into). Free coffee being offered by one of the shop owners who seemed delighted to be of service to us. We hopped back onto the ferry, made our way back to Sydney Harbor and then hopped onto another ferry for Darling Harbor. The ride was beautiful! After about 20 min. or so at Darling, we hopped back onto another ferry and enjoyed the beauty of the boatride with the lights along the shoreline illuminating the water and the city. We did a lot of hopping in and out of buses/trains and ferries...and I must say that it was most delightful. SGH edit: (IT SURE WAS!).

We enjoyed the sights with you and for you...since you were not able to be with us here in person. Tomorrow begins world youth week - and our days are looking to be pretty full. We look forward to seeing what He has in store for us tomorrow. We shall keep you posted. God bless, good night (or good morning we should say - for you all) and know that we love you and pray for you.

Sister Mary Scholastica and Sister Grace Helena

Day 7...A Walk to the Harbor...

Praised be Jesus Christ! Just wanted to share a bit of what my day looked like today and SGH will share with you her 2 cents. I had the early morning (5:30am) airport shift which was quite quiet. We were supposed to be there to greet incoming volunteers and direct them to wherever they needed to go. Because I missed the morning Mass with the other sisters, after my shift ended I made my way to St. Benedict's Church for mid-day Mass only to learn that the Church was closed. While there, the Lord put two other people in my path. Father Carlo (a Son of Divine Providence - that's the name of his community - an Australian priest working in Jordan) and a lady from South Carolina, USA. Both were heading towards St. Mary's Cathedral (my ultimate destination) and both were searching for a place to attend(and in Father's case to celebrate) Mass. We ended up befriending each other and it truly was a God-sent as forging my way through downtown Sydney by myself was not the best idea though I wanted to walk it versus the bus. (Impressed?!?) En route to the Cathedral, we happened to pass by St. Peter Julian's Catholic Church where a Mass was just finished. Met some people we know from CA! While there Father received permission to celebrate Mass and we had a private Mass when we thought it wouldn't be a possibility at all. What a wonderful gift!!

While making our way to the Cathedral (with me acting as the guide...which is why we made a slight detour almost to the harbor...by accident) we crossed paths with a group of about 100 young people playing guitars and singing with all their hearts and on the top of their lungs I might add. Twas so beautiful. We've met so many wonderful people here who are slowly but surely opening their hearts to us. Even the bus driver today let us get on for free. Now that's a BIGEE. Prayed for you all in the crypt of the Cathedral - one of the adoration sites. Miss you all. God bless you!

Sister Mary Scholastica, OCD

While Sister Mary Scholastica woke up VERY early this morning to help greet the pilgrims arriving at the airport, I was able to slow my pace just slightly. I went to Saint Joseph's Church for morning Mass. This little church is quietly tucked away in the neighborhood around the corner from Sydney University where we are staying. It was a 10 minute walk - very exhilarating in the crisp weather right now (its cooled off a bit since we have arrived). I was, once again, struck by the humility of the priest and his love for his priesthood. All the priests we have met thus far have such a tender love for the Church.

The pilgrims are now steadily streaming in...many from the United States. I was stationed at the cathedral today - at Pier Giorgio's remains. I met pilgrims today from every continent and, though, there were times when I could not speak their language, it was amazing how we were able to communicate...and actually understand one another! The Mystical Body... I met a group of teens from Taiwan who were standing around talking near Pier Giorgio's remains - not paying any attention to the fact that they were so close to something so sacred, I asked them if they knew about Pier Giorgio, they didn't - now, this whole conversation was in broken English on both ends :-) By the end I understood that they were here only for three days and going on to study somewhere - I told them about Pier being a student and loving school and encouraged them to ask him to intercede for them, soon all of them were kneeling at his reliquary praying to him. Good young people..the desire for truth and the openness to it is there - there is so much hope in our youth.

In contrast to this group of young people, a very elderly woman, who spoke very little English came up to me, took my hand, and said only two words: "Beautiful church." Then, her eyes filled with tears and she made the sign of the cross on herself over and over, then she walked out of the cathedral very slowly. I felt, in that 30 second exchange, as though I was privileged to peer into the soul of one who had suffered much in life, yet had found the beauty in her relationship with God through everything - it was a true sense of the sacred at that moment.

Our world becomes so small when you realize that every soul is longing for only one thing - union with God.

With much gratitude and love for all of you in His Divine Mercy,
Sister Grace Helena

P.S. I just read SMS's "reflection" and wanted to share that she was tour guide for me, as well, after my shift...and we DID end up down at the harbor. Nice walk, but in the opposite direction of our destination. I forgive her. :-)

Day 6...The pilgrims are coming!

Praised be Jesus Christ! Today SGH and SMS began working as official Evangelisation Team members at the Cathedral. The Sydney Archdiocese has a very well organized event here - hopefully we will have pictures to share of the amazing venues and catechesis sites set up...so much work put in.

We received another surprise...it seems that all our surprises have been coming to us very gently with no "hurry and scurry" to be somewhere - Our Lord just puts us at the right place at the right time. We were told at our orientation this morning that Cardinal Pell and Bishop Fisher would be at the Cathedral for the unveiling of the official painting of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, under whose patronage this WYD has been entrusted. SMS and SGH were assigned about 15 yards from the painting in the cathedral, at Pier Giorgio's remains! As the time drew near we went over to where the painting was covered and waited; then, were invited closer by those "in charge". We struck up a conversation with a very friendly family and discovered they were the artist's family. At 11:00 AM Cardinal Pell, Bishop Fisher, and Cardinal Pio Laghi from the Pontifical Council for the Laity arrived and the Cardinal unveiled the painting. It is very stunning and quite realistic. The artist is a portraitist and our Lady and the Baby Jesus look very real - just as a painted portrait would look.

This is a mutually written blog tonight...we love you and continue to keep you very present in our hearts and prayers.

Sister Mary Scholastica and Sister Grace Helena

Days 4 and 5...Bishops and the Cathedral

Greetings again. Tis the two from "down under". Just a note - this paragraph is re: Day 4. SGH will cover day 5. I'll keep this brief for reasons I shall keep to myself... :) but Sister and I just wanted to give you a brief overview, update on our life here in Australia. It seems as if in-services have been the "in" thing these past couple of days. We're at work at the registration center taking calls and "trying" to be helpful. The two highlights really would be the opportunities to attend Mass with the associate bishops from this area. Noon Mass was celebrated by Bishop Fisher (I believe he is the one overseeing WYD) and our 5:30 Mass was celebrated by Bishop Julian - rector of the seminary amongst other things. Both are beautiful priests who love their priesthood, the Catholic Church and their Cardinal. Just a note to keep Cardinal Pell in your prayers. He is really under attack in this side of the world. All the sisters from the our group - sent him a joint card assuring him of our prayers and support. I suppose this is all for now.
Sister Mary Scholastica, OCD


Praised be Jesus Christ, Sisters! This morning started off a little slower, as we were not needed in the registration center until about 2 PM. So, SMS and I decided to venture out and explore Sydney. First, we stopped at the Accreditation Center for WYD to pick up our "Volunteer Gear" - this was fun because there were other volunteers arriving for the same purpose and many of the Sisters were dong the same thing. Once we picked up our bags, we headed off to Saint Benedict's - our favorite little church to pray in. Pier Giorgio's display was all gone and when we walked in our hearts sank for a moment seeing that he was already moved to the cathedral, but as we looked in the little alcove - there he was! No displays, just his reliquary (which was waiting to be transported), it actually looks like a wooden casket. We were blessed to kneel, once again, by our friend and ask for his intercession for the youth, the cardinal, and our community. After our meditation, we ventured over to Saint Mary's Cathedral - a magnificently beautiful house of God!!! The inside is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined a church to be. The stained glass windows and the altars were breath-taking and lifted your soul straight up! The inside was buzzing with activity, as this is a pilgrimage sight for WYD. There will be an area with Pier Giorgio's remains and one with Blessed Mary McKillop's life and relics, and one about the Cathedral, itself - which has a very interesting history. We decided to stay at the cathedral for Mass -what a gift! The priest who said Mass was very humble and prayed the Mass so reverently. At the end we were told that this particular Mass was the last pubic Mass to be said int he Cathedral until after WYD. Then, we walked around Hyde Park, which is where the photo shoot was the other day and it is right across from the cathedral.

Tomorrow begins our volunteer slots at the venue spots. SMS and I are on the Evangelization Team. Most of our time slots will be at the Cathedral, itself. You all remain very much in my prayers. I love you and am praying for you very much.

With gratitude for each of you,
Sister Grace Helena

Day 3...The Australian Press

Day 3 begins. Sisters, it 2:43 am your time...and we are "still able to sit up and take nourishment". :) Today has been packed to the max and full of surprises. Sister Grace Helena and I are assigned to help with registration and after a morning of "in-servicing" and learning how to respond to 2,000 some emails and non-stop phone calls, we were in for quite a surprise - which SGH will happily tell you about. I chuckle now even thinking about it.

We had the blessing of being able to greet Cardinal George Pell as he was in the lobby waiting to go upstairs. WYD headquarters is at the Chancery. PRAY for his Eminence as he carries a huge burden and it seems as if red flannels is going double time at the moment. I also received WONDERFUL news today which I hope Mother or Sister Emma Luz will pass on to you. You are all in my prayers. I'll let SGH continue from here...

Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ, Sisters! The day began with excitement as we all were really ready to start helping wherever we were needed. After we received our assignments, we worked for most of the morning and returned to the Chancery for 12:30 Mass. We are being met by smiles everywhere, especially at the Chancery - from one end of the hall to the other and on every floor by the volunteers, visitors, and employees - they are sooo grateful and thrilled to see all the Sisters - it has truly given all of us a shot in the arm as a reminder of the dignity and beauty of our calling as consecrated religious.

Alright...now for some fun news...literally "news"... :-) After Mass we were waiting for lunch, which was ordered for us at the Chancery, but by 2:00 pm, it still had not arrived; so, Father Raymond, a priest from Canada, who is assigned to the Communications aspect of WYD asked all the Sisters if we would take a walk to Hyde Park (across from the Chancery and where the Cathedral is located) for a "photo shoot." Yes, we made the news this evening and will be in the papers tomorrow. Father and the those in charge of media communications explained that the Australian press is not very positive about the Catholic Church and that WYD has been receiving bad press...they had organized this "shoot" to give a positive angle and to show the public that this event is indeed a blessing for Australia. We thought a few pictures in the park of all the Sisters...no..as we walked down this beautiful walkway of arched trees we were asked to slow down a bit, to walk together, to mix and mingle as they were taking pictures - great! Then, we all looked at the end of the walkway and there were 10 to 15 photographers, newscasters and reporters all lined up, filming, taking notes, and clicking cameras like there was no tomorrow. None of us expected this...when we reached the end, the reporters began interviewing some of us, the pictures kept clicking and the cameras kept rolling - it was a true media event, just as we had been told (but, it didn't really register until we were in the midst of it all)! Sydney's beautiful cathedral was in the background as we made our way (directed by Father and the media coordinator) around and around and around (not really that much but that's what it felt like) a huge fountain, as interviews continued. Those interviewing us were from the secular press and seemed intrigued and a bit mystified at seeing so many "young sisters" - I think they were sincerely surprised at how many of us there were. (SMS' edit inserted here) We will probably see SGH quoted (not to mention that she was in the front lines) and someone asked me permission to publish a photo - so we shall see how the Carmelites end up in the Australian Times. (end of edit)

After our debut to Australian society, we returned for lunch and then back to our assignments for the afternoon. Our adventures on the Australian bus system is a whole other story...tomorrow... We love you all!

Sister Grace Helena, OCD

Day 2...from "down under"...

Praised be Jesus Christ! We took the wise advice to stay up yesterday and sleep when the rest of Australia was sleeping...it worked very well!! We woke up refreshed, with very little "jet lag" feeling at all. The church we went to when we arrived was so peaceful, we decided to go early today in order to pray before Mass. We were able to spend more time at Bl. Pier Giorgio's reliquary, as well. It has been a constant reminder since we arrived here in Australia of the gift of our consecration and the witness our life truly is to others - giving them strength just by who we are. Father John, the Dominican pastor of this parish, mentioned it yesterday and today at Mass that he is so grateful to see so many Sisters in Australia (this little church - which is quite small - was filled to the brim today with over 70 sisters at Mass). His prayer at the end of both Masses we have attended was: "May the witness of your life of consecration bear fruit for the kingdom." May it be so. We hold each of you in our heart and especially our Sister Jubilarians - who are a witness of faithful love to us - we love you and prayed for you very specially today!
Sister Grace Helena,OCD

What a lovely afternoon the good Lord had in store for us. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the mendicant orders from of old (the Franciscans , Dominicans and Carmelites made the long trek down to Sydney Harbor to enjoy the Pacific Ocean from this side of the world. On foot I might add. You'd have been impressed Sisters! :) Through downtown Sydney we went, weaving through the non-stop crowd of people which almost makes downtown Los Angeles look pretty good. The diversity of nationalities here is amazing. We even went through Koreatown.

In the midst of the noise and chaos, we happened to look up and see a sign for a Catholic Church and wouldn't you know it...as we opened the doors to St. Peter Julian's Catholic Church, they had adoration. What a stark contrast that was. From the busyness of city life to the quiet prayerful atmosphere of the Church. It almost seemed like two different worlds. Prayed for you Sister Julianna. We made it down to the harbor where we ended up being more of the tourist attraction than the famed Sydney Opera House which stands at the waterfront. To see a conglomeration of brown, gray and white habits is quite a sight!

The loveliest part of it all is the spirit of unity and camaraderie amongst the sisters here. Though we have only known each other for two LONG days :) (minus the plane trip) there is a natural oneness that exists amidst the diversity. Truly beautiful. I must be honest in saying that I miss you all. We keep you in our hearts and prayers. God bless and good night!
Sister Mary Scholastica, OCD

G'day Mates! Your Sisters from DOWN UNDER...

Praised be Jesus Christ! During the time of our stay here in Australia (before, during and after World Youth Day), we wanted to share our experiences with you since you are with us in spirit. Here we go...Day 1.

We arrived at LAX and found 75 sisters from different communities from all over the country converging at Quantas airlines waiting to board for Australia. It was a beautiful sight, quite overwhelming. Everyone was excited. We had about an hour and a half to get to know one another before actually boarding the plane. We had a smooth and uneventful 13 1/2 hour plane trip over - we arrived a half an hour ahead of schedule according to experts here down under - it's usually a 14 hour trip. When we flew over the international time line we actually lost all of Saturday and arrived on Sunday. Our arrival time was around 7:00 AM and we had a very warm reception from the parents of an RSM sister, who are Australian. We are also enjoying the 70 degree winter weather(!)...we are told that two days earlier it was very cold and windy - "blustry", that is. A Greyhound bus was waiting for us to board and by 8:00 am we were on our way to The Women's College Campus at the University of Sydney. The welcome, here, was just as warm.

By 9:45 am we were all congregated on on the front lawn of the dorm to walk to Saint Benedict Church for 10:15 Mass. The church is located in downtown Sydney, a 20 minute walk from the campus. It stands right next to Notre Dame of Australia University. This church is the oldest standing Catholic Church in Sydney, it's construction began in 1838 and was completed in 1852. The church is beautiful - the stained glass windows are magnificent! The trip thus far had been so smooth and blessed with such peace (all the sisters were commenting on this) that we were simply thanking God for all the blessings..then, we received a surprise we had not expected. In this little church,quietly tucked in a side alcove, were the remains of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the patron of this World Youth Day. The church has displays of him - beautiful posters with his maxims and pictures of him - lovely and inspirational. We had plenty of time after Mass to pray by the casket that holds his remains. The church was permeated with such peace.

After Mass we went to lunch and are now waiting for bedtime...

You are all in our heart and prayers!

Sister Grace Helena and Sister Mary Scholastica