Among the various speakers was Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., who talked about his fear of oral presentations when he was in school — and how his fears evaporated when a professor told him that he liked his work.
{iframe width="100%" height="125px"}http://www.catholicregister.org/images/stories/WYD_article_promo.html{/iframe}"In your limitations and your failures, you're called to be the salt and light of the world… Jesus says I know you can fly," he said. "My spirit will draw you into the likeness of me."
About 15 bishops were seated at stage right, including Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith, who flushed out Blessed John Paul II's famous quote, "Jesus Christ is the answer to every question that is every human life."
Katryn Petit, a pilgrim from Granby, Que., said it was surprising to see so many Canadian youth gathering to worship in the same place — as she said this is definitely not the case at church.
"It was encouraging to see because you know you're not alone in believing," said Petit.
Megan Freitas of Toronto said she was touched by Galea's talk on finding life's true purpose. In particular, she liked his analogy of a mother eagle letting her baby fly, surely catching it if it were to fall.
"He gave us the confidence to maybe do something better with ourselves in our lifetime," she said.
The energy of the Canadian pilgrims was matched equally by their Australian counterparts (chanting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi"), who were holding a gathering for Australians at the Love and Life Centre immediately after.
5,000 Canadian pilgrims unite to open World Youth Day
By Vanessa Santilli-Raimondo, The Catholic RegisterMADRID, SPAIN - Fr. Rob Galea brought a crowd of about 5,000 pilgrims to their feet at the gathering of Canadians here Aug. 16, the opening day of World Youth Day.
Galea, a newly ordained priest and singer, serenaded the thousands with Taio Cruz's hit pop song, "Dynamite," along with a song he wrote about finding his vocation. The audience responded by waving its many flags, singing along and cheering.
What will young people do with their lives? "Jesus is telling you to jump and He'll catch you right before you hit the ground," Galea told those gathered. "We only live life to the fullest if we live the will of God."
The gathering of Canadian pilgrims was hosted at Palacio de Desportes, which is acting as the Love and Life Centre — a home for English-speaking pilgrims in Madrid. The Love and Life Centre is co-hosted by the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters for Life. Fr. Thomas Rosica, CEO of Salt + Light Television, was the event organizer.
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