Days in the Diocese
Thu 10 July - Mon 14 July 2008
We welcome your memories and thoughts. Please email Helen Ellis: helen.ellis.nz@gmail.com
Planning for WYD 2008 in Sydney started early in 2007. At the same time we learnt that Days in the Diocese was part of the programme. This involved pilgrims from outside of New Zealand and Australia travelling a few days ahead of the Sydney programme and being hosted and billeted by parishes in Australia and New Zealand. This was a HUGE logistical challenge to add to the already massive event that was WYD.
This special opportunity was explained and promoted to the parishioners of St Thomas More. Could we do this? Could we open our doors to strangers; house them, feed them, shuffle them from A-B and support their spiritual journey to WYD? The response was positive and 38 households ‘put up their hands’ and offered to find beds and rearrange their lives to make these travellers feel welcome.
We did a calculation of how many we could host and submitted our application. We had no idea how many pilgrims we would be ‘given’ and where they would come from. In the end we were allocated 87 adults and young people; 3 from Sweden, 11 from Atlanta, Georgia and 73 from Ottawa, Canada, the latter including two Deacons, two Priests and an Archbishop!! Our hosts graciously accepted their allocated guests and the countdown began. In the meantime, of course, our own pilgrims heading to Sydney were saving furiously, shopping for tough outdoor gear and attending preparation classes.
Days in the Diocese ended up by being the biggest event the parish has ever hosted. Airport meet n greets were needed. There was a full schedule each day of events for our pilgrims to attend. We arranged a local community activity; planting native trees. The Diocese hosted another day with multiple events and places to visit around Auckland central. On another day we took all our pilgrims for a cultural visit to the Otara market and the nearby marae and Mass at the Mary MacKillop Centre . The pilgrims participated in both the 5.30pm Saturday and 10am Sunday STM Masses. There were MANY shared meals and so many parishioners helped. On the final evening the parish hosted a Showcase Concert at Rosmini Auditorium – an amazing night. That evening all the Canadian pilgrims including the priests and Archbishop slept over in the Church hall and in the STM Church office house in readiness for the 3.45am coach transfer to the airport for their flight to Australia.
This was an amazing event to be part of and was incredibly successful. All the hosts and volunteers were fantastic, flexible, supportive, generous and kind. Fr John Bland was the perfect host and ‘went with the flow’ as his turf was suddenly invaded with people, bags and events.
Planning for WYD 2008 in Sydney started early in 2007. At the same time we learnt that Days in the Diocese was part of the programme. This involved pilgrims from outside of New Zealand and Australia travelling a few days ahead of the Sydney programme and being hosted and billeted by parishes in Australia and New Zealand. This was a HUGE logistical challenge to add to the already massive event that was WYD.
This special opportunity was explained and promoted to the parishioners of St Thomas More. Could we do this? Could we open our doors to strangers; house them, feed them, shuffle them from A-B and support their spiritual journey to WYD? The response was positive and 38 households ‘put up their hands’ and offered to find beds and rearrange their lives to make these travellers feel welcome.
We did a calculation of how many we could host and submitted our application. We had no idea how many pilgrims we would be ‘given’ and where they would come from. In the end we were allocated 87 adults and young people; 3 from Sweden, 11 from Atlanta, Georgia and 73 from Ottawa, Canada, the latter including two Deacons, two Priests and an Archbishop!! Our hosts graciously accepted their allocated guests and the countdown began. In the meantime, of course, our own pilgrims heading to Sydney were saving furiously, shopping for tough outdoor gear and attending preparation classes.
Days in the Diocese ended up by being the biggest event the parish has ever hosted. Airport meet n greets were needed. There was a full schedule each day of events for our pilgrims to attend. We arranged a local community activity; planting native trees. The Diocese hosted another day with multiple events and places to visit around Auckland central. On another day we took all our pilgrims for a cultural visit to the Otara market and the nearby marae and Mass at the Mary MacKillop Centre . The pilgrims participated in both the 5.30pm Saturday and 10am Sunday STM Masses. There were MANY shared meals and so many parishioners helped. On the final evening the parish hosted a Showcase Concert at Rosmini Auditorium – an amazing night. That evening all the Canadian pilgrims including the priests and Archbishop slept over in the Church hall and in the STM Church office house in readiness for the 3.45am coach transfer to the airport for their flight to Australia.
This was an amazing event to be part of and was incredibly successful. All the hosts and volunteers were fantastic, flexible, supportive, generous and kind. Fr John Bland was the perfect host and ‘went with the flow’ as his turf was suddenly invaded with people, bags and events.
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