Sydney, Australia, Jul 16, 2008 / 01:53 am

Around Sydney, pilgrims were given a taste of Australian culture with the WYD Big Aussie BBQ. Taking place at more than 200 venues, over 220,000 slices of Tip Top “Daily Bread” were served with sausages and tomato sauce.

World Youth Day ambassador Jared Crouch grabbed the tongs today and served up sausages to pilgrims at the University of Notre Dame, Broadway.
According to World Youth Day organisers, if all the 220,000 slices of bread were lined up end to end they would cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge 21 times.

“I came for a different experience and to meet youth from all over the World,” said Sydney, who was fittingly named, and was amongst the pilgrims at the BBQ with 150 other pilgrims from New York. They came from Chaminade High School and Kellenberg High School, both on Long Island, and had arrived on Monday after visiting Australia’s tropical north for two days.

“Meeting all the people and being around everyone, I found it really fun,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to see the Pope. It’s going to be really awesome."

“The most striking thing I took from the catechesis is the message that we are chosen to love,” said Alexandra Smith, a student who travelled from Quinnipiac University, New York. “I’ve never left America before, and last night’s Mass was the most beautiful thing to see people from all over the world waving their flags.”

Kimberly Graham, from the Cayman Islands, a country near Jamacia comprising 3 small islands covering 100 miles in total, is finding Sydney “very different to home, and much colder.”

“Being a teenager or young adult today, you have a lot of pressure to do things that you may not want to do, so just to be able to know your beliefs and to be strong with them is nice.”

Coming to World Youth Day has really strengthened her faith, said Kimberly. “Where I’m from, Cayman Islands, is very small, so to see so many Christians in one spot, is amazing.”

The Australian Barbeque was served after the morning's teaching sessions that were conducted in 235 different locations throughout Sydney.