WYD Madrid - Survivors

Oh God, who unites the hearts of your faithful in one desire, inspire your people people to love your decrees and to hope in your promises, so that in the midst of many occupations of this world, our hearts may be firm in true joy. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives...

WYD Madrid - Prayer Vigil

Lord, by your grace we are made one in mind and heart. Give us a love for what you command and a longing for what you promise, so that, amid this world's changes, our hearts may be set on the world of lasting joy. Today was all about one thing and that was our participation in the prayer vigil with Pope...

Viva Papa!

This is just a short video of the moment that myself and another pilgrim from the Hexham and Newcastle group were lucky enough to be within yards of Pope Benedict XVI as he drove through the streets of Madrid: We were simply spending some free time walking around the shops near our hotel when we made...

WYD Madrid - Sharing our Faith

May God bless us in his mercy; may he make his face shine on us, that we might know his ways on earth and his saving power among all the nations. This morning we took part in our last Catechesis session and I think all would agree it was by far the best of the three days. The morning started with Curtis...

WYD Madrid - Arrival of Pope Benedict

Lord, may we who honour the holy name of Jesus enjoy his friendship and be filled with eternal joy in his kingdom, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Today is the day that the pilgrims in Madrid have been waiting for, the arrival of Pope Benedict in Madrid...

WYD Madrid - Marianfest

This evening most of our group headed back to the Love and Life centre to attend Marianfest, celebrating the gift of our Blessed Mother Mary through music, prayer and worship. Many artists took to the stage during the evening including Alexander Acha and Dana. The lady who undoubtedly stole the show, however,...

WYD Madrid - Love & Life Centre

Lord, may the Helper, the Spirit who comes from you, fill our hearts with light and lead us all to truth as your Son promised, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Today was the start of our Catechesis sessions and for 12000 English speaking pilgrims this meant heading...

WYD Madrid - Hola Madrid!

Oh God, who are rich in mercy and who willed that Blessed John Paul II should preside as Pope over your universal Church, grant, we pray, that instructed by his teaching, we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ, the sole Redeemer of mankind. Who lives and reigns. So we've made it as far as Madrid,...

WYD Toledo - Goodbye Toledo!

The days in the dioceses activities here in Toledo have provided us with a perfect way in which to sample the Spanish culture in a very special way. We've shared in all of the things set up by the Parish of San José Obrero, had a taste of family life with our hosts and met some amazing people. This...

WYD Toledo - Pilgrim Festival

Today was our last full day in Toledo and our first chance to sample a little bit of the scale of World Youth Day. We'd already made friends with the other nations sharing our experience in the Parish of San José Obrero but today we set out to attend the festival for all 12,000 pilgrims in the city of Toledo. Before...

WYD Toledo - Toledo Tour

We've found out over the last few days what a beautiful city Toledo is and today we were given the opportunity to sample it up close walking around the narrow cobbled streets for a few hours this afternoon. Initially we'd obviously been slightly sceptical with regards wandering around busy streets during the...

WYD Toledo - Parish of San José Obrero

We've only had a couple of days in the Parish of San José Obrero here in Toledo so far but it's been absolutely action packed since the very start. Today the Tribune newspaper gave a lovely write up on our time so far in the host parish which you can read here if you can understand Spanish better than we can! Father...

WYD Toledo - International Friends (Part 3)

What an evening we've had in Toledo tonight as we sampled our very first Spanish Fiesta! All of our host families were asked to bring some food along for a shared table and we've had a truly cultural experience filled with so much happiness and laugher shared between each of the countries represented. While the...

WYD Toledo - International Friends (Part 2)

As mentioned in a previous blog, as part of the Days in the Diocese experience we were able to spend a lot of time with our host families and myself and Anne-Marie were lucky enough to be placed with some lovely people who went out of their way to help us get the most out of our visit. Toledo is a truly beautiful...

WYD Toledo - International Friends (Part 1)

The beauty of an event such as World Youth Day is the ability for our faith to allow us to break down the barriers between us. We are all coming together for one common cause and although we don't speak the same language as everyone around us we are all there for the same reason. Our first full day in Toledo...

Voices from World Youth Day

Some of our pilgrims are writing blogs for their different groups back home to give a few updates on what we've been doing since our arrival in Spain. Michael Thompson has been writing for the Voices column on The Tablet website so please spend a few minutes reading his first blog right here about the first...

WYD Toledo - Stations of the Cross

For most people, staying with another family is a big experience. You have to fit in with their way of living, sleeping, eating and all the while feeling a bit of a spare part. Not knowing when to help and when to sit back and let the family get on with things in their own way. Imagine having to do all of that...

WYD - On the Way

The pilgrims from the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese are currently at Heathrow airport waiting to board the plane to Madrid. It was an early start for us all with a 7am check-in. The flight from Newcastle to Heathrow went well and everyone is excited for what will await us when we arrive in Toledo tonight. Check...

Hartlepool Mail following WYD

Plans are well underway for World Youth Day and the Hartlepool Mail called in earlier this week for a quick photograph and interview with some of the Hartlepool group. We spoke about the time we will spend in Toledo for the Days in the Diocese events and the experiences we will have in Madrid taking part in World...

Not the 100 Mile Walk 2011

Once more an intrepid group of young people set off on a 65 mile walking pilgrimage to Holy Island, following the final 2/3 of St. Oswald's Way. On the way we got lost (Jeremy), faced down an angry heard of bulls (Jane) and got very wet (everybody). But the rain could not dampen our Spirit as we passed through...