WOW! I think I´d be right in saying that yesterday was one of the best days of the Pilgrimage so far.

We attended Catechesis at the Love and Life centre with hundreds of other English-speaking pilgrims. It was a wonderful experence, and the general feed back from our group said that we all found that the speakers related really well with the Catholic youth of today.

Afterwards we headed to Cibelles square to await the Popes arrival. Even though we went straight after our Catechesis (Five hours early), both the square and the road the Pope was due to drive down was quickly filling up with other pilgrims--it was mainly due to the persistance of our leaders that we were able to grab such a good veiw point next to the barrier.

The five hour wait under the sun was not easy; we had to battle to keep our space, there was no chance to reach either the toliet or more water, and we were frequently trampled on by passing pilgrims trying to secure their own place to wait. Luckily our leaders had umbrellas and plenty of water, and being sprayed by the water cannons really helped!

But it was well worth it. The veiw we had when the Pope arrived was amazing--you could literaly see the warmth and joy pour out if his eyes as he smiled and waved to the millions waiting to greet him into Madrid.

There were tears in many of our eyes as we franticly surrged forward with the crowd, reaching out to the Blessed Farther.

I can think of no way to describe the feeling of being part of such an amazing atmosphere. It´s an experence that none of us will ever forget.

Today we will be attending Catechisis, Stations of the Cross and attending the Love and Life Center.