A deacon from Sydney, Australia by the name of Elliott Casalegno sent me the following dispatch. It’s a great ground’s-eye view of what it’s like to be a part of this remarkable event.

Read, and enjoy:
It is my first WYD and at my age, almost certainly my last. I had heard many of the bad things about WYD’s and I hope a lot of the good as well. I have to admit that I was totally unprepared in coming face to face with the whole experience.

After working frantically for the past 3 weeks coordinating a “Deacons in the Church” booth at the WYD Expo, with most nights going to bed at 3 or 4 am or even later, and with having to look after a home and also visiting my wife who is still in hospital (started 15 weeks today), not communicating with people as well as I should, and just being totally frazzled, I really hoped that WYD would just go away. I’m still looking forward to next Monday when life gets back to a degree of normality – well, partly, Regina is still in hospital and will probably undergo her third operation the week after next and I will still be visiting her in hospital daily.

What a shock it was when I arrived on Tuesday morning into the CBD of Sydney to go to the Vocations Expo! Thousands of not only young people just all over the place. My first reaction was to exclaim “Oh, my God!” Again and again all that I could say was “Oh, my God!” The Vocations Expo was packed and guess what I said as I entered? I have never seen anything like it before.

For the first time in a very long time, I started to feel a part of something that was really important, not just a part of my small parish community but a member of that vast family of people who form a world wide community – my Chruch, my faith, my belonging and with pride and joy and not wanting it to end. There was joy in the air. Older people a little more subdued and with our youth exhuberant in their faith. The Holy Spirit was at work in so many different ways and in so many people not the least being me.

The Deacons’ booth was a bit slow in starting but it gained more speed as we went along. I was again there last night (Thursday) and those who were helping out hardly had a moment to spare. We had enquiries from different parts of Australia, Uganda, Hong Kong, the Phillipines, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, and so many other places that I can’t remember. And not just from ‘old’ people, from youths as well, wanting to know what the diaconate is all about and saying that it is an option that they will be keeping open for when they are older. I’ll send a few photos when I get the chance.

Then there was the opening Mass at Barangaroo. I was on the sanctuary together with Deacons from the US, New Zealand, the UK, Italy and others who I didn’t meet. We held chalices and ciboria, becoming living altars, facing the hundreds of bishops at the consecration and then having them come up and taking communion from us.

The crowd, the music, the flags, the clapping and the noise of jubilation was astounding.

There were two downers for me. I had to take two chalices filled with wine down some very dark steps. I thought I had reached the last step but there was one more. I stumbled and got some wine over myself. A few more meters along there was a wooden rise on the pavement that I couldn’t see because it was dark and I stumbled again. Wine all over myself again. If I have to put a positive spin on all of this it is that the chalices were by now half full rather than half empty.

Also, I can’t forget the cold. With only a T shirt, shirt and alb, the bottom part of the body doesn’t count – it was a bright, sunny, warm day when we assembled, I didn’t realise just how cold it would get by the water’s edge after dark. I froze for most of the liturgy. Why did the cardinal have to preach for so long:-) Oh, and all the walking from one place to the next! My ankles haven’t yet recovered. I met one of our Auxiliary Bishops last night and almost his first words were how much his feet hurt.

I’m off to the Vocations Expo again tonight. It’s the last night and I expect to be there until midnight. I’ve got to get up real early tomorrow morning as I have to be at the cathedral for the dedication of the new altar by Pope Benedict, at 8 am., so I may be a little unsteady on my feet as I carry the relics of the martyrs, but hey, it won’t ever happen again in my lifetime!

Sunday’s closing Mass is going to be out of this world and the clergy are being bussed in. BTW, I’ll be wearing warmer clothing this time and the day will probably get quite warm and I’ll swelter, but so what? WYD has been the best for me. After a period of absence, I too felt the power of the Holy Spirit. May I be reminded of how I have felt these last few days when all is over and I return to my humdrum world again.