Daily Press Fame, and Off to World Youth Day!

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

For the few of you in the world who haven't already seen the amazing press coverage, check out the story on my parish's World Youth Day group and our upcoming pilgrimage to Spain! That's right, the at-least-regionally-renowned newspaper publication, The Daily Press, ran a lovely front page article and photograph of our group! Thanks, guys!

Now, those of you who received your paper copy may feel free to save it until you next see us, and we will gladly give autographs!

In all seriousness, I am very impressed with the staff at the Daily Press, who so graciously and patiently interviewed several members of our group and came to our Send Off Mass to take photos. I realize that Catholicism can be confusing and strange at times to those who are unfamiliar with our terms, customs, and general 'Catholic culture,' so I would especially like to thank staff writer Brooke Edwards and photographer Eldon Kingston who, between the two of them, took the time to understand more about such things as dioceses, papal pilgrimages, and even to sit through an entire Mass! I don't think that either of these fine people are Catholics themselves, so I thank them especially for allowing us to share this experience with the community and for bearing with our terminology, culture, and customs. Good press given to the Catholic Church is always appreciated, and front page, no less! Be assured of our gratitude.

We leave on Wednesday, and so this will likely be my last post until we return from Madrid. I'm not lugging around my laptop, that's for sure, and I imagine that the internet cafes might be a bit busy, what with the millions of people there. Instead of blogging, I'm going to take [gasp!] a journal and a pen. Some of us may have distant memories of a time before the internet, and I'm looking to being computer-free for a couple weeks! I'll fill y'all in upon my return.

So in the meantime, here are a few things to keep yourself busy while I'm away (in case you're having Coffee Talk withdrawals):

1. Pray for us! We'll be traveling from August 10 - August 24, and would be most appreciative of your prayers for the safety and well-being of our group, and all the pilgrims from around the world.
2. Check out the rocking World Youth Day website -- I bet they'll have updates!
3. Check out the Vatican website -- remember, they've got that cool 3-D Sistine Chapel business, and News.va!
4. Scroll down and check out the Coffee Talk archives on the right sidebar, or use the search feature to find a post related to your pressing Catholic questions! (Or go talk to your parish priest. They can answer your Catholic questions, too!)

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers for all of you in the holy sites of Toledo and Madrid!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

P.S. I almost forgot! If you have any special prayer intentions you'd like us to take to World Youth Day, feel free to add them in the comment box, or via e-mail at CoffeeTalkWithLeslie@gmail.com.