Hola family and friends,
We write to you with freshly cleaned bodies, encouraging you to think twice before spending the night on an airfield in Madrid with 2 million other people!
We're going to start off by remembering what we did on Friday, and then bring you through the weekend. Friday we went to catechesis at a Dominican church and heard Cardinal O'Malley give a catechesis. We had Mass there, and then we went to lunch at the Museo de Jamon. SO much meat!!!
After lunch we went to the vocations fair at the Parque de Buen Retiro, where we got lots of information and free things. We tried to walk on a tight-rope between two trees....it was hard!
After the vocations fair some of the pilgrims returned to old Madrid to buy religious articles for family and friends at home, while others went back to the hotel and napped or went in the sauna.
Friday night we watched the Stations of the Cross from our hotel room, praying them together. It was very beautiful and special because one of the Pasos (depictions of the Passion) came from Zamora.
Saturday morning about 1/2 of the group walked 10 kilometers to the airfield and 1/2 took the metro most of the way to the Cuatro Vientos airfield and then walked about 2-3 km. When we arrived at Cuatro Vientos we set up our sleeping area and then sat in the blazing sun at temperatures of 45 degrees celsius for almost 8 hours!!! It was so hot that the Madrid firemen came around with their trucks to spray people periodically. Our location was great because we were quite close to the stage area. Besides the heat, there were locusts (maybe grasshoppers) that were jumping all over everyone!
The weather at the vigil started out fine - but we noticed a large cloud forming. At first we were happy because it blocked the sun, but it developed during the vigil into a thunderstorm with high winds, heavy rain and hail! The heavens opened and poured out water on all of us! The Holy Father had to be covered with several umbrellas and the vigil was put on hold until everyone prayed for the rain to stop - which it did! We were able to continue with Eucharistic Adoration. After the vigil we all tried to sleep in our sleeping bags on the field. Some of us put our sleeping bags on ant hills - so we slept with them all night. JR had it better...maybe...he slept with two huge (5 inch long!!) centipedes!!
More on Sunday to come..
Carolina and Rebecca
No comments:
Post a Comment