By Heather Latter
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Michael Brady, a Grade 11 student at Fort Frances High School, is looking forward to attending World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia this summer.
But since he will be going “Down Under,” he’s seeking support from the community to help him raise some of the funds in order to attend.

“I’ve received good support from the community already,” Brady remarked, though adding he hopes people come out to the spaghetti dinner he is hosting tomorrow night (April 10).
Sponsored by Knights of Columbus 2766 and St. Mary’s Youth Group, the event is being held at St. Mary’s Church Hall, with the social at 5 p.m. and dinner beginning at 6 p.m.
There also will be entertainment and silent auctions.
Tickets, which cost $10 each (children under 12 are free), are available at St. Mary’s Rectory at 206 Victoria Ave. or by calling 274-5233.
Brady explained he has been interested in attending World Youth Day since his cousin went to the event in Toronto five years ago.
“It is a massive gathering of Catholic young people, ages 16-35, who are all together for one thing—to praise God and to give glory to His name,” he indicated.
“It is the largest youth event in the world.”
He added it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience visiting the “other side of the world.”
Brady will be making the trip with the Diocese of Thunder Bay and seven other youths from the Thunder Bay area.
“[World Youth Day’s] main purpose is so that Catholic youth everywhere in the world can build friendships and bridges between countries and cultures,” he added, noting organizers are expecting 500,000 people at the closing mass.
World Youth Day runs July 12-20, with Brady saying it’s going to be a jam-packed week.
The four days leading up to the opening ceremonies are called the Days in the Dioceses, where visitors to Australia will join in local community events and participate in “a cultural exchange in the context of faith.”
“I will be billeted with a family in Newcastle, just north of Sydney, and will see what it’s like to live an Australian lifestyle—what they do at the churches there and in everyday life,” Brady said.
“I am very excited to experience the Australian culture and learn some new lingo,” he added.
Then he will be off to Sydney for the opening mass with Pope Benedict XVI, which he stressed is the thing he most is looking forward to.
“It will also be his first trip to Australia, as well,” Brady explained. “Chances are that the Pope will only be a speck in the distance from where I am standing, but I know that it will be amazing to witness this well-known event.”
Following the opening mass, there will be concerts, youth festivals, Catechism teachings, a re-enactment of Jesus’ passion and death, and one last pilgrimage to the closing mass with the Pope.
“It could be a really long walk,” Brady said of the pilgrimage. “We will also get to sleep out under the stars that night.”
Brady said he hopes to deepen his faith life by attending World Youth Day and to learn about faith from the other people he meets there.
“It will be interesting to meet people who believe the same thing as me,” he remarked.
But following the closing mass and the end of World Youth Day, Brady’s trip will not be over yet. The Diocese of Thunder Bay is hosting a one-week “exposure tour” to the Philippines for the Northwestern Ontario participants.
“It will give me first-hand experience of what poverty is like in an under-developed country,” he noted. “I will, without a doubt, come back home with many stories and I will witness to others the works of God that I have seen.”
Brady will return home July 28.
“I just want to thank the Knights of Columbus and my youth group for helping me put on the spaghetti dinner because I couldn’t have done it on my own,” he stressed.
“And I want to thank everyone who has offered their support to me.”
Proceeds from the dinner will help Brady pay for the expenses to travel to Australia. He also has been making monthly payments to cover the cost of the airline ticket, accommodations, and some meals.
“Everyone is invited to come to the dinner [April 10] and have a good time and support a great cause,” Brady enthused.