As World Youth Day 2002 approached, I eagerly anticipated heading to Toronto to participate in my first World Youth Day.  Though I had never attended one of these huge gatherings, I knew that this was a special event for the Church.  The scene of thousands and thousands of young people answering the Pope’s call to joyfully and energetically live for Christ is a powerful witness for our world.  It would also be valuable for us, I had no doubt, to see the witness of the Pope and the other thousands of faithful in attendance

    I was able to attend World Youth Day by joining up with the Trailblazers group in the Archdiocese of Detroit.  It was a great blessing to join with this group for prayer and for the trip to Toronto.  Attending this incredible event with friends and fellow sharers of the faith added to the experience tremendously.

In Toronto, so many wonderful elements of the Catholic faith converged to create a vibrant and exciting atmosphere.  Walking through the main grounds of the center where most events were held, you heard languages from around the globe—but you knew that all of these people were here for the same reasons.  Those who wanted to sing and worship were able to do so in various languages and traditions.  I went to some exciting presentations from world-class Catholic presenters, which was a great opportunity to hear from wonderful and influential people.  Eucharistic adoration was always offered, as well, and in the silent prayer before Christ we were all truly united in our devotion to the Lord.

A true highlight for everyone in attendance—even if it was not much fun at the time—was the mini-pilgrimage to a huge field where people camped out in anticipation of the final Mass.  It rained a good portion of that day, yet when Pope John Paul II was ready to speak to the young people of the world, the sun came out and it was a small sign of God’s goodness to us all.

For me, the fruits of World Youth Day went far beyond the wonderful experience I had in Toronto.  Though it was joyful and encouraging to see so many of my peers present and showering devotion and commitment to our Holy Father and the Church, I also knew that it was not easy for many to be so committed in their everyday lives.  It is counter-cultural to be a person of faith, obedience, and holiness.  Though I fall short of fully living out those virtues, I hoped that God would use me to somehow help serve his purposes and aid others in their faith journeys as well.  In the end, despite being led to law school and to many exciting possibilities that I thought could serve the Lord, I felt called to enter seminary to study for the priesthood.

I am currently studying for the priesthood for my home Archdiocese of Cincinnati.  The experience of attending World Youth Day was unquestionably part of the way that God showed me how important our Catholic faith is and how crucial it is that we have priests to share Christ’s love in the future.  I hope to be in Sydney in 2008, and I do hope that others are able to have a blessed experience there similar to the one I experienced in Toronto.