The exodus of around 700 young people from Ireland for World Youth Day in Australia has begun. Pilgrims from the diocese of Meath left a few days ago, and in Kildare a total of 137 pilgrims were leaving from Clane, Naas and Askea over the weekend to begin their long pilgrimage to Rome.
Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Jim Moriarty, who will also be travelling to Australia for the WYD, will be seeing off two of the groups.
130 pilgrims travelled to WYD in Cologne in 2005 from the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, and in spite of the hugely increased costs associated with travelling to Australia, the number has gone up this time.
According to Trish O’Neill, WYD co-ordinator, they could have had twice as many young people travelling, but they decided to close the books, so as to allow the young people from the group to bond into a team.
At the commissioning service last Saturday night, it was clear that this bonding had taken place.
“There is a great sense of fun and zest for life among them, but also a lovely prayerfulness in the group as well,” she said.
Over the next few days, 200 pilgrims will leave from Dublin, and 97 from the Diocese of Ferns. Their bishop, Bishop Denis Brennan, will also be travelling to Australia for the event.
While the WYD event does not start until 15th July, many thousands of young people from all over the world will be travelling to Australia a week earlier to live with parish communities during what is known as “Days in the Diocese”.
The groups from Ferns and Dublin for example, will be hosted by families from parishes in Melbourne, the Kildare group is in Canberra.
This part of the Pilgrimage is seen as the time when each pilgrim can enjoy the cultural aspects of the host country, taking the time to celebrate their faith in a series of events that are designed to prepare them for the Festival of World Youth Day itself.
The young people will arrive in Sydney from Sunday 13th July to register for the World Youth Day which starts the next day and continues until Sunday 20th July.
The high point of World Youth Day will be the all-night vigil at Ranwick racecourse, (at which the Pope is present) and the Mass the next day.
Among those speaking at the vigil will be an ex-gangster from London. Forty-four-year-old John Pridmore was once an enforcer in the London underworld. His life revolved around stabbings, guns, vicious criminal gangs and major drug deals.
But in 1991 he underwent a profound spiritual experience after nearly killing a man in a fight outside a bar. As a result, his life changed radically. Since then, he has spoken to an estimated one million people in parishes, schools, prisons and universities. His life story, From Gangland to Promised Land, has become a best-seller.
In the week leading up to the meeting with the Pope, the young people will each day take part in catechesis in the morning followed by Mass.
In the afternoons they will have the opportunity to enjoy music, street theatre, prayer, time alone to reflect and time to meet and enjoy the company of one another.
Irish pilgrims have paid around €2,000 to attend the WYD event. According to Gerard Gallagher from CYC, parishes all over Ireland have done tremendous work fundraising for their pilgrims.
Meanwhile in Australia, regulations introduced by the government in Australia in the lead-up to WYD are being widely criticised.
The regulations covering 680 WYD venues, empower police, Rural Fire Service and SES (State Emergency Services) volunteers to stop people who engage in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims.
Offenders can be arrested and fined up to $5,500.
SES director-general Philip McNamara says volunteers provide support at big events all the time without the extraordinary powers. He said the volunteers were not about imposing fines.
"That's not what they are there for... It's all about for us making sure that World Youth Day participation for our volunteers is a very positive experience, where they have a good interaction with both the pilgrims and anybody else that's around.”
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