Pligrim Blog: Day 3

Bill:
The seed that falls on fertile soil will reap a fruitful harvest
This was the responsorial psalm for mass tonight, it pertains to the pilgrims, but let me back up.
Even though I have the smallest day to write about (5 hours thanks to the International Date Line), there has been a lot happening.
As a mighty river starts with a small mountain stream, so has our journey grown. Each of us started on the 11th in our own house as one pilgrim, some met at Logan Express to make 12, and we then came together at the airport as 16. At the gate we joined 34 more from the Archdiocese, In Atlanta we joined another small group, in LA we woke up to a sizable contingency in the lobby. When we boarded in LA, the number grew again.
The flight from HI to SYD was when it started to hit me. Charlotte and I sat behind the excited Mexicans (when are Mexicans not excited). The Long Island, NY Yankee-loving, group was a few rows ahead and the entire 767 was going to WYD.
On the ground we arrived at the hotel at 10pm Sunday. We had mass in the upstairs lobby. Five priests concelebrated the mass in a cramped space. There were roughly 150 of us from Boston, Connecticut, and New York (and I mean the heart of NYC). The mass was great, albeit, we were exhausted, but we were all in the same boat, pilgrims in a foreign city sharing a common experience.
Individually, each of us has been called to Sydney for reasons large or small. Our hearts and minds are open. There are lots of smiles on the groggy faces. I am proud of the sacrifices everyone has made to get us to this point. I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds…Stay tuned.