Holy Father during Mass with priests and religious
I am at the Airport in Rio, waiting for my plane to Curitiba, where I will visit my family (the airport is full of WYD pilgrims!). The last three days were insanely amazing, but I did not have time until now to share with you what happened: the life of a WYD pilgrim and volunteer.
On Saturday I went very early to the Cathedral of Rio, to participate in the Mass with priests and religious. The Mass was scheduled to start at 10 am, so I thought if I arrived at 6 am, four hours early, I would be fine. However, when I arrived there, the line was several blocks long. I could not believe it. Thousands of priests, nuns and seminarians were already there. That was one of the longest lines I ever saw (up to that point, there was another one to come even longer). It was nice to see in the length of that line an expression of love for the Vicar of Christ of all those who are consecrated to God.
After waiting two hours, it started raining. I think someone in the security checkpoint had pity on the old priests and nuns in the line and started to let people inside without checking the ID of everyone. When I got to the Cathedral, I could not believe that I was there, I was so happy! The cathedral was packed; you could see all colors and styles of cassocks, habits, and clerical shirts. I sat beside a nun from Rio. She happened to be from the parish of a former Legionary who is a good friend of mine. There were several Legionary priests and consecrated women there as well.
Walking pilgrimage in Rio
When the Holy Father arrived, everyone burst with joy! I could not see him though, since I was in the other side of the Cathedral. When they processed to the Altar, I finally saw him because the sanctuary is high. I was about 30 yards away from the Pope and could see him clearly. The Mass was very beautiful and solemn. All the songs were in Gregorian Chant. During the homily, Pope Francis asked from the depth of his heart: “Please, listen to the young people. Be patient with them!” That struck me very much, because it showed how the Holy Father really cares about the youth.
The Mass ended around noon, and I decided to start my walking pilgrimage. There is a tradition on WYD, which is to do a walking pilgrimage to the site of the night vigil. The original vigil was supposed to happen in Campus Fidei, which is located in the countryside of Rio, maybe an hour away from the city. But due to the rain, they changed it to Copacabana. So, the pilgrimage was from downtown Rio to the beach, around 5 miles. They closed a few main avenues so we could make it (I am really thankful for the patience of the people of Rio, they made many sacrifices for us). Probably this was one of the most powerful experiences I had in this WYD. Walking in downtown Rio reminded me of the March for Life in DC, but 10 times bigger. There were hundreds of thousands of pilgrims there, most of them walking in groups with their flags and singing along. It looked like a huge army marching for battle. That view was so impressive that I could not help but cry. It took me about three hours to complete the route, which had huge avenues and skyscrapers, tunnels and beaches — gorgeous landscape.
Young people at Copacabana Beach before the vigil
At the end of the walk I met a group of Legionary priests, and we went together to a spot in Copacabana Beach where RC members would gather to participate in the Vigil. Copacabana was already full of people and was just 4 pm, the Vigil would start at 7:30 pm. Everyone had tents and sleeping bags across the beach; you almost could not walk through the beach. The priests decided to take advantage of the crowd to hear confessions. I helped to organize the lines. It was very nice to see so many young people eager to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.
The Pope arrived around 6:30 pm, passing through the road that goes along the beach and greeting the people. The Vigil was very powerful. Young people gave testimonies, there was music, and also they built a church on the main stage! I was deeply moved by it. The Pope’s speech was amazing; it was my favorite one. One of my favorite moments was when he commented about the change of the Vigil site. He said the Campus Fidei (Field of Faith) was not a geographic place, but it was each one of was. The whole Vigil was very prayerful, the majority of the people at the beach in silence and praying. At the end, we had Eucharistic Adoration for about 15 minutes; it was very powerful to be there in adoration with 3 million people. We could hear just the sound of the waves breaking at the shore. We ended the night singing Salve Regina with the Pope to the Blessed Mother.
Most of the people stayed at the beach to sleep. I was supposed to work as a volunteer early in the morning, and I really needed to sleep, so I went home. In my heart I kept the prayerful silence of the Vigil.
