Act 1, Scene 1

This photo shows Bishop Julian Porteous and his two English 'Canons'; yes, Fr Julian came out to participate in the Congress. Each morning session of the Scene Congress began with sung Morning Prayer in the Cathedral Choir, led by the seminarians of Sydney Archdiocese. It was perhaps a surprise that each day Bishop Julian was accompanied by two English priests.

It was Bishop Julian who had 'seen' the vision for the Congress and, courageoulsy decided to plan this event, bringing together agents of the New Evangelisation from across Sydney, Australia and from Europe and North America. Scene was Bishop Julian's Congress.

The Congress was modelled on the International Congresses of the NE which have been held in European cities: morning Congress sessions followed by evangelisation events in the city centre.

The Scene Congress sessions began with Morning Prayer, followed first by a testimony and then by a Catechesis given by a Bishop. The high point of the day was the celebration of Mass. Even before lunch street evangelisation was underway. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament continued throughout the afternoon. Workshops in the afternoon generated a lot of interest and three Pub Talk venues were held in the CBD each evening.

This was a superb Congress which attracted between 400 and 600 delegates to the Morning Sessions each day. Celebrated on the anniversary of World Youth Day it fanned into flames again the immense grace of that event and, by being smaller and, perhaps more focussed, enabled the delegates and many others to really receive either some of the content of the teachings, or to see the Church in a way that had not witnessed before. More to follow.