July 2002. Everybody is on their way to exhibition place in Toronto in very hot weather to see one man - the Pope.
Never had I seen so many young people gather in the one area for the same reason - our faith. Flags, language, age, nationality; none of these put up a barrier to anyone who wanted to express their faith. All it done was make an amazing atmosphere with stories from all over the world. Sitting in the park all you could see was a sea of colour, all you could hear was chants in anticipation of the Holy Father entering the grounds and all you feel was an overwhelming feeling of happiness, security and contentment.
The pope arrived and amongst everyone's chants in praise to him - the old man with the very young heart captured us all with his words of wisdom, encouragement and praise. Words that will stay with us forever and gave us a sense of place describing today's youth as the salt of the earth, the light of the world. And so it is true - today's young people in whatever they aim to achieve have one thing to do, carry on the faith that has been so gratefully passed on from older generations. As he said "a new century, a new millennium are opening in the light of Christ. But not everyone can see the light. Ours is the wonderful and demanding task of becomming it's 'reflection'".
On the Saturday night we camped out in Downsview. Again the pope arrived for the liturgy of solemn vespers. Again we listened to wise words and this time, not only from the pope - young people from all over the world shared their stories of faith and how they have managed to overcome many hurdles which have strenghtened their faith and reinforced their belief in God.
As night came we settled under the stars for what turned out to be a short night with rain starting in the early hours forcing us to wake and prepare early for the final visit by the Holy Father. He was due to arrive soon to celebrate the closing mass of World Youth Day 2002. What was most amazing to see was the strength that the ailing pope demonstrated to today's youth again giving us even more encouragement to continue, no matter what life throws at us. During the mass the pope even gave out communion - a task he rarely manages under normal circumstances - but for us the youth of the world he was prepared to do anything.
The experience I had in Toronto was amazing. I was there with my friends in a different country, and once in the country, I met with other friends from all over Ireland and met people from all over the world who wanted to tell their story and hear ours.
And so the experience was over. I can't even begin to explain the emotions that are experienced during this event. The great sense of CHRISTIANITY that is shared and the united love for one thing that started over 2000 years ago. I can only say that I experienced such a fantastic time that I intend to visit Germany in 2005 to do Toronto 2002 all over again.