What an amazing few days: ‘Glastonbury with God’, one newspaper columnist dubbed it! Lancaster Diocese took eighty young people down to London to the Youth Event in the piazza of Westminster Cathedral where two of our group were privileged enough to stand alongside Pope Benedict (Tomas Walsh from Cleveleys and Shaun Morgan from Preston). After ecstatic scenes where young people greeted the Pope, Benedict XVI exhorted young people to live lives worthy of love. The full text is well worth reading on http://www.zenit.org/article-30397?l=english.
From Westminster Cathedral, we joined thousands of other young people from around the country in a procession past Buckingham Palace and to Hyde Park for the evening vigil with the Pope. There, we joined a crowd of 80,000 young people, flags flapping in the wind. During the afternoon, there was a mixture of singing, drama, testimony and prayer and we were able to watch the progress of the popemobile as it passed through London. The atmosphere was electrifying as the Pope turned into Hyde Park. As the vigil began, the excitement turned to a profound reverence, as you could have heard a pin drop as everyone knelt in silence during Benediction. It was amazing to think that we were kneeling not so far from the Tyburn where so many martyrs died for their faith and love for their Catholic faith.
Fiona Kerr, 17, from Cockermouth, tells the story: “When I left Castlerigg Manor on Friday 17th September, I still didn’t really know how huge that weekend was going to be, and the massive impact it would have on my life. We celebrated Mass at Our Lady & St Edwards Church in Fulwood around 9pm, and we started to reflect on the journey ahead of us, both physical and spiritual. It was the first time we had been all together as a group, and it was really great to know that all the other people in the room held the same beliefs and values as me, and were going to share an amazing experience with me. We could all feel the excitement on the bus, knowing we had started our pilgrimage, and we were so anxious to get to London. We arrived on a crisp Saturday morning, as other groups of young people wearing colourful shirts also started to arrive. We had our navy
blue ‘Diocese of Lancaster’ shirts, pink wristbands, Papal Visit bags and missals ready, and we entered Westminster Piazza. The touchable buzz of excitement was incredible, and despite having to stand for two hours before the Mass, 2,500 young Catholics were singing, dancing, cheering, clapping and anticipating the Mass that was to be led by Pope Benedict XVI, or ‘Bené’ as we chanted. And then, we saw the Holy Father on the big screen in the Piazza, and a tremendous cheer erupted. It finally struck me how much the youth of Great Britain love our 
Pope. The Mass was amazing, accompanied by the incredible music of James MacMillan, which was absolutely wonderful. I was filled with the Holy Spirit during the service, and listening to Benedict’s Homily, then the blessing he gave us on the steps of Westminster, I was inspired to share God’s love for me with everyone around me. But I wasn’t sure how. It was the Vigil at Hyde Park that taught me how, and I hope to develop more in God’s love. To see so many young Catholics in Hyde Park, all joining together in worship of the Blessed Sacrament, and the haunting silence, filled me with awe and wonder. I feel so privileged to have been part of such a historic event, and to share it with so many people, and new friends, was incredible. Words cannot do true justice to that wonderful weekend. Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain is something that I will never forget”.
Jennifer Fletcher writes, “At Midnight on Friday night 80 young people of Lancaster diocese boarded a coach to set off on a six hour journey to London. Arriving in Westminster Plaza at around seven, the Lancaster group were one of the first to arrive and were subsequently joined by one young person from every diocese in England and Wales- 3,500 young people to be exact. The atmosphere was exciting as some people sung songs and others waved at the BBC news camera, eager for their 1 minute of fame. When the mass started on the big screen set up in the plaza, the mood turned more meditative and quiet. We were able to follow the mass in the Magnificat books given to us earlier that day and join in with the responses to the prayers. After communion, the Pope then made his way out of the cathedral to greet all the young people gathered outside. This was a truly historic moment summed up perfectly by the representative from 
the diocese of Brentwood who stated when addressing the Pope that ‘until this moment (the Pope) had only been a face on TV’- and to see him now, stood addressing the crowd and blessing us was hard to believe. Some members of the crowd started to chant ‘we love you Benedicto’ and he seemed genuinely pleased and humbled at the crowd assembled before him; a contrast to his role as a powerful and influential church leader. After mass had finished, we made our way through the streets of London and to Hyde Park, where we gathered our pack lunches and sat on the grass to enjoy the heat. A sea of colour stretched before us; young people from every diocese gathered in groups in their different coloured T-shirts and their luminous yellow papal bags enjoying their sandwiches in the sunshine. 
At around 2 o’clock we started to make our way to Hyde Park and to take our seats, for what most of us thought we be a long wait until half six when mass was due to start. However, on arrival there was entertainment and dancing and the time passed quickly as one representative of every parish in England, together with a banner of their church, processed on stage and shook hands with every cardinal from England. This passed a lot of time along with speeches from three different Christians about the way in which religion had positively changed and influenced their lives. It was a great atmosphere, and as the cameras surveyed the audience, people realising they were on the big screens near the front of the stage, would wave their flags and cheer. As a live picture was projected of Pope Benedict making his way through the streets of London, the crowd erupted in cheers, and the Pope was welcomed onto the stage with waving flags and applause. He thanked the crowd and ‘the many young people who (were) present for (the) vigil.’ Speaking in his homily he spoke of Cardinal Newman and how we are ‘created to know the truth (and to fulfil) our deepest human aspirations.’ As darkness fell, the mass drew to a close and the large crowd started to disperse- the Lancaster diocese trudging wearily through London to the coach. It had been 24 hours without any sleep, and it promised to be another 6 before we reached Castlerigg, where a bed was waiting. We were tired and exhausted but thankful for the chance to be part of an event which was so historic and, in the words of Pope Benedict filled with ‘immense joy.’
Here Katie Thompson, 17, from Preston, shares her experience: “On Saturday 18 Spetember I was in London with thousands of other young people, all joined together to see the Pope. Before the trip I didn’t know what to expect. But when I saw the Pope come out of the cathedral and greet us young Catholics I felt pure joy. Here was the head of the Catholic Church and I stood not that far away. It was an experience I will never forget. The night before meeting the other young people I would be travelling with I was nervous since I did not know many people there. But everyone was so kind and welcoming I soon found myself making new friends and before I knew it I had been up all night talking to some great people. My pilgrimage to London has been one that I will never forget. I feel so honoured that I have been able to take a part in this historical event and listening to the Pope’s voice addressing all us young Catholics has strengthened my faith even more. I would like to thank all the people who helped us on the day, everyone who organised the pilgrimage and most of all the other young Catholics who made the same journey as me and joined together to welcome Pope Benedict XVI to the UK and show him just how strong our faith is”.
Steph Price – who went with CAFOD – writes: “I could give you a run down of what we did and how it all felt to be at this historic event but believe me I would be here for days, and none of it would do it justice. Even now it is still hard to process all that my heart saw, felt, and gave in these precious moments. I really feel that the young people that gathered in Westminster and Hyde park are a true testament to the words that the Pope said in his homily at Westminster. There are so many things that could be said about the Pope’s various speeches on Saturday but that is 
not what I will always remember from this special day. Words fade. Memories live on. I will never forget the electricity that ran through the crowd at Westminster as we awaited the Pope, and the Mass. I will never forget the cold I experienced sat in the piazza that morning. I will never forget the warmth of the sun that washed over me as we went to receive Communion. I will never forget the sea of young people walking along the roads of central London to get to Hyde Park. I will never forget the fun, the laughter, the smiles, the rejoicing of friends from different dioceses and organisations finding each other in a crowd of 3,000 young people. I will never forget the colour of all the dioceses. I will never forget the excitement of the camera zooming in on different people. I will never forget the moment the Pope arrived into Hyde Park. I will never forget the silence and stillness that came over 80,000 people during adoration in Hyde Park. But more than anything I will never forget the sheer love that our Papa has for us. The affection and love that he clearly has for all of his flock, especially the young. The way that his eyes lit up to our cheering. The way that he waved his hands in love of us. The way that his heart spoke to mine”.
And Ian Mulholland, one of the adult leaders writes, “What a marvellous trip we had.I have never had such a day and felt such emotion on seeing the Holy Father – in fact great love for him. I think the Pope’s visit has done alot of good – good for Catholics generally in terms of faith support and encouragement, really good for young people in giving them heart and the tools to stick with their faith and also that the Government will need to take more note of the Church in future and faith communities in general. Perhaps we can avoid such things as the closure of Catholic Adoption Agencies in future”.
Many of our young people have been interviewed on local and national radio. Check out
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8963000/8963589.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cumbria/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8973000/8973732.stm
Cor ad Cor Loquitur – Heart Speaks unto Heart
The theme for Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 visit to the UK is Cor ad cor loquitur – Heart speaks unto heart.
Cardinal John Henry Newman chose the words as the motto to go on his coat of arms. Heart speaks unto heart is a fitting choice for this papal visit as, on the final day of his Apostolic Journey, the Holy Father will beatify Cardinal Newman – the much-loved Victorian theologian.
Origins of the motto
When Newman became a Cardinal in 1879, he had to choose a motto to go on his coat of arms. He chose the Latin words Cor ad Cor loquitur – heart speaks unto heart. Where did these words come from? At the time, Newman thought they came from the Imitation of Christ (written in the 1400s), but in fact he was mistaken – they’re from St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) a French Bishop and great spiritual writer whom Newman revered. In fact, Newman chose to put a painting of St Francis above the altar in his own Chapel at the Birmingham Oratory.
‘Heart speaks to Heart’ – who is speaking to who?
The phrase has different levels, which together tell us a lot about Newman, his understanding of what it is to be human, and his vision of a humanity redeemed by Christ. Newman thought that true communication between us speaks from our heart to the heart of others around us – much more than just clever talking. He wrote in an Anglican sermon: ‘Eloquence and wit, shrewdness and dexterity, these plead a cause well and propagate it quickly, but it dies with them. It has no root in the hearts of men, and lives not out a generation.’ Truth speaks from the centre of the person, from their heart: ‘By a heart awake from the dead, and by affections set on heaven, we can… truly and without figure witness that Christ liveth.’ In the age of the Internet, Newman tells us that however we communicate, what we say should come from the heart, the fruits of a moral life lived in communion with Christ.
In fact, Christ speaks to us from his own Heart. ‘Thou art the living Flame, and ever burnest with love of man’ – he is ‘the Word, the Light, the Life, the Truth, Wisdom, the Divine Glory.’ So, in the end, it’s the Heart of God himself which speaks to us – in prayer, in the Mass, through the Scriptures. But also through other faithful Christians, and in the teachings of the Church. As Newman says, ‘when the Church speaks Thou dost speak.’ The Church has no other heart than the Heart of Christ himself.
For further details of the visit, see www.papalvisit.org