World Youth Day Toronto: Schoenstatt Youth greeting the Pope. Weltjugendtag Toronto: Schönstattjugend begrüßt den Papst.

Holy Mass with the Pope Heilige Messe mit dem Papst

The crowd just started to cheer... Die Menge jubelte...

Special experience: stations of the cross Ein besonderes Erlebnis war der Kreuzweg

On the way .... to Cologne and Schoenstatt 2005! Unterwegs... nach Köln und Schönstatt 2005

Fotos: Welser © 2002

USA, Mark Niehaus. Meeting the Pope, meeting the youth of the world, meeting specially the Schoenstatt Youth who before had shared most special experiences in Milwaukee during the International Schoenstatt Youth Meeting: that was Toronto 2002. From Toronto to Cologne 2005, to Cologne near Schoenstatt, as some said: that's what lays ahead of the Schoenstatt Youth participants of WorldYouth Day Toronto.

Among the many pilgrims who traveled to World Youth Day in Toronto (July 22-28) was our group of 12 American young men who arrived weary but excited after the Schoenstatt Youth encounter in Milwaukee. We arrived early Monday morning after having driven all night to Toronto. Fr. Jonathan Niehaus, our group leader, happily pronounced that we were all accounted for at the check-in site as he handed out to us the different articles that would be come part our pilgrim attire during the coming days, namely our identification cards and pilgrim backpacks. Rumor even had it that we might be sleeping in family homes instead of on a classroom floor. Full of expectations we drove across the city in route to St. Christopher’s Parish in Mississuaga. As we drove a heavy storm blew in cooling down the weather but knocking out the electricity. Nonetheless the parishioners warmly welcomed us and invited us to have a pizza lunch by candlelight. As the lights were restored and more and more pilgrims started to arrive, it was time for the parish team to organize our lodging sites. The rumors turned out to be true, as we were assigned host families.

An atmosphere bubbling with young life and energy – and love for our Lord

The magnitude of World Youth Day only hit us when the next day we boarded the GO Trains heading into the Center of Toronto. Hundreds of pilgrims packed the platforms and the process of getting on and off the train was an adventure. After a forty minute ride we arrived at Exhibition Place, where the majority of our WYD events would take place.

The days themselves were full of activities. Pilgrims could go to Christian rock concerts or participate in workshops. There was an entire conference area set aside for religious communities and organizations to set up booths and visit with people. In the center of the grounds one of the buildings was transformed into a perpetual adoration chapel. There were always people taking a break for the masses of people to visit our Lord. It was an atmosphere bubbling with young life and energy.

Holy Father’s Arrival

Three moments marked our group in a deep way. The first was the arrival and welcoming ceremony of the Holy Father (Thursday July 25). The Pope was scheduled to arrive later in the afternoon at Exhibition Place, so we arrived nearly four hours early. The train station closest to the site had been closed for security reasons, so we walked in from downtown Toronto with a stream of other pilgrims. As we passed through the security checkpoint part of our group decided to stay there close to the barricades to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father as he drove by in the Pope-Mobile. The rest of us started the adventure of finding a spot up by the stage to wait for the ceremony to start. This was our first experience of mass humanity. Jumping, hopping, tip-toeing around people we edged our way through the crowds, who had assembled long before we had arrived. Flags were everywhere. The sound of over 300,000 people laughing and talking was incredible. The further we walked the less likely it was that we would find a seat on the ground. Finally, at about 500 yards from the stage we found a crease between an Australian and Italian group. It was not very big, but we made it our base of operations. Then we waited.

As the afternoon wore on, suddenly there was the sound of helicopters and crowd started to cheer. The Holy Father’s helicopter made a loop around us and then landed off in the distance. The transformation in the crowd was incredible. All those who had been sleeping or playing cards suddenly were on their feet and thousands of flags filled the air. Suddenly it became very clear why we were all there, out in the sun sitting on a parking lot. We were waiting for John Paul II.

Over the heads of the pilgrims the camera in front of the Pope-Mobile came into sight. Most of the pilgrims pressed against the barricades to get as close to the Holy Father as possible. It was curious to see how the crowd, so diverse and large became a single group. Once the Holy Father reached the stage the ceremony started with the presentation of the different countries and their flags. Each nation greeted the Pope with shouts and cheer and the countries whose representatives were too few to make much noise were helped by those around them. This impression of unity among our diversity was very strong.

Schoenstatt at WYD

The next beautiful moment from our time in Toronto was the presence of Schoenstatt Youth at WYD. Having come from Milwaukee we knew that there were many other Schoenstatt people around the game was to find them. Every time we ran into the Paraguayan or Chilean group, or caught a glimpse of the Germans across the security barriers, it was a family reunion. Whenever we established a place at one of the massive events, the next order of business was to wander around the throngs to see if we could find the other Schoenstatt Groups.

In the evening after the Holy Father’s Welcoming act, there was a meeting scheduled in one of the local parishes for all the Schoenstatt pilgrims. Despite the difficulties in finding the parish, most of the groups arrived filling the church to over flowing. Our program entailed an encounter with Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, the Schoenstatt Archbishop of Santiago, Chile and then a chance to sing Schoenstatt songs and finally as pilgrims in a special way of the MTA, consecrating ourselves to her.

"Goodnight, young people"

The most exciting event promised to be the Vigil and Closing Mass at Downsview Lands that was to conclude our WYD activities. As much as we were able, we followed the weather forecasts. After rain on Friday, we hoped that we would not have to deal with rain during our night outdoors under the stars but we came prepared for anything.

Saturday, July 27, was dedicated to moving all the pilgrims into the old airport grounds, where the Papal Mass would take place. After a farewell Eucharist at our host parish we set out. The pilgrims came walking in from different directions the whole day. We came in from the south, walking in on a freeway that had been closed off to traffic. The line of people seemed to never quit. After passing through the gates we hiked in and found a good grassy area some 800 yards from the stage but close to a television screen, where we would be able to see the events. There rest of the areas closer to the stage were already full.

As evening approached, the helicopters arrived again with the Holy Father. This started a three hour evening prayer service, with music, readings and witnesses that was marked by the Pope’s words to us. Perhaps what marked us the most, and that helped us keep a positive attitude the next day when we put up first with rain and wind, and then with sun and heat during the Papal Mass was the tenderness and liveliness of the Holy Father at the end of the Vigil. Every time it seemed that he should be going he would say a few more things. Finally in a very fatherly way he wished us good night and hoped that we slept well. It was the experience once again that amidst the masses of people we were one family around his Holiness. It was a very deep experience of Church and unity.