Meeting Archbishop O'Brien

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Originally uploaded by the rubberboots girl.

I have to admit, I felt a little foolish when I found out that at WYD, even our little group of 3 was part of the largest diocese in the entire world. I suppose I never really thought about how the "paperwork" aspect worked, but when you factor in that every single Catholic parish tied to a military base is part of the Military Archdiocese, well, yes - it makes perfect sense.

One of the most memorable events of that week was the evening we spent with the representatives of this diocese. Over 300 of us were able to come together and be treated to music, motivational speakers, and most importantly, the Stations of the Cross. Archbishop O'Brien (with whom I was able to speak to momentarily - only because he thought I was a hotel worker haha) opened the presentations with an account of his day. He flew into Cologne the same day that the Pope did. Because of the mass confusion of the city (over 800,000 additional inhabitants than a "typical" day in Cologne), he had great difficulty reaching his destination: the boat that was specifically for Archbishops and Bishops. His taxi driver pulled up to the dock, just in time to see his boat on its way down the river. Devastated, he turned to look for help. He found out there was another boat that would be leaving in approximately 5 minutes, and he could just wait for it - it wouldn't be the same as being on the other boat, but that perhaps it would be ok. It wasn't just "OK." You see, the last boat to leave was the boat that carried the Holy Father. How amazing is that? He was able to witness the hundreds of thousands of people screaming and cheering for Pope Benedict XVI.

One of the things we did during this event was have some small-group discussion. We were all tasked with finding 3 people that we did not know, and get into a group with them. We were given discussion questions, and spent about 20 minutes with each other. One of the questions was to name someone that is a spiritual influence in your life today, and tell why. My answer to that question was The Boy. Although he is not Catholic, he attends Mass with me every Sunday without fail. When we were trying to decide the future course of our lives together, he never pushed - he let me come to the decision in my own time. Also, he also understands why sometimes I am reduced to tears during Mass if we sing "How Great Thou Art" or "Here I Am, Lord." It's not just because those were songs sung at our wedding, it is because of the reasons why they were.

The Stations of the Cross presentation was, without a doubt, the most moving production I have ever witnessed. A group from Oklahoma did "freeze frame" acting, while others read, and it was all combined with modern-day music. It was interesting to me, trying to explain this to The Boy. It was something very uncharacteristic, I suppose, for the Catholic church. It truly moved me in a way that even weeks later, I find myself reflecting back on those moments.