His life

We Christians, as Paul reminds us, have our citizenship in heaven. This means that, here below, we are “resident aliens,” at work in the world, but our eyes fixed on a transcendent goal. This makes us, paradoxically enough, the best friends the world ever had.

This is another beautiful Christmas album broken into three moments in the holy day: Christmas Eve, Christmas Night and Christmas Day. Features selections from the Choirs of The Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat, The Dominican Schola of France, The Royal Benedictine Abbey of Hautecombe, The Paris Gregorian Choir, The Nuns of the Benedictine Abbey of Maumont, The Monks of the Abbey of Einsiedeln and The Benedictine Abbey of
Saint-Wandrille.

Song List:

• Christmas Eve - Antiphon: Judaea Et Jerusalem
  


• Christmas Eve - Responsory: Salve Virginale Christi Jesu Palatium
  


• Christmas Eve - Antiphon: Completi Sunt Dies Mariae
  


• Christmas Night - Responsory: Hodie Nobis De Caelo
  


• Christmas Night - Reading: Genealogy According To Saint Matthew
  


• Christmas Night - Responsory: Verbum Caro
  


• Christmas Night - Introit: Dominus Dixit Ad Me
  


• Christmas Night - Kyrie IV
  


• Christmas Night - Offertory: Laetentur Caeli
  


• Christmas Night - Agnus Dei IV
  


• Christmas Night - Communion: In Splendoribus
  


• Christmas Day - Hymn: A Solis Ortus Cardine
  


• Christmas Day - Introit: Puer Natus Est Nobis
  


• Christmas Day - Kyrie XI
  


• Christmas Day - Gloria XI
  


• Christmas Day - Gradual: Viderunt Omnes Fines Terrae
  


• Christmas Day - Alleluia: Dies Sanctificatus
  


• Christmas Day - Offertory: Tui Sunt Caeli
  


• Christmas Day - Sanctus XI
  


• Christmas Day - Agnus Dei XI
  


• Christmas Day - Communion: Viderunt Omnes Fines Terrae
  


• Christmas Day - Antiphon: Natus Est Nobis Hodie Salvator for Compline
  


• Christmas Day - Alma Redemptoris Mater
  

Total Play Time: 58.9

Greetings from Sydney Australia from Sue Williams/St. Alexander's Parish in Villa Park, Illinois, I have come to Australia for World Youth Day with a private group led by Fr. Jerry Simonelli and Mary Miller, along with a seminarian from Poland named Martin and another youth minister from Joliet named Jayme. We have 16 young adults with us - mostly college aged kids, but including three high school kids - my daughter, Nancy, Margaret and Jacob. Fr. Jerry and Mary Miller have led four other world youth day groups and Jayme and three of the other pilgrims have experienced at least one other World Youth Day, so our group is very "experienced". For me, this was a whole new experience and I very much appreciated the knowledge and savvy advice of the ones in our group who have done this before.

Our trip started by all meeting in San Francisco on July 11th. We all came in on different flights, met up at our hotel and then went into the city to explore San Francisco. We walked for hours, ate on the wharf, rode on trolly cars, took subways and really got a good feel for San Francisco. Mary's brother, who lives int he area met us for dinner and chose one of his favorite reastaurants right on the ocean. The next day we took a private charter boat on the harbor and saw Alcatraz, Angel Island and the golden gate bridge - it was wonderful! We then went back to the hotel and Fr. Jerry said a private mass for us. At the end of the mass, we blessed and gave us each a wooden cross made by prisioners in Bolivia, ona mission trip he tooks years ago. We all put on our crosses and headed off for the airport - for our very long journey to Australia via Aukland, Ne w Zealand.

I am happy to report that our flights wents very smoothly, and after leaving San Francisco on Saturday night (July 12th) at 9:00 p.m., we arrived Monday monring, July 14th at approximately 8:30 a.m. We lost a whole day. Our tour guides met us at the airport and filled our day with a very comprehensive tour of Sydney. We were able to get out of th tour bus several times for lunch and along the way. We stopped at one part along the ocean and met up with a group form Boston. We circled and sang some songs (they were very musical) and then kept going. We really started feeling like we were at World Youth Day. THat would be the first of many groups we spontaneoulsy met up with, talked and shared stories with. On the tour, we all fell in love with Bondi Beach, so we decided to go back to Bodi Beach the next day.

On Tuesday, we headed to Bondi Beach and had a relaxing day, laying on the beach, swimming in the pacific ocean and walking along the shoreline. Th sights were magnificnent. Martin, Mary and I took a long walk along the beach and onto rocks. At one point, we were high above the ocean looking out and really felt the magnificnence of the city and water! Later that day, we headed off for Barangaroo for the opeing mass. It was a huge walk and the mass was beautiful. After the mass, there were concerts and fireworks, but we were too exhausted. We wnet back to the hotel. The next morning, we got up early to go to St. Mary's Cathedral. We were able to read about Bless Pier Georgio Frasetti who was a courageous yougn man who died at the age of 24. He came from a family of privielge and instead of enjoying his family status, he went to University and protested the facists who were coming to power in the 1920's, worked with the poorest of the poor, including lepars and started studying for the priesthood. He is an amazing person and is one of the patrons of World Youth Day.

We had a private mass with Bishop Kaffer on Friday at our hotel. Bishop Kaffer is also an amazing priest. He gave us an inspiring homily. After the mass, we talked about how our week was going and prepared for the upcoming days.

I will sign on later to talk about the staions and the vigil. This is all for now.

Sue Williams

World Youth Day (WYD) is the largest youth event in the world and will be held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008.

Organised by the Catholic Church, WYD brings together young people from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith on a more regular basis.

WYD08 will be the largest event Australia has ever hosted. It will attract over 125,000 international visitors - more than the 2000 Olympics.

WYD08 will mark the first visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia.

Through the WYD08 experience, young people from throughout the world will make a pilgrimage in faith, meet, and experience the love of God.

World Youth Day is an invitation from the Pope to the youth of the world to celebrate their faith around a particular theme. Everyone is welcome to attend.