Toronto and the witness of youth

Sydney
25 August 2002

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Toronto and the witness of youth

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Toronto and the witness of youth

Sydney World Youth Day pilgrims at the Canyon of St Anne just north of Quebec, from left: Jenni Winters, Nicole Hellyer, Marita Franklin and Grace Nader

Story and pictures by Marita Franklin

“I’ll be there in Germany in 2005” and “Next time I’ll bring my little brother with me, and my best friend.” Comments like these echoed along the Air Canada check-in lines as Sydney’s World Youth Day pilgrims set out to return home.

What was it about this World Youth Day experience that caused young people to declare their intentions to do it all again in three years time? Maybe it was the witness of one to the other as we travelled together for three weeks, sharing Mass and prayer, meals, bus trips, as well as many funny moments.

The point of the journey to Mexico was to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadelupe.

Our group of 120 Sydneysiders was privileged to have the Mass celebrated in the modern basilica by our own Archbishop Pell. He preached to us and told the rest of the world gathered at the shrine that we were young people from Sydney on our way to World Youth Day.

We wandered up to Tepeyac Hill and back down past the depiction of the visitation of Our Lady through all the chapels on this holy site.

That afternoon visiting the Teotihuacan Pyramids built by the Aztecs we saw the remains of pre-Christian Mexico.

Many took delight in conquering the Pyramid of the Sun, an imposing 215-foot structure featuring 242 steps! The miles we travelled were seemingly endless, while many took the opportunity on the buses to pray as well as get to know fellow pilgrims.

We travelled through Indian villages, along the great highways to Montreal and Quebec, visiting shrines, cathedrals, churches and natural wonders.

We were welcomed at each place we visited, and came to a growing awareness of the many other pilgrims also making their way to World Youth Day, and that this event was touching Canadians all over Canada.

World Youth Day and the week in Toronto saw all 300 pilgrims from the Sydney archdiocese come together along with other Australian groups staying in the North Albion Collegiate.

In total there were 480 Australians and 30 Americans sharing the dwelling.

Stories about conditions in Rome can surely be laid to rest now as pilgrims to Toronto happily lived with the simple accommodation; foam mattresses provided for all Australian pilgrims were comfortable and hot showers were readily available.

The main events were held around Exhibition Place, likened to Sydney’s Darling Harbour, and from our suburban dwelling we made our way in each morning and stayed there until late into the evening.

A bus, train and another bus (or a long walk for the energetic) took us from our accommodation to the World Youth Day site.

All seemed to connect smoothly, and along the way we were entertained by pilgrims from other countries, the most notable being one morning the guitar-wielding Brazilians singing La Bamba and dancing in the aisles.

The World Youth Day vigil was particularly special.

Australians seemed to congregate around the flag (and there were a significant number of these), and Sydneysiders were present in large numbers in many areas of Downsview Par.

kAs the light grew dim, we gathered in prayer in solidarity with Pope John Paul II.

The next morning the Pope told us that the world “needs to be touched and healed by the beauty of God’s love”.

“It needs witness to that love,” he said. “It needs you to be salt of the earth and light of the world.” The young people of Sydney, who witnessed to that love along the journey, have been profoundly moved by their experience, and have returned home wanting to share it with each other, with their families and friends, and have declared they are willing to work towards participating in future World Youth Days.

Marita Franklin travelled to Toronto as a pilgrim.