Madrid, Spain, Aug 16, 2011 / 12:08 pm
Over 5,000 Canadian youngsters began World Youth Day this morning with a rally where they gathered to pray, sing and celebrate their Catholic faith.
“The Lord has a wonderful way of placing things and timing things,” said Fr. Thomas Rosica, organizer of this morning’s event at Madrid’s Palacio de Deportes, in remarks to CNA.
“It wasn’t until we were preparing, though, that somebody said to me, ‘you realize you’re the first event of World Youth Day?’”
The 90-minute event - conducted in English and French – is also the first time the Canadian Catholic Church has attempted such a mass gathering at a World Youth Day on foreign soil.
It heard testimony from young people who had taken part in World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada in 2002, as well as speeches from various Canadian bishops, 22 of whom were present.
“We are delving into the mystery of our faith, the beautiful faith of the Church, which we’re immersed at the time of our baptism. And as we do, we pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us to a new encounter with Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton told the young pilgrims.
Meanwhile Archbishop Terence Prendergast of Ottowa and Archbishop Gerald Lacroix of Quebec led the gathering in a “prayer of commissioning” that was first used by Pope John Paul II in Toronto.
Throughout, music was provided by Christian rock singer Fr. Robert Galea, a Maltese priest who is now based in Australia.