The week prior to World Youth Day in Sydney, Ukrainian Youth from all over the world descended on Melbourne to celebrate “Days in the Eparchy”. There were 355 registered participants and a considerable number of unregistered ones! Among the participants were 6 bishops: Bishop Peter Stasiuk, Bishop Dionysius Liakhovych, assistant bishop to Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, Bishop David Motiuk, of the Edmonton eparchy, from Saskatoon both the newest Ukrainian Catholic bishop, Bishop Brian Bayda, and emeritus Bishop Michael Vivchar and from the eparchy of Koshysky in Slovakia, Bishop Milan Khaltur.
The registered pilgrims 7 from the USA, 87 from Canada, 89 from Ukraine, 8 from Slovakia, 11 from Brisbane, 10 from Perth, and 135 from Melbourne. (This number was still to be joined in Sydney for WYD proper by 78 young Sydneysiders!)
The DITE program was very full, interesting and well organised. Highlights are included over the following pages in photomontage. The program was centred around Ukrainian catholics learning about themselves and each other through daily Divine Liturgy, Akafist, Catachesis, round table discussions and nightly zabavas, concerts and cabarets. On Friday night, there was a considerable contingent of Ukrainians at the Telstra Dome for the Commissioning Mass in which our 6 bishops played a notable role. This event also marked the zenith for that week of the Ukrainian WYD choir, which opened the proceedings by singing three songs from the new Ukrainian WYD Liturgy.
The week ended with a Parish Feast day of the Apostles Ss Peter and Paul which began with Divine Liturgy concelebrated by all 6 bishops, 21 priests, 2 deacons and several seminarians and continued with an informal barbecue lunch for all.
Tuesday 15th July, the World Youth Day week was officially kicked off in Sydney at 11am with a short concert and welcome at the Youth Hall in Lidcombe. Parish priest Fr Simon Ckuj and Bishop Peter greeted all guests and pilgrims, a small version of the Ukrainian WYD choir sang and an even smaller group of Sydney girls sang the official WYD song!
In contrast to the Days in the Eparchy program, the Sydney program was focussed on getting pilgrims to take part in communal events, strewn all over the city. Mornings were once again devoted to Liturgy at St Andrews church, with Vasyl Opryshko’s Sacred Music Ensemble singing on Wednesday, the Ukrainian WYD Choir singing on Thursday and Friday’s liturgy being sung samoilka by the congregation.
In the afternoons and evenings, pilgrims caught trains into the city to take part in the wealth of events there.
The real community highlights of the week came at its end with performances by Ukrainians at both the Stations of the Cross spectacle on Friday and at the conclusion of the Adoration and Benediction at Saturday night’s Vigil with Pope Benedict.
“Sydney – the Jerusalem of the Third Millenium.” With these words the WYD committee described the dramatisation of the Stations of the Cross which, on Friday 18th July, took place on the roads and harbour of Sydney, starting at St Mary’s Cathedral and ending at Barangaroo (at the entrance to Darling Harbour). The role of Jesus Christ was portrayed brilliantly by 26-year old Alfio Stuto, an Australian of Italian ancestry, and more than 100 actors, several choirs, orchestras and dance groups staged the final days of Jesus’ life. The text of the Stations of the Cross was written by Fr Peter Stil and its director was Fr Franco Cavarra. […]
The Stations commenced with a prayer by the Holy Father at the first Station, which described the Last Supper and the genesis of Holy Communion.
“Lord, many people lack the food and drink that bring true joy,” the Holy Father prayed, “Thy do not know, or have forgotten, how You wish to meet them in the Eucharist and share with them your humanity and divinity. Help us to appreciate the great gift of your body and your blood, the key to your Passion and ours. Draw us into your real presence at Mass. Help us to understand that communion with you also means union with all those to whom you give yourself. Make us generous and insightful as we try to walk in your footsteps.
The following Stations the Holy Father watched on a TV screen, as did hundreds of thousands of pilgrims around Sydney and millions more viewers live around the world.
The betrayal, trial and sentencing of Jesus took place around the foot of the Sydney’s Opera Theatre. Jesus was finally made to take up his cross, and, climbing on board a barge, was taken out through Circular Quay around to Barangaroo, at the mouth of Darling Harbour. During this journey, a choir sang two Ukrainian Passion hymns in Ukrainian: “Plottiu zasnuv” (In His Body He Falls Asleep”) and the Jerusalem Matins. This choir comprised female singers from the Ukrainian WYD choir from Melbourne and male singers, also from Melbourne, put together for a Russian Catholic service for WYD, while the soloist was our own Larysa Burak, the soprano and bandura player from Sydney. Symon Kohut assembled the choir and directed it.
Saturday night, 19th July, Pope Benedict arrived at Randwick Racecourse to commence the Evening Vigil which would last until morning, to the commencement of the Divine Liturgy.
On Saturday morning, about 235,000 young people began the Pilgrimage walk carrying flags of their many countries, praying and singing religious songs, backpacks on their back, from various starting points over Sydney, over the Harbour Bridge and to Randwick for the Evening Vigil. It was at Randwick that Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass in 1975 and in 1986 Pope John Paul II announced the beatification of Sr Mary McKillop.
Entry into the grounds was via seven huge gates which symbolised the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The theme of the 23rd WYD was the verse: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses,” (Acts 1:8). A huge stage stood at one end of the grounds, somewhat reminiscent of the sails of the Opera House. Above the stage stood a huge cross and below that the image of a dove, symbolising the Holy Spirit. This dove would be replicated on the vestments worn by most clergy during the ceremonies.
The evening of prayer started in the dark. A dance symbolising the opening of our hearts to the Holy Spirit was performed by 12 young people. 12 young pilgrims from different countries, in their national dress, escorted onto the stage the symbols of WYD, the wooden Cross and Icon of the Virgin Mary during which the World Youth Day choir sang the hymn “Virgin Mary of the Southern Cross” written for this very vigil.
A moving ceremony of the lighting of candles followed, symbols of Jesus Christ, light of lights, who overcomes the darkness of sin and death and enlightens the human soul. The Holy Father’s candle was lit first and was followed by the cardinals and bishops after which the light was passed candle to candle to all pilgrims at the Racecourse, turning it into a sea of candles.
Following each of seven prayers offered by the Holy Father to the saints of the 23rd WYD, seven young people recounted stories of their witness of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: from the Czech Republic, Thailand, Australia, Serbia, Chile, Austria and Sri Lanka.
The Adoration and Benediction ceremony continued, incorporating the Confirmation of more than 20 young people from all over the world.
At the conclusion of the two hour ritual, a Ukrainian choir comprising singers from the Sacred Music Ensemble of St Andrew’s Parish and from the Ukrainian WYD Choir all under the direction of Sydney’s Vasyl Opryshko sang two songs in Ukrainian from the canon of Ukrainian sacred choral music: the Beatitudes by O. Slastion and the opening section of the Third Sacred Concert for mixed choir by Dmytro Bortniansky, “Lord, in Thy strength the king shall rejoice”. Pope Benedict XVI listened to both songs with obvious enjoyment and led the applause at their conclusion.
The thousands of candles and torches quietly aflame warmed the souls of the gathered pilgrims and created an exquisite landscape on the Sydney horizon. And while the evening—like those preceding it—was very cold, nothing was going to stand in the way of the blazing faith of the young pilgrims. Nevertheless, a substantial number of pilgrims did get sick, amongst whom were many of our Ukrainians.
At the conclusion of the Adoration and Benediction, the Holy Father left the Racecourse to the pilgrims for the remainder of the night who filled it with singing, dancing, praying, contemplation and rejoicing. And a little bit of sleep.
On Sunday 20th July, the Holy Father returned in the morning to celebrate, along with more than 500 cardinals, bishops and priests, the culminating Liturgy of World Youth Day before an assembled crowd of, by 10am, 400,000 faithful. At the conclusion of the epic Mass, Pope Benedict XVI pronounced the location of the next WYD, to be held in 2011: Madrid, Spain and bade everyone farewell.
His Holiness made it out of the Stadium somewhat quicker than the 400,000… but they didn’t seem to care too much.
