In January of this year I was privileged to be given the opportunity to lead pilgrims from Canberra Goulburn to World Youth Day in Panama. Every three years the youth of the Catholic Church gather together to engage in their faith and build the Church. It is also an opportunity for the Pope to engage with the youth of the Church, relaying key messages. This year Pope Francis urged the youth to be the Church of TODAY, rather than waiting till tomorrow.

After spending 2 nights in Mexico City visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe the group flew to Panama for 5 days of catechesis, evening masses and then a pilgrimage to a field where 750,000 people attended an evening vigil with the Pope, slept on the ground for the night and woke to celebrate the final mass.

Whilst I was busy taking photos for media back in Australia, filling in daily logs, supporting the group with missed flights and where to catch the bus, I was still able to grow immensely in my own faith. While reading the book ‘12 rules for Life’ by Jordan Peterson and experiencing the many chaotic moments of travelling I realised that it is in the times of chaos, those time were we don’t know where we are going, that we learn and grow as a person. As someone who has always wanted to know exactly where I was going, how I would get there and what the outcome would be, I realised that it was the times in my life that were opposite to this where I had the most growth.

It is realisations such as these that one can experience when taking time out to go on a pilgrimage. Whilst we can’t all have the opportunity to go to Central America for World Youth Day I would encourage all of you to take the time to experience pilgrimage. Perhaps you could go for a longer walk than normal, walk the labyrinth at the Arboretum or get on a bike and ride, anything that will put you into a brief moment of chaos so that clarity can ensue. For it is in that pilgrimage that you can realise something you hadn’t realised before. - Luke Donnelly, Assistant Principal