Religious Profession

We give thanks to Almighty God for the final profession of religious vows by Alain Guiteau (Bro. Pierre Toussaint) as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal this past week in the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Alain is a graduate of Kellenberg Memorial Class of 2004.

WYD Rio 2013 - Monday

WYD Rio 2013 - Monday

"What is the cross that he wants me to carry for his love?”

A young man in a wheel chair asked three and a half million people to ask themselves that question as silence came over Copacabana.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jul 27, 2013 / 07:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The young Brazilian Felipe Passos moved the hearts of three million World Youth Day participants, including Pope Francis himself, when he told the story of how he became bound to a wheelchair and discovered “the Cross.”

Felipe, 23, spoke at the World Youth Day prayer vigil July 27 at Copacabana Beach.

He told how at the end of the past World Youth Day, held in Madrid in 2011, he made two spiritual promises. He promised to stay chaste until marriage and to work hard so his prayer group of Ponta Grossa, in Brazil’s southern state of Paraná, could participate in this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.

With few resources, Felipe and his friends began saving money by working several hard jobs at the same time that they prepared themselves spiritually: praying, adoring the Blessed Sacrament, fasting and doing works of solidarity. 

Then a horrible thing happened.

“In January of this year, two days before turning 23, two youths entered my house, armed, to rob the money we had gathered with so much sacrifice,” said Felipe. 

“I thought of the months of great efforts, of my family’s sacrificing, of my friends and colleagues… in what would have been snatched from us and I decided I would not give it,” he added July 27.
Felipe saved the savings of the group, but received a gunshot wound that almost ended his life. 

“I was clinically dead, I had several cardiac arrests, and the doctor told my parents in the hospital ‘this boy has no hope,’ but I’m here and my community is here because of God’s mercy,” remarked Felipe.
In front of a shocked crowd and in front of Pope Francis, who looked at him attentively, the Brazilian told how he was in coma, breathing through a tube, while his community offered prayer intentions and sacrifices so he would heal. 

Finally, when he became conscience, the first thing he did was ask for the Eucharist and after receiving it, he recovered rapidly. 

But Felipe, who was then bound to a wheelchair, stated “this is my cross, the cross the Lord sent me to come closer to him, to live more openly his grace and love.” 

When the three million youths broke out clapping, Felipe interrupted them.
“Silence!” he said. “Let’s listen to the Holy Spirit!” 

The 23-year-old then asked each of the youths present to take the cross they had hung around their neck, to hold it and look at it.

Felipe invited them to meditate in silence on the questions: “What is the cross that the Lord has given me? What is the cross that he wants me to carry for his love?” - CNA

When the Holy Father said earlier that he wanted youth to stir things up, he scared people not accustomed to such language from the Pope. The Pope wasn't calling for anarchy, but the commotion of the Holy Spirit. He was calling young people - and the young at heart - to stir into flame the Living Flame of Love in their heart. Stir up the embers of our faith into flame - that all may see. To go out into the marketplace, as Pope Benedict might say.

He is saying nothing new - simply speaking, calling in a new way. Others have done the same. The Holy Father points directly to St. Francis - who didn't set out to start an order but set out to serve those most in need, to share his faith and make love known and loved. 

But first ask: “What is the cross that the Lord has given me? What is the cross that he wants me to carry for his love?” Then do it!

WYD Rio 2013 - Sunday

WYD Rio 2013 - Sunday

Pope Francis told the crowd of pilgrims at WYD Rio 2013's Saturday night prayer vigil that the “field of faith” is found in their own hearts, which Christ wishes to till.

“This, dear young people, means that the real ‘Campus Fidei,’ the field of faith, is your own heart, it is your life.”  The prayer vigil was held on Copacabana beach rather than “Campus Fidei.”

Pope Francis stressed that the deepest meaning of “Campus Fidei” is not a geographical place, like the massive plain east of Rio that was closed to pilgrims after heavy rains. Rather, the field of faith is, most profoundly, the human heart.

“It is your life that Jesus wants to enter with his word, with his presence. Please, let Christ and his word enter your life, blossom and grow.”

Pope Francis examined, St. Francis of Assisi, as a model of Christian life. The saint was called to rebuild Christ's house, and realized that his call was not merely “a question of repairing a stone building, but about doing his part for the life of the Church.”

Just as St. Francis was called to “make the countenance of Christ shine ever more brightly” in the Church, so “today too,” God is “calling each of you to follow him in his Church and to be missionaries.”

Pope Francis used the image of a field in three ways: a place for sowing seeds; a training ground; and a construction site.

The human heart is the field where Christ sows the seed of God's word, Pope Francis asked, “What kind of ground are we? What kind of terrain do we want to be?”

He said, “we are like the path,” not allowing the word of God to change our lives because we have “let ourselves be numbed by all the superficial voices competing for our attention” instead of resting in calmness and slowness with the Lord.

We can also fail to bear fruit by faltering in the face of difficulties when “we don't have the courage to swim against the tide;” or at times “negative feelings” choke God's word in us.

Pope Francis encouraged us, saying that “today I am sure that the seed is falling on good soil, that you want to be good soil.”

He contrasted “good soil” with a desire to be Christian “part-time,” “superficially,” or “for show.”

“Do not be Christians of the facade, be Christians who are authentic!” he said. “Ask for the Lord to sow his seed in your heart.”

“I am sure that you don’t want to be duped by a false freedom, always at the beck and call of momentary fashions and fads,” he added.

Pope Francis encouraged us to be “aiming high,” resolving to maintain the lofty standards of truth, goodness, and beauty.

And he asked us to consider the field of faith as an athletic training ground, saying that being a disciple of Christ is much like joining a soccer team. Both require discipline and training.

He referred to St. Paul’s writing that “athletes deny themselves all sorts of things” in order to “win a crown of leaves that withers,” and then added that “Jesus offers us something bigger than the World Cup,” soccer’s international tournament which is to be held next summer in Brazil.

Christ offers “the possibility of a fulfilled and fruitful life; he also offers us a future with him, an endless future, eternal life.”

“But he asks us to train, ‘to get in shape,’ so that we can face every situation in life undaunted, bearing witness to our faith.”

Such spiritual exercises, the Pope said, include talking with him in prayer, “our daily conversation with God.” Do we really seek time in conversation with God, he asked, calling prayer also a “dialogue” with God.

In addition, Pope Francis mentioned were the sacraments and loving one another, “yearning to listen, to understand, to forgive, to be accepting and to help others, everybody, with no one excluded or ostracized.”

Finally, Pope Francis spoke of a field as a construction site, saying God constructs the Church of “living stones,” and that “we are never alone” as we journey “on the same path.”

“Jesus is asking us to build up his Church, but not as a little chapel which holds only a small group of persons. He asks us to make his living Church so large that it can hold all of humanity, that it can be a home for everyone!”

Christ says “to me, to you, to each of us,”: “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

“Tonight, let us answer him: Yes, I too want to be a living stone; together we want to build up the Church of Jesus!”

The desire, so characteristic of young people, to build up a more just, fraternal society, Pope Francis said, must begin with each person becoming more just and fraternal.

Dear friends, never forget that you are the field of faith! You are Christ’s athletes! You are called to build a more beautiful Church and a better world.”

Mary is the model for building a beautiful Church and better world, he assured the pilgrims as he concluded.

“All together, let us join Mary in saying to God: let it be done to me as you say. Amen!

WYD Rio 2013 - Sunday

"Ours is not an age of change, but a change of age."

Read what Pope Francis said to the Bishops - you will understand what he says - because he speaks simply.

Dear brothers, the results of our pastoral work do not depend on a wealth of resources, but on the creativity of love. To be sure, perseverance, effort, hard work, planning and organization all have their place, but first and foremost we need to realize that the Church’s power does not reside in herself; it is hidden in the deep waters of God, into which she is called to cast her nets.

Another lesson which the Church must constantly recall is that she cannot leave simplicity behind; otherwise she forgets how to speak the language of Mystery. Not only does she herself remain outside the door of the mystery, but she proves incapable of approaching those who look to the Church for something which they themselves cannot provide, namely, God himself. At times we lose people because they don’t understand what we are saying, because we have forgotten the language of simplicity and import an intellectualism foreign to our people. Without the grammar of simplicity, the Church loses the very conditions which make it possible “to fish” for God in the deep waters of his Mystery.

[...]
Today, we need a Church capable of walking at people’s side, of doing more than simply listening to them; a Church which accompanies them on their journey; a Church able to make sense of the “night” contained in the flight of so many of our brothers and sisters from Jerusalem; a Church which realizes that the reasons why people leave also contain
reasons why they can eventually return. But we need to know how to interpret, with courage, the larger picture.

[...]
... it is important to devise and ensure a suitable formation, one which will provide persons able to step into the night without being overcome by the darkness and losing their bearings; able to listen to people’s dreams without being seduced and to share their disappointments without losing hope and becoming bitter; able to sympathize with the brokenness of others without losing their own strength and identity. What is needed is a solid human, cultural, effective, spiritual and doctrinal formation. -

There is so much contained in the Holy Father's address which I think explains much of what he has said 'off the cuff' since becoming Pope.

WYD Rio 2013 - Saturday

Among the many guests that we hosted during our World Youth Day pilgrimage was our own Timothy Cardinal Dolan who accepted our invitation for breakfast and talk on Saturday morning.

WYD Rio 2013 - Saturday

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jul 26, 2013 / 02:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).-

Archbishop Charles Chaput of held three catechetical sessions at World Youth Day, urging youth to follow Christ with humility, to share their faith with joy, and to serve the poor both in body and in soul.

“Everyone who wants to follow Jesus Christ is called to preach the Gospel to the world,” the archbishop said.

“Your joyful witness touches and changes others, often in unforeseen ways. So don't be afraid; never be afraid. God is calling you and me and all of us here today to ‘set the world on fire’ with the love of Jesus Christ.”

Archbishop Chaput’s first catechesis, delivered in Rio de Janeiro Wednesday July 24, explored the thirst for God found in every human heart.

“We’re here to begin a new and deeper kind of life. And we can only do that by meeting Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Chaput said. World Youth Day, he stated, is meant to lead people to “the only thing that can really satisfy our thirst and our hope.”

He compared the “noise and distractions in the world” to salt water on a hot day -- something that will not slake thirst but will make ill those who drink it. He criticized consumerism, selfishness, and a reductive view of humanity that ignores virtues such as love, heroism and self-sacrifice.

“God offers us something much greater. God made us not for mediocrity and failure, but for glory and joy. He created us to share in his love forever.”

The archbishop added that living the Christian life is not easy, but demands “humility and patience.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Follow Jesus Christ with all your energy and zeal. And there’s no time to delay. Begin here, today – now.”

Archbishop Chaput’s second catechesis, held on Thursday, focused on how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

“Jesus went to the cross so that you and I could have the dignity of taking up our own crosses and joining him in the work of sanctifying the world. That may seem strange to you. But this loving, profoundly attractive man we call Jesus lived a hard life and died a miserable death.”

“Many who claim to have accepted Jesus often lose their faith when challenges come into their lives. But real Christians know what it means to suffer and to suffer with others.”

Archbishop Chaput said that love “always requires suffering,” but is “always worth it.” In the crucifixion, he said, Christ transformed suffering into “redeeming love.”

As a concrete example of how Christians show this love, the archbishop pointed to a parish his archdiocese, whose families volunteered to babysit and cook for the family of a young widower who had to work to support his several children.

Archbishop Chaput added that faith in Christ is not an individual matter. Rather, it “comes alive for us most fully in the community of believers Christ himself founded to carry on his work,” the Church.

Christians should have the “humility to be part of a community,” despite its imperfections. He encouraged Catholics who find lukewarm parishes to “work unselfishly to bring it to life” rather than settling “for the status quo,” and moving on to a more faith-filled community only if “nothing seems to work.”

Archbishop Chaput also emphasized the importance of prayer. He stressed that Christ's strength came from “constant prayer to his Father.” He forgave those who “came to him in humility,” while having “no patience for sin and hypocrisy.”

“He loved his friends even when they didn’t deserve his love,” the archbishop said. “Jesus was utterly real. There was nothing phony about him -- which is why people loved being in his presence.”

In his third catechesis, held on Friday, the archbishop encouraged his audience to “go forth” as missionaries.

“The greatest way we can show love to other persons is by sharing Jesus Christ with them. And that means all of us are called to be missionaries.”

He urged Catholics to realize that many people have “never even heard of the Gospel” while others have “heard and ignored it.” Faith only grows through witnessing it to others, he added.

While some Catholics are called to be like St. Francis Xavier and spread the faith around the world, most Catholics must “work in the mission fields of our homes and schools, our sports teams, jobs, and friends.”

Archbishop Chaput noted many Catholics’ embarrassment in talking about their faith. In part this is because it is easier “not to make a big deal about our faith” and another portion is because of those who “sometimes give religion a bad name.”

He said Catholics should overcome this reluctance.

“If your friends and family don’t encounter a living Jesus Christ through your words and actions, then you’re doing them a disservice,” he said. “If you act out of genuine love for God and others, your patience and persistence will move hearts.”

He urged Catholics to find those who are poor in their own communities, get to know them and help them both materially and spiritually.

“If we don’t bring the poor to know and love Jesus Christ even as we provide for their material needs, then we’re betraying our own baptism and not doing the poor any good. No matter what good things we give to people, if we don’talso give them Jesus Christ, then we’re selling them short.”

The archbishop reminded pilgrims that their daily activities all have meaning. He promised that no act of sincere faith will “ever be wasted.”

He encouraged pilgrims to act with humility and prayer to help allow the enthusiasm of World Youth Day to “put down roots in your heart, and grow into the kind of zeal and conviction that no one can ever take away from you.”

Archbishop Chaput was one of more than 250 bishops delivering catechetical sessions for pilgrims in Rio this week. The catecheses are meant to help the pilgrims to understand, and to absorb Pope Francis' message into their lives.

WYD Rio 2013 - Saturday

Today's photos are from yesterday's Mass and Stations of the Cross. After Mass in the early afternoon we gathered together on our hotel balcony for the Stations of the Cross with Pope Francis.

The popemobile traveled slowly stopping many times along the route. And one stop was right in front of our hotel. Upon his arrival to the stage, we settled in to participate in the Stations. While we watched the enactment at two stations in front of our hotel, our attention was quickly switched to the television on our balcony. There we participated with the television and our radios for translations.

The offertory gifts brought by James Zwilling.

Connor Uehlinger brings the gifts to the altar.

The responsorial psalm proclaimed by Nicholas Romano.

Maggie Friel reads the first reading.

Peter Vilceus listens attentively during the Liturgy of the Word.

Waiting for the arrival of the Pope we gathered together on the hotel balcony.

We all brought our dinner to the open air patio prior to Stations of the Cross.

Dusk has arrived, but the Pope is yet to be seen.

The Holy Father arrives in his open-air popemobile.

WYD Rio 2013 - Saturday

Faith-sharing continued as our pilgrims commented on the Holy Father's homily at Rio. The essential theme we received was that each of us is asked to "put on faith, put on hope, put on love." As St. Paul urges us to "put on Christ," we must "put on faith, hope and love."

Yesterday we celebrated Mass on the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Special intentions were made for our grandparents, especially those who were recently departed. 

We also participated in the Stations of the Cross. We attempted to participate in the Stations from the Copacabana beach, but all access was cut-off. We returned to our hotel balcony to watch and participate. We welcomed the Pope as he traveled past our location we screams and waves. Two of the Stations could be seen from our balcony were the WYD Cross stopped.

After the Stations our pilgrims ventured out to the beach during the concert. Contemporary Catholic artist Matt Maher began singing once we stepped onto the beach. 120 pilgrims livened the crowds until the rains came again. 

Today we are excited to be a part of the Vigil service this evening. All events have been moved to the Copacabana beach which makes our location a very good one. 

Katie Broshek

Becca Suydam

Adrianna Duggan

James Zwilling

Bobby McCarthy

Matthew Doyle

CJ Mahler

WYD Rio 2013 - Friday

Yesterday we celebrated Mass with Bishops Perez and Brennan in the hotel.

Gifts were bestowed on their anniversary of Episcopal Ordination.

Both bishops received Brazilian flip-flops as anniversary gifts.

We watched from our balcony the Welcoming Ceremony of Pope Francis to WYD. 

Our pilgrims came prepared to welcome the Pope.

We spent some time yesterday in faith-sharing.

Billy Griffo and Brother Michael shared the radio for the translation of the Pope's homily

Pope Francis passes by our hotel.

WYD Rio 2013 - Friday

Brothers and sisters, dear friends, welcome to the XXVIII World Youth Day in this marvellous city of Rio de Janeiro!

...and, amid the wind and rain, the Pope's homily at the welcome:

Dear Friends,

“It is good for us to be here!”, Peter cries out after seeing the Lord Jesus transfigured in glory. Do we want to repeat these words with him? I think the answer is yes, because here today, it is good for all of us to be gathered together around Jesus! It is he who welcomes us and who is present in our midst here in Rio. In the Gospel we have heard God the Father say: “This is my Son, my chosen one; listen to him!” (Lk 9:35). If it is Jesus who welcomes us, we too ought to welcome him and listen to his words; it is precisely through the welcome we give to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, that the Holy Spirit transforms us, lights up our way to the future, and enables us joyfully to advance along that way with wings of hope (cf. Lumen Fidei, 7).

But what can we do? “Bota fé – put on faith”. The World Youth Day Cross has proclaimed these words throughout its pilgrimage in Brazil. “Put on faith”: what does this mean? When we prepare a plate of food and we see that it needs salt, well, we “put on” salt; when it needs oil, then you “put on” oil. “To put on”, that is, to place on top of, to pour over. And so it is in our life, dear young friends: if we want it to have real meaning and fulfilment, as you want and as you deserve, I say to each one of you, “Put on faith”, and your life will take on a new flavour, it will have a compass to show you the way; “put on hope” and every one of your days will be enlightened and your horizon will no longer be dark, but luminous; “put on love”, and your life will be like a house built on rock, your journey will be joyful, because you will find many friends to journey with you. Put on faith, put on hope, put on love!

But who can give us all this? In the Gospel we have just heard the answer: Christ. “This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!” Jesus is the one who brings God to us and us to God. With him, our life is transformed and renewed, and we can see reality with new eyes, from Jesus’ standpoint, with his own eyes (cf. Lumen Fidei, 18). For this reason, I want to insist with you today: “Put on Christ!” in your life, and you will find a friend in whom you can always trust; “put on Christ” and you will see the wings of hope spreading and letting you journey with joy towards the future; “put on Christ” and your life will be full of his love; it will be a fruitful life.

Today, I would like each of us to ask sincerely: in whom do we place our trust? In ourselves, in material things, or in Jesus? We are all tempted to put ourselves at the centre, to think that we alone build our lives or that our life can only be happy if built on possessions, money, or power. But it is not so. Certainly, possessions, money and power can give a momentary thrill, the illusion of being happy, but they end up possessing us and making us always want to have more, never satisfied. “Put on Christ” in your life, place your trust in him and you will never be disappointed! You see how faith accomplishes a revolution in us, one which we can call Copernican, because it removes us from the centre and restores it to God; faith immerses us in his love and gives us security, strength, and hope. To all appearances, nothing has changed; yet, in the depths of our being, everything is different. Peace, consolation, gentleness, courage, serenity and joy, which are all fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22), find a home in our heart, and our very being is transformed; our way of thinking and acting is made new, it becomes Jesus’ own, God’s own, way of thinking and acting. During the Year of Faith, this World Youth Day is truly a gift offered to us to draw us closer to the Lord, to be his disciples and his missionaries, to let him renew our lives.

Dear young people: “Put on Christ” in your lives. In these days, Christ awaits you in his word; listen carefully to him and your heart will be warmed by his presence; “Put on Christ”: he awaits you in the sacrament of Penance, to heal by his mercy the wounds caused by sin. Do not be afraid to ask God’s forgiveness! He never tires of forgiving us, like a father who loves us. God is pure mercy! “Put on Christ”: he is waiting for you in his flesh in the Eucharist, the sacrament of his presence and his sacrifice of love, and in the humanity of the many young people who will enrich you with their friendship, encourage you by their witness to the faith, and teach you the language of charity, goodness and service.

You too, dear young people, can be joyful witnesses of his love, courageous witnesses of his Gospel, carrying to this world a ray of his light.

“It is good for us to be here”, putting on Christ in our lives, putting on the faith, hope and love which he gives us. Dear friends, in this celebration we have welcomed the image of Our Lady of Aparecida. With Mary, may we be disciples and missionaries. Like her, may we say “Yes” to God. Let us ask that her maternal heart intercede for us, so that our hearts may be open to loving Jesus and making others love him. He is waiting for us, and he is counting on us. Amen.

WYD Rio 2013 - Friday

"I expect a messy World Youth Day. But I want things messy and stirred up in the congregations, I want you to take to the streets. I want the Church to take to the streets," Pope Francis told the crowd on Thursday in Rio.

Pope Francis blessed a new altar at a tiny church and hugged and kissed locals who crowded the Varginha community streets.

Security was tight in the shanty town, which is part of the larger favela, one of the many hillside shanty towns which surround Rio.

The Pope, who has called for a "Church of the poor" and who regularly visited some of the poorest areas of that city, specifically asked for a favela to be included in his schedule.

At a Mass at the shrine of Aparecida, he warned tens of thousands of faithful against the "passing idols" of money, power and pleasure.

"How many dealers of death there are that follow the logic of power and money at any cost," Pope Francis told the congregation.

WYD Rio 2013 - Friday

APARECIDA, Brazil — Pope Francis said in his homily yesterday at Brazil’s National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida during his first World Youth Day Mass.

“God always surprises us, like the new wine in the Gospel we have just heard. God always saves the best for us,” Pope Francis said at a Mass July 24, after he had venerated the shrine’s image of Our Lady.

“But he asks us to let ourselves be surprised by his love, to accept his surprises. Let us trust God.”

Pope Francis came to Aparecida, “the house of the Mother of every Brazilian,” about 160 miles west of Rio de Janeiro, earlier today by helicopter.

He had come to Aparecida to “place at her feet the life of the people of Latin America.”

Pope Francis also remembered that “it is from Mary that the Church learns true discipleship,” adding, “That is why the Church always goes out on mission in the footsteps of Mary.”

He said, “I too come to knock on the door of the house of Mary … that she may help all of us, pastors of God’s people, parents and educators, to pass on to our young people the values that can help them build a nation and a world which are more just, united and fraternal.”

It was in this context that he introduced three “attitudes” of the Christian life: hopefulness, an openness to being surprised by God and living in joy.

Pope Francis said that, while there are “many difficulties” in each person’s life, “God never allows us to be overwhelmed by them.”

“Let us never lose hope,” he urged. Though there are “moments of discouragement” as we try to evangelize or “embody our faith as parents within the family,” he encouraged the faithful to “always know in your heart that God is by your side.”

God is the object of our hope, taught the Bishop of Rome, and he is “the one with the upper hand” in the face of evil and the devil.

Everyone, he said, “to some extent … feels attracted” to the idols of “money, success, power, pleasure,” echoing the three temptations — riches, honor and pride — considered by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

“Often, a growing sense of loneliness and emptiness in the hearts of many people leads them to seek satisfaction in these ephemeral idols,” Pope Francis said.

“Dear brothers and sisters, let us be lights of hope,” he said. “Let us encourage the generosity which is typical of the young and help them to work actively in building a better world.”

Youth do not solely need material things, but, “above all, they need to have held up to them those non-material values which are the spiritual heart of a people … spirituality, generosity, solidarity, perseverance, fraternity, joy.”

This attitude of hope leads to an openness to being surprised by God, he said.

“Anyone who is a man or a woman of hope — the great hope that faith gives us — knows that, even in the midst of difficulties, God acts, and he surprises us.”

The Pope recalled the founding of the Aparecida shrine, which was erected after three fisherman discovered in the area an image of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, after a day of catching no fish.

“Whoever would have thought that the site of a fruitless fishing expedition would become the place where all Brazilians can feel that they are children of one Mother,” he said.

Yet this shows that God is always other, always greater, and “God always surprises us … always saves the best for us.”

Being open to the surprise, the utter otherness of God, allows “the wine of joy, the wine of hope” never to run out in the Christian life.

WYD Rio 2013 - Thursday

As we have progressed through World Youth Day we have met many people from all over the globe.

One of our students touted that he had met people fro over thirty countries. Today as we were walking through the crowded Rio streets we me an American who is well known in our two Marianist high schools.

Of course, we took the opportunity to take a quick photo with Matt Maher.

WYD Rio 2013- Thursday

WYD Rio 2013 Thursday

Yesterday we had the opportunity to celebrate Morning Prayer with Bishop Bob Brennan and Bishop Nelson Perez. Each of these days is devoted to a catechesis which the bishops give in individual languages. Our bishops shared their catechesis with us in the hotel.

Later we celebrated Mass with many Mexican pilgrims and had dinner in a Portuguese restaurant. No one went home hungry.

Here are a few snapshots from the beginning of our day to the evening.