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The Last Few Days

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Hola everyone,  On Saturday, we had breakfast and began our pilgrimage walk to have adoration under the stars with the Pope. We all carried our sleeping bags, tent and food and walked for 2 hours to reach our destination. When we got there, we set up our tents and played some card games and sang songs whilst we waited for the pope. We were so exhausted but eager to share such an incredible experience with the Pope. The Pope arrived at 6pm and began adoration. There were hundreds of thousands of people praying and reflecting in front of the Blessed Sacrament in absolute silence. It was such an uplifting experience. On Sunday, we were given a day to relax and have a bit of sleep in. We also had some time in the pool to cool down in the 40 degree heat!  On Monday, we left Panama for Houston, Texas to begin our retreat!  I hope you all have a lovely week back at school.  Louisa 
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Day 10 - Pope Francis

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Hi everyone, On Thursday night, we all gathered for the arrival of the pope. The atmosphere was phenomenal! Everyone was so eager to get a glimpse of the Pope & guess what! I DID!!!!! Upon his arrival and as he was leaving. I was beyond excited and couldn’t believe my eyes. It definitely was an experience I’ll never forget. The Pope welcomed us to WYD and spoke about how incredible it was to see such young pilgrims on this beautiful journey.    On Friday, we had a free day. I went and checked out the local markets and the shopping mall. After that, two groups gathered with Fr JP and we went to old town for stations of the cross. Finally, we went to an American diner for dinner & watched an Elvis impersonator who entertained us whilst we ate. 
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Day 8: Australian gathering in Panama

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Today, we had a gathering with all the pilgrims, priests and nuns from Australia. Fr Rob Galela sang songs of praise and I got to dance with Fr Fernando & Bishop Vincent!!   We listened to Arch Bishop Anthony Fisher who spoke about the theme of world youth day. We also listened to other guest speakers who shared their past experiences at WYD.  Later that afternoon, we caught a bus to the Opening Mass for WYD. It was such a humbling experience to gather for a mass amongst hundreds of thousands of people who share in the same faith. We met pilgrims from all over the world and we got to exchange some merchandise with them. It was an incredible experience!
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Day 7 - Free Day in the City

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Day 7:  Today we had a free day to explore the City. We went to old town Panama, where we ventured through the quiet picturesque streets admiring the beautiful churches and heritage buildings. We enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by a calming walk along the canal where we began to interact with people from other countries sharing our national chants and songs. This prepared us for what is yet to come.  Ps: Did you notice that I purchased the traditional Panama hat  . I’ll be bringing it back to school to wear during recess & lunch duty  Stay tuned! We have a big week ahead
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Day 6 - Travelling to Panama

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Day 6: travelled to Panama and arrived at 11:30 pm . We checked into our hotel and went straight to bed! 
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Day 3: St Dominic Cathedral & Crit Puebla

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Hola, today we visited a beautiful church  in the city of Puebla- Santo Domingo (St Dominic’s Church) and attended morning prayer. The main attraction of this church was the Capilla Del Rosario, one of the most elaborately decorated chapels in Mexico. The walls and dome are completely coated ornate sculpture in gold leaf and plaster, including saints and dancing angels. After this, we completed mission at Mexico’s largest rehabilitation centre for kids with physical with mental disabilities. It was heartwarming to be able to witness the dedication that all the staff and volunteers had towards the children and their fasciitis within the centre catering to all the children’s needs. The children were so excited to see us and we spent time talking and playing with them.  Chat soon! Xx
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Day 5: Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica

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Today we visited Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City. This has been the highlight of my pilgrimage thus far. One of the world’s most revered shrines, Our Lady of Guadalupe is surrounded by museums, the tranquil grottos and of course, the famous tilma imprinted with the image of the Virgin Mary and worn by Juan Diego. I encourage you all to take time to read the story of Juan Diego’s encounter with Mary as this really touched my heart. After that, we went to a local school to reflect on our day following our moving experience at the Basilica. Following this my group went to eat freshly made churros. Yum!! Our day ended early as I had a 3am wake up to fly to Panama via Huston.  I hope you are all enjoying your last week of school holidays. I’m keeping you all in my prayers.  ️
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