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John Ogilvie High School Papal Visit Special Newsletter Pope Benedict XVI in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow The Holy Father- Benedict XVI Full colour version always available at www.johnogilvie.s-lanark.sch.uk Thurs 16 th Sept 2010

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Page 1: Papal Visit Special Newsletter - St John Ogilvie High School Visit... · Papal Visit Special Newsletter ... We were among the thousands of pilgrims that took part in celebrating Mass

John Ogilvie High School

Papal Visit Special Newsletter

Pope Benedict XVI in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

The Holy Father- Benedict XVI Full colour version always available at www.johnogilvie.s-lanark.sch.uk

Thurs 16th Sept 2010

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Papal Visit for the Hamilton Advertiser by Megan Clark and Amy MacNeill

We were among the thousands of pilgrims that took part in celebrating Mass along with His Holiness Pope Benedict XV1 on Thursday 16th September 2010. This was the first time in twenty-eight years Scotland has been honoured with the opportunity to experience Mass with the Pope. Around 75,000 people journeyed to take part in this momentous religious occasion. Despite the mixed media coverage the Scottish community welcomed the Pope warmly and respected the religious aspects of the visit with great reverence and dignity. In John Ogilvie High School the Pope’s visit was discussed regularly so that we and our fellow pupils were aware of its importance to us individually and to the wider catholic community. It was at these ‘meetings’ that it was stressed the vast amount of people who would be at Bellahouston Park to celebrate Mass. Because of the negative mixed media coverage building up to the Papal visit we ourselves and as a school understood the great need to support our faith at this time. The build-up was added to by the distribution of our pilgrim packs which only furthered our excitement for the day. The journey to Bellahouston Park was accompanied by slow moving traffic which illustrated the amount of people that were going to be present. It was also at this point that we recognised the extraordinary weather and how the weeks of rain had been interrupted by a bright and warm day. This weather both reflected the obvious faith and prayer of the people as well as its coincidental link to the memorable occasion.

Message from Mr E Morrison, Head Teacher. The Papal Visit has been immensely important for our faith community. The words of the Holy Father have given us the opportunity to reflect on the importance of our Faith and on our responsibilities as Christians to play a full and active part in helping our society to meet the challenges of our times. The experience at Bellahouston Park was exciting and uplifting for all of the 200 John Ogilvie pupils and staff who were there. Quite literally a once in a lifetime opportunity to join with a multitude celebrating the presence of the Holy Father. “Unforgettable” and “life-changing” are only two of the comments I have heard from my students.

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Continued As we arrived at the park we especially, as school children, felt the community atmosphere of many different schools, institutions and cultures coming together represented by choirs, speakers and presentations. We did not expect there to be such a festival-like atmosphere with people bringing picnics and chairs to spend the day together to share in their faith. This also represented the vast number of people who had come to witness and join in the Popes’ saying of Mass as the park was literally scattered with chairs, flags and other merchandise. The hour before the Pope’s arrival seemed very long and drawn as we anxiously waited for any sign of his appearance. We could tell his entrance was near as hundreds of priests in white vestments began to file on to the altar. As the Pope came into sight the thousands of people not already standing at the barriers began to rush frantically towards him. Ripples of never ending cheers and applause echoed around the park. The atmosphere in the park changed from a festival-like mood and became very respectful and spiritually centred in reverence of his Holinesses presence and of the sacredness of the Holy Mass that was about to be celebrated. The Mass itself was accessible and also exceptional as it was celebrated in both English and Latin which was especially beneficial to our generation as we had never experience Mass with a dominant use of the Latin language. The Pope’s homily was hopeful and significant from our perspective because it highlighted the importance of the youth as the future of the catholic community. We were surprised at how quickly communion was distributed and the irony of the yellow umbrellas when their sole purpose was to keep off the rain but instead were used to guide us to share Holy Communion with community as there was no rain. When the pope was leaving the atmosphere changed to a celebratory one as Pope Benedict XV1 departed. Overall the Papal visit personally deepened and strengthened our faith and made us realise the importance of community and that we must support the Catholic faith. The media coverage not only highlighted the significance of the event but also made the experience more exciting and as if we had an important part to play in our faith. One might wonder if our generation will be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see another Papal visit as generations before us have.

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If it wisnae fir yir

wellies?

“It was a once in a lifetime experience and it felt good to be a part of it. A special, memorable event.” Tiffany Green

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Photo calls

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In Nomine Patris A procession of purity. Pilgrims in awe of Peter’s proxy Protected intimacy extends a hand. Silence embraces the multitude- Paragons of possibility. In nomine patris Failings considered, resolve truly pledged Banded to offer thanks and regret First, food for thought: Contemplation, reflection Judgement between self and Saviour, Honour for a reforged Covenant. Et filii Food for the soul: Humility, sacrifice; Triumph and salvation! Et Spiritus Sancti Prayers of the ages, songs of the day: Timeless love, eternal faith Living God taken home By all. Amen Daniel Gallagher

“Was the most beezin day of all my 17 years.” Amy Callaghan

“So touching how one man can have that effect on a whole nation. It was an emotional experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.” Melissa Johnstone

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The journey

Are we ready?

“It was an amazing sight to look back at all the pilgrims with their flags.” Amanda Cunning

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Ready for the rain?

Making way to park

“It was a great atmosphere” Gary Ward

“It brought back my faith.” Michael Boland

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Patiently waiting

“Had a great day and it was a relaxed, fun atmosphere.” Lauren Steven

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and waiting

“Great experience.” Scott Wilson

“He’s the cutest wee man alive.” Danielle McClymont

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and waiting.

and smiling

“Well good day” Laura McCallum

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“It helped me to understand a bit more of how important my faith is and it also helped me appreciate it more.” Emma Meechan

“An invigorating experience that strengthened my faith in my religion.” David Smith

“It was BRILLIANT” Catherine Collins

“It was once in a lifetime experience. I loved it” Stefene Thompson

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I Dreamed a Dream

Susan Boyle

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The long awaited arrival

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The final farewell to Bellahouston Park .

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“I was glad that I was there and that I was actually able to see the Pope.” Lee McDonald

It is now.

They think it’s all over . . .

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“I thought it was an event to be remembered and was just the good, positive publicity that the Catholic Church needed. It was also a spiritual journey for all the pilgrims and will be marked in history. Even though it was a short visit it was still enough to show that the head of the Catholic Church is willing to travel across Europe to celebrate Mass. The Mass itself was very well-organised and was a great experience. It felt amazing to be part of a society and congregation and the atmosphere was immense, even overwhelming. Lastly, I felt lucky that I shared mass hosted by the Holy Father and felt blessed that even though I physically didn’t meet him or see him eye to eye, I was part of it and felt welcomed by Pope Benedict.” Christopher O’Neill

“The experience of being at Bellahouston Park to celebrate Mass with Pope Benedict xvi was something that I will never forget. The atmosphere was amazing and when the Pope appeared the sounds of the cheers were unforgettable. Being a catholic Pilgrim I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to go. Experiencing it with all my friends made it even moreamazing. The day was phenomenal. The last time a Pope was in Scotland was 28 years ago so this is a huge thing for the Scottish Catholic Community. Being part of this emotional experience will always be in my head and in my heart.” Joann Innes