JourneyOnline
The answer is energy, enthusiasm, excitement, expressions of joy, ecumenism.
The electric atmosphere was contagious as approximately one thousand mostly Catholic young adults crammed into the Albert Street Uniting Church on Saturday morning, 12th July for the Brisbane Days in the Diocese Prayer Time. It was one of five ecumenical church venues in the World Youth Day Heart of the City festivities, culminating at Roma Street Parklands.
National flags waved and songs sung spontaneously in different languages as we waited for our co-ordinated signal to start the worship service.
In what must have been a first for many who came to Australia to participate in World Youth Day and who visited Brisbane prior to travelling to Sydney, these Catholic young people had their eyes opened.
They worshiped in a Protestant church, in an Australian church (The Uniting Church in Australia), and in a service led by two “women priests”, Reverend Lyn Burden and Reverend Anne Hulbert, the Ministers at the Albert Street Uniting Church. Elders took part by processing with the Holy Bible, candles, and bowls of water. Two young adults from the congregation read the Scripture lessons.
The Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto song, “Receive the Power”, and Michael Mangan’s song, “Holy Spirit Land”, reverberated around the church and shouts of joy were raised as countries were recognised in the verses.
As the service finished, all processed out, to be sprinkled by the water from the baptismal bowls, and then waited in the new plaza area in front of the church to join the other five thousand people marching up to the festival in the Roma Street Parklands.
Photo : More than two or three gathered in Albert Street Uniting Church
