Scottish Catholic Observer

The grounds of Stirling University were transformed into a mini-Brazil for four days last week as young Catholics from across Scotland and beyond joined together to celebrate their Faith. Scotland’s Rio, hosted by the Catholic Youth Service Scotland, was designed to give young people unable to travel to Brazil for this year’s international World Youth Day gathering a flavour of what takes place at the large-scale celebration of Catholic Faith.

The programme followed closely the events taking place in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro—even including the thunderstorms—where Pope Francis celebrated the 26th World Youth Day gathering with more than three million Catholics from around the globe from July 23-28.

Just like their counterparts in Brazil, young Catholics at Scotland’s Rio had the chance to join together in prayer, celebrate Mass, pray the Stations of the Cross and attend an evening prayer vigil. They also had the opportunity to let their hair down at a traditional Scottish ceilidh in addition to a Brazilian festival, which took place last Friday evening.

In welcoming young people to Scotland’s Rio, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, echoed the words of Pope Francis, as well as the theme of World Youth Day 2013, by encouraging them to ‘be the Lord’s disciples.’

The archbishop emphasised that the most important thing throughout the four-day gathering was that the young people ‘influence one another’ and enjoy sharing their Faith and their love of God with each other. He was delighted to highlight that a group of young Catholics from Down and Connor in Ireland had travelled across the sea to join their Scottish friends at the event. The archbishop noted that this was the second time he had celebrated with Catholics from this part of Ireland in a number of weeks, as the Glasgow Archdiocesan Lourdes pilgrimage had coincided with that of Down and Connor earlier in the month.

Prior to the celebration of the event’s opening Mass, Miriam McHardy, St Andrews and Edinburgh Archdiocesan coordinator for Justice and Peace, spoke more about the World Youth Day 2013 theme: Go and make disciples of all nations.

“This is something we are all called to do,” Ms McHardy said to the young people. “It is less about what we do and more about who we are as people.”

Ms McHardy cited Pope Francis as an example, highlighting his ‘simplicity’ and his ‘humility’ as clear signs of how he is living his discipleship.

“For each of us, the call to discipleship is different but God is calling all of us,” she said.

Opening Mass

The opening Mass of Scotland’s Rio was celebrated on Thursday, the feast of St James.

Bishop Stephen Robson, Bishops Emeriti John Mone and Maurice Taylor and clergy from across the country joined Archbishop Tartaglia in celebrating the Mass under a giant, purpose-built marquee.

Special guest at the opening Mass was the Provost of Stirling, Mike Robbins, who is a parishioner of Holy Family Church, Dunblane. The Robbins’ family was not only represented at Scotland’s Rio, however, as Archbishop Tartaglia highlighted that the provost’s daughter had travelled to the international gathering in Brazil with a group of students from Glasgow University’s Catholic chaplaincy.

Speaking in his homily at the opening Mass, Bishop Robson noted that events had been ‘somewhat overshadowed’ by the ‘horrific train crash’ in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on Wednesday evening, in which at least 80 people were killed.

Santiago (St James in Spanish) de Compostela is the site of the tomb of St James, and a major place of pilgrimage for people from across the world undertaking the famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela (The Way of St James). The bishop spoke about the importance of pilgrimage, highlighting that it can be an opportunity ‘to meet amazing people.’

“Many people on pilgrimage are young people, people searching for something in their life, people searching for faith,” he said.

The bishop also stressed to the young Catholics present that they can ‘become doors of faith’ and, through their journeys, ‘help others encounter the Lord.’

In keeping with the finest World Youth Day traditions, young people had the opportunity to participate in Adoration, go to Confession, pray the Stations of the Cross together and take part in various workshops and visit stalls, which were run by a host of Catholic religious groups, charities, youth and education organisations.

A deepening of Faith

On Friday and Saturday morning,  Scotland’s Rio pilgrims attended Catechesis sessions, led by clergy, which included instructive and participative question and answer sessions.

“I came here to deepen my Faith and enjoying sharing my Faith with fellow, like-minded, young Catholics,” a pilgrim said during the event.

Although predominantly organised for young Catholics, many religious and older Catholics were present with the youth throughout the event. At Friday morning’s Mass, Bishop Emeritus Taylor spoke of the importance of ‘inter-generational relationships.’ The young and the old can learn from each other he highlighted, as well as emphasising the importance of ‘the need to love and care for one another.’

“Love your neighbour as yourself,” the bishop reminded those gathered.

Work of art

On the Friday evening, the Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project performed a powerful version of the Stations of the Cross, that really resonated with the audience.

AGAP director Steven Callaghan, said the 18 people involved, including a number of students from St Mungo’s Academy working towards their Caritas awards, had put in a huge effort.

“One of the last rehearsals we were there from six until midnight,” he said, “But all that rehearsal and also performing it at St Mungo’s and St Michael’s parishes before we went to Stirling meant we’d ironed out any wee technical difficulties and I think the whole experience helped all 18 of us revisit the passion in a new light.”

Mr Callaghan said the response from the audience had also been very positive.

“The feedback was very good,” he said. “Some people approached the cast afterwards and said it was the best Passion they’d seen, and I think it exceeded people’s expectations.”

Mr Callaghan was also at Scotland’s Rio on Saturday, to run some drama workshops and, having being at World Youth Day in Cologne said the event had a familiar feel.

“I think they really managed to capture the feeling of a festival you get at World Youth day,” he said. “Especially with it being at Stirling University campus which is a wee bit cut off, It did have that World Youth Day feel.”

Prayerful memories

For many World Youth Day pilgrims, the most memorable event was the Saturday evening prayer vigil and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. At Scotland’s Rio, members of the Craig Lodge House of Prayer community from Dalmally led the evening prayer vigil, which was followed by their own Blessed Sacrament Procession, mirroring the programme from Brazil.

This prepared pilgrims for the final day of Scotland’s Rio, during which, following morning prayer led by the Daughters of Charity, pilgrims left the campus on Sunday morning to walk to the parish of St Mary’s in Stirling, where they celebrated 11.30 am Mass with the local parish community.  St Mary’s parishioners then joined young pilgrims back at the university, where a barbeque was held to round off the four-day celebration of Catholic Faith.

According to local parishioners, the ‘young people sang very well, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia spoke very well and the whole weekend seems like it was big success.’

— Special section on Scottish pilgrims in Brazil coming soon

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— Additional reporting by Ian Dunn