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Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden,
fashion designer Carla Zampatti, Sydney Swans footballer Jared Crouch, and Socceroo Mark Bresciano are
among the nine ambassadors that have volunteered their public profile and time to help promote WYD08.
Amongst the group who are also involved
in the promotions are Australian Opera singer, Amelia Farrugia, Australian
Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore, Indigenous musician Jimmy Little (Dr. James Little AO) and former ambassador to the Holy See and Ireland and the current chairman
of the Australian National Council on Drugs, Dr. John Herron.
“Our Ambassadors represent a
variety of fields and have celebrated remarkable achievements in areas as
diverse as sport, fashion design, charity work, musical performance and
diplomacy,” said Archbishop of Sydney and Chairman of the WYD08 Local Organising Committee, Cardinal Pell.
“Their demonstrated abilities and
history as impressive Australian role models make them ideal choices as the
faces of this international celebration,” said Cardinal Pell.
The entire Delezio family - Ron, Carolyn, Sophie and Mitchell - are also WYD08
Ambassadors, and say it is as an extreme honour to be connected with WYD08.
“Little Sophie” Delezio is
eight years old now, but suffered serious burns injuries when a car crashed
into her preschool in 2003. Again in 2006, she was hit by a car at a pedestrian
crossing and has survived, but not without prayer.
A strong faith in God and devotion to
Blessed Mary MacKillop throughout Sophie’s recovery from both accidents
is what has brought the family through.
“Our prayers and the prayers of millions of people from over
18 different countries kept Sophie alive. No one can endure the difficulties of
dealing with their child's critical injuries without having faith,” say
the Delezio family.
"It would have been too hard without
believing in God and Mary MacKillop. We hope that the Blessed Mary MacKillop
will someday be canonised a Saint because of what she has done for our
Sophie,” they say.
“To all those young people who are
feeling the pressure of a secular society on their faith, I would tell them to
believe what's in your heart. We must have faith otherwise there is nothing
left to believe in," say the Delezio family.
Matthew Hayden also recognises the
struggle to live out one's faith in a modern society both as a test cricketer and
father of three. For Hayden, being a Catholic means being a leader in your peer
group and making Sunday Mass a priority in order to be a witness to Christ.
“It takes a lot of courage and it
also takes a lot of persistence because you won't always go to Mass and get
something unbelievable out of it. It's like scoring a hundred. I actually find
it a lot more rewarding in life to do the hard work in the nets and to do the
hard work behind the scenes. These simple disciplines in life give me great
purpose” he says.
Hayden thinks WYD is about energy and
spirit.
“I find a lot of courage and hope
in younger people. They come to it with clearer vision. They come to it with a
different direction and a different perspective. But all in all, I think it's a
wonderful energy, and I think the Catholic faith can do well to harness that
energy for the future,” he says.
To read the full profiles of each ambassador, visit WYD08 .
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