Segovia

The group split into two today, with a small portion of the group from Blessed Mother Theresa Parish in Topeka spending the morning doing some work with the Missionaries of Charity. The majority of the group headed off to a small town about an hour outside of Madrid called Segovia.

The scenery on the way to Segovia was beautiful, with picturesque mountains and an almost desert-like climate. This area of the country doesn't get much rain, but thankfully it is at a fairly high altitude and so it stays at a relatively comfortable temperature.

Dominating over the city is its beautiful Gothic Cathedral and an old Castle. As we arrived in the city, though, the first thing we saw was an impressively well-preserved Roman aqueduct. We began running into some other WYD pilgrims from Chile, Argentina, and Mexico when we arrived, which was a joyful experience. You can really feel the energy in Spain beginning to rise as WYD gets closer.

The Archbishop celebrated Mass for the group at an old Dominican convent. We had a delightful conversation with the sisters who said their convent was started back in the 16th century. After Mass, we headed off for a brief lunch and then off for a little time in the magnificant Cathedral. The Cathedral itself was impressively large, and the side chapels had more wood gilded with gold than one could ever imagine. The place is built to lead people into prayer and it very effectively does that.

Next, we made a little pilgrimage to the tomb of St. John of the Cross, the great doctor of the Church known for his great wisdom of the spiritual life and into suffering. Here, we had the great honor of being able to pray evening prayer together at the foot of such a great saint.

All in all, it was another excellent day in Spain. We're still struggling with the time change, but besides that we are all doing very well. We can't wait for WYD to begin!






(An interview with Archbishop)















(The ancient Roman aqueduct running through the city)
















(The Cathedral of Segovia)


















(Archbishop with some Dominican sisters at a very ancient convent)



















(Great view of Segovia...and a jaywalker, or is it a jayhawker?)





















(Fr. Mitchel giving us a few words of wisdom during evening prayer in front of the tomb of St. John of the Cross)







(The Castle of Segovia)