BONNIE GARRADVOLUNTEER IN PROFILEWhy did you become a volunteer for DID08? I enjoyed my last experience as a volunteer for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and was keen to have the opportunity to represent our Archdiocese. What do you hope to achieve as a volunteer for DID08? To be as welcoming and helpful as I can to visitors and pilgrims coming to Melbourne – to make sure their experience is a lifelong memory. What are you looking forward to most about World Youth Day 2008? Being a very small part of this wonderful event in our country and sharing the excitement and enthusiasm of youth from all over. Best volunteer moment so far? My most memorable moment so far was being present at the Volunteer Launch by the Archbishop at Telstra Dome and meeting the staff and other volunteers at DID08! If you would like to join the team as a long term volunteer, please contact us via our website: www.did08.com/?id=volunteers Applications for Event time volunteers ARE OPEN NOW. |
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Welcome from the CEODear Friends, The Easter pilgrimage beings for all of us at this reflective time of year one of hope and healing. At Easter, Christians celebrate life, suffering, death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we celebrate new life we can
reflect on the resurrection of Jesus as a gift. WYD08 and Days in the Dioceses Melbourne (DID08) will be a special 'Easter' gift for us all. It's all now so very close! I am convinced that it will be an inspiring experience for the young pilgrims and indeed for the wider Melbourne community. I have had the privilege of actually meeting many thousands of these young people, from so many cities all over the globe who will soon arrive in Melbourne. They are great kids and will bring much joy and hope to our own wonderful young people and all of us pilgrims in faith. They will 'Easter' in us new life! Open your hearts and homes to them – you will be pleasantly surprised. We wish everyone a lovely Easter period and look forward to a wonderful celebration of faith during DID08. Br. Mark O'Connor Parish StoryIn this time of Easter, in which we commemorate the devastation of the Cross and the salvific joy of the resurrection; it's opportune to share a story recently told at the Peninsula Deanery JCI planning meeting. The story not only celebrates the affect the presence of the Cross and Icon have on individuals and communities but also celebrates what the Paschal Mystery is all about: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the life, death and resurrection in our own lives happening daily. This story flows from the recent visit of the WYD Cross, Icon and Message Stick in the Diocese of Sandhurst. For many years a family rift had caused silence between family members and, in particular, between two siblings. The rift was ugly and destructive. One member of the family was present at a celebration where the Cross and Icon were presented to the community for encountering. The family member moved closer to the Cross and, on arrival, touched the cross, prayed before it and spent time contemplating it. The experience, like so many other experiences, had a significant impact. The impact was such that the family member was driven to make amends with siblings and the wider family members. Once at home, telephone calls were made and discussions of reconciliation began. The person who experienced the presence and power of the Risen Lord through the encounter with the WYD Cross set about healing the rift that had caused distance and silence between them. What better way to celebrate the Easter Story than by reflecting on this wonderful response to the presence of the WYD Cross in our midst next month. As the story was told I felt shivers up my spine and on the journey back to our office I reflected on the importance and impact these wonderful symbols of WYD and the Message Stick will have on the young people of the Archdiocese. May your Easter be a time of new life and joy and may the sufferings you bear be eased by the living out of the Easter Story: 'do not be afraid.' John Rhynehart Program Manager |
International Update
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Upcoming Events
From 10-14 July, Melbourne will be a buzz with excitement as youth from around the world visit our great city and experience the living Church of Melbourne. There will be plenty of events happening in the city that all pilgrims – local and international – are welcome to attend. We are very happy to release the official DID08 Event Program click on the weblink to check out the full program www.did08.com. We have also sent Event Program posters to all parishes and schools. If you would like more copies, please contact our office on 9412 8400 or email info@did08.com. |
In The News
The Cross was entrusted to the youth of the world in 1984 when Pope John Paul II gave it as a symbol of faith that was to be carried out into the world. The Cross has since travelled on the 5 major continents of the world, through parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, Ground Zero in New York, USA, and even travelled behind the iron curtain into Prague. The WYD08 Message Stick is an invitation from the Sydney Aboriginal Catholic communities to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth across Australia to join in the celebration of WYD08. The JCI and the WYD08 Message Stick will visit over 50 host locations across the Archdiocese during it's time in Melbourne. To open the journey, the Cross and Icon and Indigenous Message Stick will arrive at St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral for the Diocesan Handover Mass with the Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart. At the Mass, Melbourne will be treated to the celebrity performances of Guy Sebastian, Paulini and Melbourne's own Gary Pinto when they officially sing the World Youth Day song "Receive the Power". Soul singer and Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, accompanied by highly acclaimed artist Paulini and Gary Pinto are set to light up St Patrick's Cathedral as the Cross and Icon are welcomed by thousands of young people across Melbourne. The JCI concludes its journey through Melbourne on Sunday 10 May with a formal Handover event at Station Pier Port Melbourne, when it is handed over by the Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart to travel by boat on the Spirit of Tasmania to the Archdiocese of Hobart. Check out the full Journey of the Cross and Icon Melbourne Route and experience the journey in Melbourne from 25 April – 10 May 2008. |
Pilgrim Services - What's New?DID08 is going to be a massive celebration for all Melbournians! We are looking for helpful, enthusiastic people with good initiative to join our Volunteer program, TEAM DID08. We are currently half way to recruiting 650 volunteers for this amazing five day celebration of faith and life from 10-14 July 2008. TEAM DID08 volunteers will be involved in a variety of roles including welcoming international pilgrims at the airport, helping them board their transport, assisting them in finding their seats at the Commissioning Mass and providing a helping hand at the Pilgrim Welcome Centre. There are 5 simple steps to becoming a TEAM DID08 volunteer:
So come on – sign up, meet new people, and be a part of this once in a lifetime event! |
Training CornerMany thanks to all those who attended the March Pilgrim TEAM Training sessions! In total, there were 162 parishes, 49 schools and numerous multi-cultural and religious communities represented at our second round of Training sessions. Momentum is really building as more and more people actively plan for DID08 and WYD08 at a local level. Training our local contacts is an integral part of ensuring that parishes, schools, and communities are well prepared and organised to receive international pilgrims on pilgrimage to WYD08. An important resource to help all our contacts is the Pilgrim TEAM Training Manual. This contains a number of useful tips, key dates, and planning ideas that you can adopt in your parish or school. If you were not able to attend a Training session or would like to have additional copies of the Pilgrim TEAM Training Manual, please visit www.did08.com/?id=pilgrimteamtraining and download a copy. The third round of Pilgrim TEAM Training is planned for early June. We remind all our contacts that if you need any assistance, please contact the Pilgrim Services team on 9412 8400 or email info@did08.com. |
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Check out the 
Days
in the Dioceses Melbourne is pleased to announce the arrival of the
World Youth Day (WYD08) Cross and Icon's (JCI) accompanied by the WYD08
Message Stick to Melbourne on 25 April 2008. The Cross and Icon and Message Stick will arrive at St Patrick's Cathedral on Anzac Day when Melbournians will welcome these universal symbols of peace and hope for a 15 day tour.