Br Antonio with a group of pilgrims from Panama
After the night vigil, I went home and arrived at mid-night. At 4 am I was already up to go back to Copacabana. I was so excited about having Mass with the Pope that I did not feel tired at all. It was still dark when I got to Copacabana Beach. You could see pilgrims still sleeping at the beach and streets. Some people were looking for places to have breakfast, and the most important: restrooms (the lack of enough restrooms was a big sacrifice that many pilgrims offered up)!
It was hard to go through the beach. Each inch of sand was full of sleeping bags, tents, etc. That view of Copacabana full of pilgrims camping reminded me of the people from Israel in their journey through the desert. On my way I found a group from Panama. I have a very good friend from Panama, but I did not see anyone from there until that point, so I decided to take a picture with them. At 7:30 am the organizers of the event started to wake up everyone with music. I also saw at least two bishops with sleeping bags who had spent the night at the beach. It was inspiring to see them decline the comfort of a bed to accompany their sheep. Next to the entrance of the main stage, I saw lots of priests who were arriving for the concelebration with the Holy Father. They received a very nice chasuble with WYD logo in gold. It was very neat to see the joy and excitement of those priests to be able to offer the sacrifice of the Mass with the Vicar of Christ. There were several legionaries among them.
Eucharistic Tent where hosts were consecrated before the Mass with the Holy Father
I finally arrived at the area where several RC groups were gathered. The sun was really strong and I realized the terrible mistake I made — I forgot to bring a cap!
Before the Mass started I found out how they would have enough consecrated hosts for so many people spread over 2.4 miles. Along the beach there were several tents with a symbol of the Eucharist. In each one of them priests celebrated Mass and consecrated around 200 ciboria full of hosts. Also, at the tent there were 200 extraordinary ministers of communion who would distribute the body of Christ to the pilgrims. I arrived at one of tents right after the Mass was celebrated; it was such a beautiful scene to see all those consecrated hosts spread in the altar; I spent a good time in adoration and thanking Jesus for feeding us with his own body.
Right before the Mass started, the pilgrims received the Holy Father with the largest flash mob in the history (“flashee mobbee” as my fellow Brazilians would say). They were rehearsing it yesterday in several occasions. I thought that as a brother it would not be good to participate myself, but when I saw that even Cardinals were doing it, I went with the flow (literally).
Br Antonio at the volunteer’s encounter with the Holy Father
The Mass started and everyone recollected themselves in prayer, it was a wonderful scene to see: 3.5 million people together in prayer. The liturgy was really beautiful. During the homily what struck me the most was when Pope Francis said: “Go, do not be afraid, and serve!” He really stressed the importance of spreading our faith through our actions and service in that closing Mass. At the end of Mass the Pope announced where the next WYD will take place: Krakow, Poland.
When the Mass ended, I did not wait a second to leave. The Pope was going to have an encounter with all the volunteers in a convention center an hour away from Copacabana. I could see several volunteers running to get the bus. Again I thought that I would be the first one to arrive there, but for my surprise there already thousands of volunteers when I arrived, it seems that hundreds of volunteers slept at the line to make sure to get a good spot. That was the longest line I ever saw in my life, another broken record by WYD Rio 2013. I was the only legionary there, but I met a few consecrated women who worked as volunteers, including Rene Blackwell who worked with me in the English translation team. Those volunteers gave their blood, sweat, and sleep for that WYD, they were really tired. Some of them were sleeping as they waited the Holy Father. However, when the Holy Father arrived everyone was bursting with joy, singing, and cheering! During that encounter, we could see that the Holy Father was very tired but at same time deeply moved by the great reception that we gave to them. His speech was amazing, he invited the volunteers to reflect on the path God was leading them. My favorite part was when he said, “have the courage to be happy”.
After the Pope left, I went home and started to feel the tiredness of that long and busy week. I was dead tired but very happy. My heart was ablaze with all those wonderful experiences with the Holy Father and my fellow pilgrims. The Holy Father went back to the Eternal City, but his message of love and hope was still in our hearts and minds.
