A word from Steve.

Steve has written about his World Youth Day experience for our Diocesan Magazine. Here is what he wrote:

World Youth Day was great. The food was good, accommodation excellent and the company superb. I was pleased to see so many of the clergy and religious walking the streets of Sydney in their religious garb. It is a great witness to the world and proclaims that 'God is good.' I felt proud to be Catholic.

Because of World Youth Day, I came to love Jesus more. This came about through three main events, Mass, Confession and Adoration. The Masses at our catechesis venue were excellent. They were so prayerful and reverent. Some of the songs were sung in Latin and I think this is what really created the atmosphere to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass. Confession left me with a sense of freedom and readiness to make a new start in life. Adoration is what I think brought me close to Jesus. Just being able to sit at the feet of Jesus in silence is an experience I find hard to describe in words. Best to try it out for yourselves.

Each evening we had the choice of a multitude of talks, workshops, drama and music to choose from. One of the talks I went to see was by Jason Everett. It was on chastity and was specifically aimed at teenagers. Not only was it educational but also very entertaining. He was able to hold the attention of my teenagers for 90 minutes. His website is Pureloveclub.com. It's worth checking out for resources.

Another talk that I really enjoyed was by Christopher West. He is a world expert on 'The Theology Of The Body'. It is basically about Gods plan and purpose for sex and how our sexuality fits into our vocation in life. He spoke so clearly about the evils of contraception and how it attacks society and the family. As the use of contraceptives become more prevalent through the 60's and 70's so did divorce increase. This was actually predicted by Pope Paul IV in his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae.

One last event I would like to mention is a play we went to see. It was about the life and death of Saint Maria Goretti. Even though there was only one actor in the play it was still very entertaining. With the use of recorded voices and a large projector screen he was able to act out the part of Alisandro, the murderer of Maria.

Tonight at church.

Tonight after Mass, we had two speakers give a talk on WYD. Steve was one of the speakers and I am so proud of him and what he said.

He spoke about the Masses they attended and how they were reverent because of the music. He also spoke about having adoration and going to confession.

After speaking about this, he went on and spoke about the Catechisis classes that he and the children did.

They went to talks by Jason Everett and Christopher West on chastity and the Theology of the body. Steve mentioned that Christopher spoke about contraception and how evil it was and about NFP which we have used. When he said this I felt sure that every eye in the room was on me. I was glad he got up and spoke these words for people to hear though as so many people never hear these words or even realize that contraception is evil.

Please pray for the people in our parish that heard these words today. I hope that hearing these words will make these people think about contraception and how it has a negative impact on marriage and family life.

Therese

One Hour to go.

It is early Tiesday morning and we have an hour until Steve and the children land at Adelaide airport. We are looking forward to seeing them all again and catching up.

Thanks for all the people that prayed for us on our trip. We have had a good trip and everything has gone well.

Therese

one week.

Today it is a week since Steve and the children left. The younger children are starting to feel the strain of them all being away and not having as many people in the house.

Tom, Amelia and Christopher have all cried over small things today and the afternoon when we were going out Christopher jammed his fingers in the car door. It really hurt but I was starting to feel a bit impatient with all the tears we have had today and didn't really offer much sympathy to him.

He seems over it now so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day than today. I am planning on doing some craft activities with the children tomorrow morning so hopefully they will be a bit more occupied and won't whine as much as they did today. I think I was too busy doing my own thing today and that is why they were all crying and whining.

A wyd report.

So last night was the opening mass for WYD and tonight I spoke with Steve and Madeline and had an update of what happened today.

This morning they went to the most reverent Mass Steve has been to in his life. They had chanting in Latin and he really liked it.

The catechism class they went to was Theology of the Body and they meet Jason Everett from Pure Love. Tonight they are going to hear Christopher West speak. Madeline said the talk was fantastic and Steve said Sam really enjoyed it too.

They plan to go to confession sometime this week and will be going to Mass everyday so I am really glad they are all there. I hope that some of the things they learn help them remain steadfast in the faith.

Here at home, we had a day with Bill and Linda It was a great day and we enjoyed catching up.

Sunday.

We started with Mass this morning and then had a quiet day at home. I did some cooking and the children watched a couple of videos and played computer.

In Sydney Steve, Daniel, Sam and Madeline went to the Aquarium and had a great time. I spoke with all of them on the phone this evening except Daniel who was probably in Mass when I rang. Since Daniel is one of the pilgrims he is staying at a different place to Steve and the other two. I will give him a call tomorrow evening and see how he is going.

A fun day out.

Last night Brigette, Tom, Amelia and Christopher all slept in our room. We all watched Chicken Little and then went to bed early.

We all got up early too. Since we were up so early I decided to take them all to Whyalla for a day of shopping. We went to toyworld and they all picked out a toy and then we went to Spotlight and bought a couple of sewing patterns and some fabric to make winter jeans.

We had lunch at McDonalds and then headed home.

This afternoon we spoke with Steve, Sam and Madeline on the phone and they had a great day too. They went to Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay. When I spoke with them, they were getting ready for Mass and planned to go out for tea after.

Tomorrow they will either go to Luna Park or The Aquarium. Both these places are huge tourist attractions.

So the first 24 hours apart has gone well. We will go to Mass tomorrow and then just hang out at home. I have some baking to do and will start tracing patterns for the childrens jeans.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Therese

Last day all together.

Tomorrow I will be saying farewell to Steve, Daniel, Sam and Madeline as they embark on their trip to WYD in Sydney.

I am so mixed in emotions for them all. I am excited that they will be able to spend time learning more about our faith and have the opportunity to see the Pope but I will miss them all like crazy.

Brigette, Tom, Amelia and Christopher and I have lots planned. I will go to Bolleroo and catch up with our friends Linda and Bill and get some more home school resources. We will have a video night and they all keep on talking about camping in our bedroom all together. I said I will camp in my bed.

On our video night we will have some take away for tea. I am hoping that the housework will be a bit more manageable with 4 less people in the house.

Happy 4th July to all my American Friends.

The fourth of July is a special day for us too this year. Today term two finishes so we have two weeks of holidays. I am really looking forward to having Steve and the children around for the next two weeks.

Steve, Daniel, Sam and Madeline will be going to World Youth day in a week and I will have ten days with our younger four.

Happy Independence day.

Therese

Weekend.

Day six of The novena to St. Therese

Last night we went out to our parish dinner. It was a fun night. The money raised will help our youth get to WYD. The countdown has begun here. Steve, Daniel, Sam and Madeline will travel to Sydney and take part. Brigette, Tom, Amelia, Christopher and I will keep the home fires burning.

I have lots of plans to go out to a few parks, take them out for tea one night, hire some movies and play some board games.

The weather here has suddenly got cold. We will have to start using our heaters a bit more now. Tonight after mass the house felt so cold.

I have started cooking our months meals this weekend. The tiredness that comes with early pregnancy seems to be taking its toll on me so I will have to spread cooking the meals out over the week.

Are you coming to WYD?

For those of you that are flying into Australia in July, here is a video to prepare you for what it is like when you land here.




This weekend Daniel had a weekend away with the pilgrims for WYD from our diocese at Pikina. We went over there today for Mass, lunch and a talk for all the pilgrims. Daniel is the only child of ours old enough to travel without a parent but Steve is taking Sam and Madeline too. They are all looking forward to going and I hope it will be a positive experience for them all.

Saturday.

This morning Madeline, Brigette and I went into town to help with a WYD BBQ. We are hoping to raise some money to send some youth to WYD in July. We sold quite a few sausages but still have many left over so next week we will sell them after Saturday night Mass.

I came home and after cleaning up around the house and hanging some washing, I started the curtains for our room. The first lot are hanging up and hopefully I will do the other window tomorrow. I am really happy with the way they look. I probably could have made them a bit wider but they cover the window so that is fine.

The Cross and Icon are here.

Today at 4pm the Cross and Icon that have been traveling around the world arrived in Port Augusta.

We had a handing over ceremony. There were youth present from Darwin Diocese that handed it over the the Port Augusta youth and then we had a procession around Port Augusta and stopped at several spots and reflected on different stations of the cross. It was great to walk with the Cross and Icon and let all of the town know about WYD.

The procession ended at Caritas College and there was a bbq tea and different entertainers. Daniel's band Absoulute Zero played and did a great job. This was their first public appearance.

Tomorrow morning there is going to be Reconciliation, Mass and a breakfast at the church. We have heaps of photo's so if I get a chance I will put some up tomorrow.

You can read about the Cross and Icon here.

Today the Cross arrives.

The WYD cross is coming to Port Augusta today. Yesterday Daniel and Sam were in the local paper and last night Daniel was on television talking about the cross. He spoke really well (even though it was only for 30 seconds).

This afternoon we will go to the church and there will be a procession with the cross around Port Augusta and over to Caritas College. There will be entertainment and tea over there. We are looking forward to taking part in the festivities. I will take some photo's to share with you all.

World Youth Day

Next week the cross from World Youth Day is coming to Port Augusta. My two older son's have been on the planning committee that organises the festivities why they are here.

Daniel is holding the banner and Sam is standing next to him.