I apologize for not having written in 6 days. Life has been absolutely insane, from moving into college, to rain, and rain, and more rain. I am writing this at 2 AM, where I actually have some free time. Also before I start, I'd like to thank Miranda Klein, who wrote an article in Alexandria's The Town Talk about the 5 pilgrims from Alexandria. Thank you, because this positive and uplifting event made barely any news coverage. Thank you for sharing the Good News with the Alexandria area.
On Day 9, I got to sleep in a little later again (how nice and appreciated these mornings were). First, we went to mass at Saint Mary's Basilica (KrakWOW it was beautiful), then we had a free morning in Krakow. So the salt team (those who attended the trip to the salt mines) decided to go to the castle in Krakow, Wawel Castle.
On a not-so-side note, I would like to say that the trip to the Salt Mines really helped me improve my relationships with the sisters. There's nothing like climbing hundreds of feet underground, running ("are you kidding me?!" as Sister Fatima would say) to catch trams, and having the best Lody ever, to bond.
We arrived at the castle, and went through some intense security, where apparently I look like a threatening guy. I always thought I was the pink teddy bear form Toy Story 3, huggable, with a secret past and a dark secret. (I'm joking, mom.) I mean really though, the security was crazy. They made me dump out my (freshly organized) backpack, full of folded flags (which I had to unfold for them), my Bible (which I had to unzip and flip through the pages of), and I even had to dump out my gum. Nothing says "good morning, Nick!" like telling me to dump out my gum. This is where mercy plays a big role in my life. I forgive you, security guards, and I thank you for your service to Krakow and to God.
The castle was absolutely gorgeous. No joke. I mean I never went in (you had to pay Zlotys, and I was steadily spending them), but the outside was marvelous. Especially because they had a Lody shop. :) (This is why I lost no weight on the trip, now that I look back.)
So we never got to go inside of the castle (I'm sure I can find a free digital tour somewhere). However, we did enter the Cathedral that lied inside the castle walls. Again, Poland is SOO Catholic, that they had the Cathedral for the Kings and Queens (some of who are now canonized Saints) to attend mass. We entered through the Door of Mercy, (even though there were like 50 trillion doors of mercy in Poland, this one was very extravagant) and went inside the church. It is named after Saint Stanislaus, who is the Patron (and first canonized) Saint of Poland.
The Cathedral was absolutely stunning, and the working in the walls was so mesmerizing. We walked downstairs into a room of tombs, and I found a plaque that read Fryderyk Chopin (the famous pianist), and assumed it was his tomb. When I flew home after WYD, I told my sister of the tomb, who also studies music. She had been studying in Paris over the summer, and told me that she saw his tomb in Paris. Come to find out, Chopin was born and raised in Poland, but then moved to Paris to study music. When he died, he requested that his body be buried in Paris, but his heart be kept in Poland. It was awesome that Maggie and I literally saw his heart and body within a couple of weeks of each other. It really is a small world, after all.
After leaving the castle, we went shopping, explored Krakow some more, and I witnessed a nun buy some authentic Polish vodka for her spiritual director. Nbd.
That afternoon, our group met to travel to Blonia Park to welcome Pope Francis. I definitely brought my poncho this time. And it rained some more. I was protected, though, Praise the Lamb. We arrived, traded items with people from other countries, and then music rang out, as the screens showed Pope Francis boarding a tram to come to Blonia Park. On the tram were the sick and elderly, where he talked with and blessed each one of them. Then he boarded his Pope Mobile, as we began to sing some fun WYD songs, including "Jesus Christ, You are my Life." As he pulled through Blonia Park, we sang "Yes my Lord, you know that I love you" in many different languages. Then we sang a song that sounded like it was straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Pope Francis passed by our section, as we cheered for the Holy Father in our fashionable ponchos.
They then told us to say "hello" to Pope Francis in our native languages, which was very awesome, and very loud. We sang our "local spaghetti" to him, next. Then, the Cardinal of Poland welcomed Francis, and presented him with the official WYD pilgrim backpack. Then, there were dances done (starting with Polish) that represented each of the six inhabited continents of the world. Each continent presented a Saint from their country for the event, and it was not until Pope Francis saw Mother Teresa of Calcutta that he genuinely smiled in sheer happiness (1:26:30...WATCH HIS FACE).
They then had a bunch of people dressed up as Saints, with a certain prayer attributed to each one. Then, the Book of the Gospels was passed through each person, as we all sang a chorus of "Alleluia!" with the Book finally ending at the pulpit in the hands of a priest. He began to read the Gospel. "Martha, Martha, you fret and worry about so many things." This Gospel reading always reminds me of my friend Martha H. from High School, because we would always say "Martha, Martha" and she would say "sweet baby Jesus, what?" Ahh, Martha. I'll never forget her.
Then, Pope Francis got up to speak for the first time, publicly, in his visit to Poland. (You can read the full text here.) After explaining the theme of mercy, Francis shared:
"Dear young people, in these days Poland, this noble land, is in a festive mood; in these days Poland wants to be the ever-youthful face of mercy. From this land, with you and all those young people who cannot be present today yet join us through the various communications media, we are going to make this World Youth Day an authentic Jubilee celebration, in this Jubilee of Mercy." After coming home and reading this, I realized that WYD definitely was a jubilee of mercy. Whether it was offering mercy to those staying in close quarters to you, to letting go of long in the past struggles, mercy was present.
In reference to the recent happenings in the world, the Holy Father asked if we were ready for things to change (we screamed yes), and asked if we were ready to be the ones to start the change (yes).
"A merciful heart is able to be a place of refuge for those who are without a home or have lost their home; it is able to build a home and a family for those forced to emigrate; it knows the meaning of tenderness and compassion. A merciful heart can share its bread with the hungry and welcome refugees and migrants. To say the word “mercy” along with you is to speak of opportunity, future, commitment, trust, openness, hospitality, compassion and dreams. But are you able to dream? [Yes!] When the heart is open and able to dream, there is room for mercy, there is room to caress those who suffer, there is room to draw close to those who have no peace of heart or who do not have the bare necessities to live, or who do not have the most beautiful thing of all: the faith. Mercy. Let us together repeat this word: mercy. All of you! [Mercy!] Again! [Mercy!] And once more, so the whole world can hear you! [Mercy!]."
Especially in Southern Louisiana right now, I am witnessing merciful hearts everywhere, as many people's houses have been flooded because of recent historic and epic rainfall. The face of mercy is an ever youthful one, as Francis declares, and Lafayette and Baton Rouge have young college and high school students volunteering and helping, changing the world. Showing the world that mercy is real, love is present, and God is good. It brings me so much joy and hope for the world to see people showing love in their actions, not just their words.
He then went on to say that too many youth are "retiring" from the faith. They stop attending mass in their 20s, stop praying, and they lose their relationship with God because of that.
When he finished talking, the Holy Father gave a Papal Blessing (whaaaaaaaaaat) and we journeyed back to our hostel.
I would like to end today's blog with the end of Pope Francis' opening talk.
"All together, let us ask the Lord, each repeating in the silence of his or her heart: “Lord, launch us on the adventure of mercy! Launch us on the adventure of building bridges and tearing down walls, be they barriers or barbed wire. Launch us on the adventure of helping the poor, those who feel lonely and abandoned, or no longer find meaning in their lives. Launch us on the journey of accompanying those who do not know you, and telling them carefully and respectfully your Name, the reason for our faith."
Thus ends Day 9.
Nicholas Scalfano
On Day 9, I got to sleep in a little later again (how nice and appreciated these mornings were). First, we went to mass at Saint Mary's Basilica (KrakWOW it was beautiful), then we had a free morning in Krakow. So the salt team (those who attended the trip to the salt mines) decided to go to the castle in Krakow, Wawel Castle.
On a not-so-side note, I would like to say that the trip to the Salt Mines really helped me improve my relationships with the sisters. There's nothing like climbing hundreds of feet underground, running ("are you kidding me?!" as Sister Fatima would say) to catch trams, and having the best Lody ever, to bond.
We arrived at the castle, and went through some intense security, where apparently I look like a threatening guy. I always thought I was the pink teddy bear form Toy Story 3, huggable, with a secret past and a dark secret. (I'm joking, mom.) I mean really though, the security was crazy. They made me dump out my (freshly organized) backpack, full of folded flags (which I had to unfold for them), my Bible (which I had to unzip and flip through the pages of), and I even had to dump out my gum. Nothing says "good morning, Nick!" like telling me to dump out my gum. This is where mercy plays a big role in my life. I forgive you, security guards, and I thank you for your service to Krakow and to God.
The castle was absolutely gorgeous. No joke. I mean I never went in (you had to pay Zlotys, and I was steadily spending them), but the outside was marvelous. Especially because they had a Lody shop. :) (This is why I lost no weight on the trip, now that I look back.)
So we never got to go inside of the castle (I'm sure I can find a free digital tour somewhere). However, we did enter the Cathedral that lied inside the castle walls. Again, Poland is SOO Catholic, that they had the Cathedral for the Kings and Queens (some of who are now canonized Saints) to attend mass. We entered through the Door of Mercy, (even though there were like 50 trillion doors of mercy in Poland, this one was very extravagant) and went inside the church. It is named after Saint Stanislaus, who is the Patron (and first canonized) Saint of Poland.
The Cathedral was absolutely stunning, and the working in the walls was so mesmerizing. We walked downstairs into a room of tombs, and I found a plaque that read Fryderyk Chopin (the famous pianist), and assumed it was his tomb. When I flew home after WYD, I told my sister of the tomb, who also studies music. She had been studying in Paris over the summer, and told me that she saw his tomb in Paris. Come to find out, Chopin was born and raised in Poland, but then moved to Paris to study music. When he died, he requested that his body be buried in Paris, but his heart be kept in Poland. It was awesome that Maggie and I literally saw his heart and body within a couple of weeks of each other. It really is a small world, after all.
After leaving the castle, we went shopping, explored Krakow some more, and I witnessed a nun buy some authentic Polish vodka for her spiritual director. Nbd.
That afternoon, our group met to travel to Blonia Park to welcome Pope Francis. I definitely brought my poncho this time. And it rained some more. I was protected, though, Praise the Lamb. We arrived, traded items with people from other countries, and then music rang out, as the screens showed Pope Francis boarding a tram to come to Blonia Park. On the tram were the sick and elderly, where he talked with and blessed each one of them. Then he boarded his Pope Mobile, as we began to sing some fun WYD songs, including "Jesus Christ, You are my Life." As he pulled through Blonia Park, we sang "Yes my Lord, you know that I love you" in many different languages. Then we sang a song that sounded like it was straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Pope Francis passed by our section, as we cheered for the Holy Father in our fashionable ponchos.
They then told us to say "hello" to Pope Francis in our native languages, which was very awesome, and very loud. We sang our "local spaghetti" to him, next. Then, the Cardinal of Poland welcomed Francis, and presented him with the official WYD pilgrim backpack. Then, there were dances done (starting with Polish) that represented each of the six inhabited continents of the world. Each continent presented a Saint from their country for the event, and it was not until Pope Francis saw Mother Teresa of Calcutta that he genuinely smiled in sheer happiness (1:26:30...WATCH HIS FACE).
They then had a bunch of people dressed up as Saints, with a certain prayer attributed to each one. Then, the Book of the Gospels was passed through each person, as we all sang a chorus of "Alleluia!" with the Book finally ending at the pulpit in the hands of a priest. He began to read the Gospel. "Martha, Martha, you fret and worry about so many things." This Gospel reading always reminds me of my friend Martha H. from High School, because we would always say "Martha, Martha" and she would say "sweet baby Jesus, what?" Ahh, Martha. I'll never forget her.
Then, Pope Francis got up to speak for the first time, publicly, in his visit to Poland. (You can read the full text here.) After explaining the theme of mercy, Francis shared:
"Dear young people, in these days Poland, this noble land, is in a festive mood; in these days Poland wants to be the ever-youthful face of mercy. From this land, with you and all those young people who cannot be present today yet join us through the various communications media, we are going to make this World Youth Day an authentic Jubilee celebration, in this Jubilee of Mercy." After coming home and reading this, I realized that WYD definitely was a jubilee of mercy. Whether it was offering mercy to those staying in close quarters to you, to letting go of long in the past struggles, mercy was present.
In reference to the recent happenings in the world, the Holy Father asked if we were ready for things to change (we screamed yes), and asked if we were ready to be the ones to start the change (yes).
"A merciful heart is able to be a place of refuge for those who are without a home or have lost their home; it is able to build a home and a family for those forced to emigrate; it knows the meaning of tenderness and compassion. A merciful heart can share its bread with the hungry and welcome refugees and migrants. To say the word “mercy” along with you is to speak of opportunity, future, commitment, trust, openness, hospitality, compassion and dreams. But are you able to dream? [Yes!] When the heart is open and able to dream, there is room for mercy, there is room to caress those who suffer, there is room to draw close to those who have no peace of heart or who do not have the bare necessities to live, or who do not have the most beautiful thing of all: the faith. Mercy. Let us together repeat this word: mercy. All of you! [Mercy!] Again! [Mercy!] And once more, so the whole world can hear you! [Mercy!]."
Especially in Southern Louisiana right now, I am witnessing merciful hearts everywhere, as many people's houses have been flooded because of recent historic and epic rainfall. The face of mercy is an ever youthful one, as Francis declares, and Lafayette and Baton Rouge have young college and high school students volunteering and helping, changing the world. Showing the world that mercy is real, love is present, and God is good. It brings me so much joy and hope for the world to see people showing love in their actions, not just their words.
He then went on to say that too many youth are "retiring" from the faith. They stop attending mass in their 20s, stop praying, and they lose their relationship with God because of that.
When he finished talking, the Holy Father gave a Papal Blessing (whaaaaaaaaaat) and we journeyed back to our hostel.
I would like to end today's blog with the end of Pope Francis' opening talk.
"All together, let us ask the Lord, each repeating in the silence of his or her heart: “Lord, launch us on the adventure of mercy! Launch us on the adventure of building bridges and tearing down walls, be they barriers or barbed wire. Launch us on the adventure of helping the poor, those who feel lonely and abandoned, or no longer find meaning in their lives. Launch us on the journey of accompanying those who do not know you, and telling them carefully and respectfully your Name, the reason for our faith."
Thus ends Day 9.
Nicholas Scalfano
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