The kindness of strangers in Madrid

 

Pilgrims from Hong Kong, China, cheer as they and hundreds of thousands of others walk to the Opening Mass of World Youth Day in the center of Madrid.

I wrote yesterday of the wonderfully warm nature of the volunteers that welcomed us into our home-away-from-home in Velillas de San Antonio, but that story today expanded.

This morning we got a late start, heading out on the bus around 10:30 a.m. following breakfast. When we arrived in Madrid, we headed directly for the Plaza de Cibeles, where the opening Mass was to take place at 8 p.m. this evening. It was a large, open plaza completely cordoned off already from traffic, and as we arrived stands were still being erected and large screens placed.

In a shady spot on the north side of the plaza, we set up camp and dispersed into various groups for the day. Some pilgrims visited the Prado, the large and famous art museum that, during World Youth Day, is hosting an exhibit called “Images of Christ.” Others sought Eucharistic Adoration, and a few went to sightsee and perhaps do a little shopping. Fr. Eric Nielsen stayed behind on our little grassy spot to stake it out in preparation for the Mass.

Book stolen from cathedral in Spain

The Calixtinus Codex, a medieval manuscript that offers sermons, liturgical texts, and advice to pilgrims following the Way of St. James, apostle and brother of St. John the Evangelist, was stolen recently from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims in the Camino group of the Diocese of Madison contingent to World Youth Day will be walking the major Christian pilgrimage the Way of St. James, which ends at this cathedral.

For more on the theft, see Reuters or Catholic News Agency