Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

After only a few weeks as the new pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Chicago, I traveled to Australia, the country of kangaroos, and attended World Youth Day with five youths from my former parish in California. It was a wonderful experience. It was an 18-hour long trip to this marvelous continent of Oceania, but it was well worth it. We joined pilgrims from all parts of the world. All languages, all races, all nationalities gathered to share one faith and to learn a bit more about our universal Church. Our faith has no limits or boundaries. One of our objectives was also to meet with Pope Benedict XVI, whose message was inspired by the theme of the day:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be
my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)

The youth expressed their feelings in diverse forms, in their desire and in their love (especially for Jesus, the Church and the Pope), and like a flame they lit up Australia with happiness, prayer but especially with respect for differences in a world where intolerance has become our daily bread. It was an example, once more, of the universality of the Church and also of the possibility of all of us living together as one.

Fr. Hugo Londoño, MSC

Click here to read another article on WYD 2008 by Fr. Antony Lazar, MSC.