Aside from the bus time, we have thus far endured 15 hours from Toronto to Hong Kong, and 8.5 hours from Hong Kong to Adelaide, followed by 1 hour from Adelaide to Melbourne for Days in the Diocese.

Bear in mind that it is difficult to impossible to sleep in the plane. We were tired, smelly, cramped, stuffed full of airplane "food", and still no one is angry, sad, frustrated, etc. This is a true miracle!

Our collective subconscious excitement for the celebrations, together with the presence of the Holy Spirit, is keeping our spirits up in a situation where we would probably be exhausted and run down.

*****

We (Toni and Alice) are staying with a wonderful (!) Australian family in Seaholme (a suburb outside of Melbourne). They protest that it is ridiculously cold, but at the coldest, it's more like October weather. Oh yeah, there are palm trees!

The energy is amazing! Everyone is crazy friendly! And loud! And there are a lot of priests, young priests, more than I have every seen in one place before. Looking over during the Commissioning Mass to see the sea of white robes (not even including the bishops and cardinals participating) was so thrilling.

The Commissioning Mass was awesome! The celebration itself was from 630-800PM (Communion for 30 000 people in 10 minutes!) but before and after there was music and dancing, and we were able to visit the other nations. I have been bouncing non-stop since waking up Friday morning. We all got up and danced through the stands with Germany, Italy, and... another country who's flag I remember, but the name I do not know. It reminds me that being Catholic is truly like belonging to a tight-knit family. At an event like this, not even language, or distance can separate us. We are all the same, all included!

I hope the energy is still up for the rest of the trip! I love being able to talk about the Holy Spirit without being considered a "dork". I've been talking to people the whole time about the indescribable excitement I've been feeling, and how it can only be attributed to Him.

- Alice Norquay, St Pius X in Lively