By Walter Kish

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto & Eastern Canada is extremely busy these days preparing for World Youth Day 2002. This global gathering of the world’s Catholic youth is slated to take place in Toronto from July 23 through the 28, culminating with a Papal visit and Mass. Some half a million delegates from 150 countries are expected to attend, including representatives from Ukraine as well as most of the Ukrainian communities in the diaspora.

The first World Youth Day (WYD) was held in 1984 in Rome at the request of Pope John Paul II and was attended by some three hundred thousand people. Since then it has been held virtually on an annual basis, in such places as Buenos Aires, Czestochowa, Manila, Denver, Paris and Santiago de Compostela, attracting as many as four and a half million people. Its primary purpose is to bring together young Catholics aged 16 to 35 from around the world to celebrate their beliefs, to build friendship and unity with their fellow brothers and sisters, as well as to renew and strengthen their faith.

The week-long program includes various formal celebrations of the sacraments, learning sessions and seminars, social service activities, discussions, concerts, entertainment and social events. Major events will be held at Exhibition Place and the Downsview Lands, with the concluding Papal mass slated for this latter venue.

This particular WYD is of special importance to Ukrainian Catholics as this the first such gathering where the distinctiveness of the Eastern rite of the Catholic Church is being recognized and sessions are being tailored to reflect their catechism, rites and traditions.

As a precursor to WYD, a large four metre wooden cross is making its way around Canada to publicize the event. The cross was entrusted by the Pope to the world’s youth at the first WYD in 1984. In April 2001 it was presented to a delegation of Canadian young people, flown to Ottawa, and since then has been on an extended journey throughout Canada, having visited every province and territory. On April 28 it begins the last leg of its Canadian pilgrimage, being carried by volunteers known as “Portageurs of the Third Millenium” from Montreal to Toronto. It will first reach the greater Toronto area on June 6 at the St. George’s parish in Oshawa, where a special welcoming ceremony and “Molebyn” will be held at 6:30 pm, followed by a concert in Lviv Hall. It arrives officially in Toronto on June 9.

In charge of the organizational efforts for the local Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy are Father Andrij Figol and Lesia Melnyk, the eparchy’s youth co-ordinator. Father Andrij is working closely with the Patriarchal office in Lviv to assist in having as many representatives as possible attend from Ukraine as well as from Ukrainian communities in other countries such as Brazil, Poland and Serbia. Sponsorship and financial assistance for this effort would be most welcome.

Needless to say, WYD organizers and the eparchy would welcome volunteers to help during the events and to accommodate delegates to this landmark pilgrimage. Anyone interested in participating or assisting should contact the Eparchy at (416) 949-4303 or by e-mail at wyd_pomich@yahoo.ca. More information on WYD can also be found on the Internet at www.wyd2002.org.