The Pilgrimage Continues

Hello from Karaków, Poland. Our pilgrimage has brought us to our final destination.

Last Thursday, we finished our mission work in our school in The Philippines. It was awesome to see the finality of our work and spend some more time with the students before we left. We thought things couldnt get any better after the welcome they gave us but boy were we wrong. The closing ceremony saw performances galore. Each class performed a dance to a different song and even the teachers sang and danced us farewell. It was such an hounour to spend that time making new friends with the Antequeara community. Another thing that stood out was that God was at the centre of everything they did.

On our final night in The Philippines, we were hosted by the town mayor for a farewell feast and celebration of culture. Prior to dinner, we were lucky enough to have mass in St Augustines Cathedral. We were blessed to have the choir of Holy Name University share their vocal talents in the mass. I can safely say I have never been to mass with voices like that before. Before we knew it, Friday had come which meant the end of the first part of our pilgrimage. Ahead of us was a 36 hour trip that included a total of 4 flights. Two flights we just made and the highlight was spending a brief amount of time in Zurich, Switzerland.

We arrived in Warsaw high in spirits and anticipation of the week ahead. On Sunday, we travelled in our diocesan group to Auschwitz. Here we heard more about the story of Saint Maxilian Kolbes courageous life giving gesture, as well as other stories. It was a very sombre and surreal experience. This excursion gave us a real opportunity to reflect on the need to look back on such a horrible event in our history. The afternoon we were fortunate enough to celebrate mass at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, one of Polands most famous shrines. It was the scene of many of Pope John Paul II's pilgrimages as a child and young adult. It was a wondeful way to end the day and start our week.

In Next weeks post, I will give you a rundown of the whole World Youth Day week.

Praying for my family and friends in Australia.

Auschwitz-Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp

Auschwitz is a symbol for the world of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established  by the Germans in 1940 on the outskirts of the city of Oświęcim which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the German Third Reich during the Second World War. The name of the city was changed to Auschwitz and this also became the name of the camp.

From 1942, the camp became the site of the largest mass murder in the history of humankind, committed against European Jews as part of the German plan for the complete destruction of the Jewish people. The majority of the Jewish men, women, and children deported to Auschwitz were sent immediately after arrival to die in the Birkenau gas chambers.

Near the end of the war, in an effort to remove the traces of their crimes, the SS (ShutzStaffel, known as Protective Squadron) men started dismantling and destroying the gas chambers and crematoria  and other buildings, as well as burninf documents. Prisoners capable of marching were ecacuated into the depths of the Reich. Those who remained behind in the camp were liberated by Red Army soldiers on January 27, 1945.

On July 2, 1947, the Polish parliment passed a law establishing  a Museum on the sites of the two extent parts of the camp, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. In 1979 the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Today the Museum is above all a center for education about Auschwitz, the Shoah, the Porajmos, genocide and the human rights. 

The museum has been visited each year by over a million people from the entire world.

Today all Pilgrims from the Parramatta Diocese came to visit. What a moving experience it was!

Poland is absolutely beautiful, although there is no place like home :)

Will write to you all soon! I hope you're enjoying my blogs so far.

Chantal

Here's To My Bohol Friends🤗

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Last Saturday night we began our pilgrimage to World Youth Day. Our first stop was The Philippines. We arrived on the Island of Bohol late on Sunday to a school choir carrying one of the many welcome banners the city had made. We were then rushed onto a bus to attend Sunday mass at St Joseph the Worker Cathedral. We celebrated with the local community who were so very happy with our presence. On Monday we visited our mission projects for the first time. Our group visited Christ the King Academy in town of Antiquera. It is a high school with students from Grade 7 to Grade 11. We were blown away as soon as we got off the bus. We were met with a marching drum band, marching Xylophone players and a dance troupe. We later found out they had given up three Saturdays to prepare for our arrival. We were individually greeted and then we were welcomed officially by the mayor, the principal and the parish priest. Then we were fortunate enough to spend time going in and out of classrooms meeting these happy, smiling and friendly students. On Tuesday we got stuck in to our mission work. We were tasked with painting classrooms, designing and painting a concrete fence and some of the group even had a go at concrete rendering. The best part about this was that were able to work alongside the students of the school, this made it even more rewarding than it already was. It has been an amazing experience so far with countless opportunities to witness the face of God in the children. Their level of respect and gratitude is something for all people to aspire to. We have one more day in Bohol before we continue on our journey to Poland. Stay tuned for another update in the next newsletter.

I am thinking of you all throughout my journey. God bless you all.

Love Chantal

My Pilgrimage Update

After so many hours of travelling we have finally arrived at our beautiful Hennan Resort in Bohol. It is absolutely beautiful here!

Our schedule so far consists of early morning prayer, then missionary work at Christ the King Secondary school, evening mass, prayer and adoration.

The children that we've met here in the Philippines are absolutely beautiful and so humble. A natural disaster occured many years ago and unfortunately as a result has caused so much destruction to the classrooms and school overall. Yesterday we were so fortunate to visit this school and help make a difference through teamwork, cooperation, dedication and great communication.

Yesterday and today were honestly two days that were so moving for me. We were not only welcomed by the children into their school but were continuously being cared for throughout the day.

Today in particular we painted the walls of the school and designed Australian artwork to be painted onto the school fence. We were given the opportunity to visit each classroom and interact with the children.

I  can honestly say that these past three  days have already been experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life. God has  a plan for each of us. The opportunities we get given to us help shape our faith and our lives. Christ has plans for each of us. Happiness doesn't come from getting something that we what, instead it's about making the most of what we already have and the many things we experience. Let these experiences  shape us and always remember where God is during these times. Pray to him, Listen to him, Talk to him and whatever is on your mind offer it up to him.

God bless you all.

Will write soon. 

#WYD2016

Lifted Retreat: You Are Loved

Another exciting chapter of my pilgrimage leading up to WYD!

This weekend thanks to CYP parramatta we're having a full weekend retreat dedicated to knowing how much we are loved. We drove up here to St Benedict XVI in Grose Vale on friday night and will be leaving today after midday.

What amazing people I have met whilst on this retreat. It just shows how great our God really is! The energy and faith from our youth is so enriching. Already, last night we had our night of adoration, followed by prayer and praise and worship. We had a guest speaker by the name of John Pridmore who shared his testimony with us. John told us that he was a gangsta in his early 20's and now speaks to many young people around the world about how great our God is. He has now devoted his life to Christ. I purchased one of his books after his talk with the title: 'From Gangland to Promised land'. I highly recommend it!
I apologise for the blurry picture attached. My friend was a little star struck😊

We are truly loved because God made is in the exact image and likeness of him. We each are unique and gifted. Let's begin to embrace what we have been given from our Heavenly Father and cherish it everyday of our lives.

Tonight, the 3rd July is the commisioning mass for all WYD Pilgrims in the Parramatta Diocese at St Patrick's Cathedral Parramatta. I look forward to seeing what God has planned for us!

Less than two weeks now!

God bless you all.

#Youareloved