As many of you know, St. Gertrude's has been very involved in the YOUTH 2000 retreats hosted in Cincinnati, beginning in 1999. YOUTH 2000 was at World Youth Day, offering Eucharistic Adoration for the pilgrims, about 12 hours a day. St. Gertrude's was blessed to have been chosen to lead a Holy Hour on Tuesday, July 23. We were one of only 4 or 5 groups from the United States to have this opportunity. I believe we were the first official group to conduct a Holy Hour. At 1 PM, our group met at the Horticultural Center, where Adoration was being held. A half dozen of our members met pilgrims at the door and greeted them in different languages, while handing out our program/ song sheet. Fr. Stephen Alcott, OP was the celebrant for our hour and Fr. John Paul Walker, OP gave a brief homily. Members of our group also planned and performed the music, gave a witness talk and led a decade of the Scriptural Rosary. St. Gertrude's was joined in Adoration by a few hundred other Catholics from all over the world. Eucharistic Adoration defies all barriers of race, nationality, language and culture and we benefited from the universal aspect. Knowing that we all share the Eucharist and are indeed one body in Christ, is a powerful thought. We were able to share our "culture", Dominican heritage and way of doing YOUTH 2000 retreats with other members of the Catholic Church. It was an exciting opportunity for each of us and the Holy Hour went very well. (Those of you who were watching World Youth Day on EWTN, may have even heard our hour mentioned by Fr. Giles Dimock, OP).

Overall, World Youth Day was a tremendous experience. Certainly there were difficulties and sacrifices. We have our share of stories about the food, sleeping quarters and getting drenched on Sunday morning, but more importantly, what I have taken away from the event, spiritually, will never wear away. Learning from the Bishops during Catechesis each morning, meeting young people from all around the world, attending Catholic concerts, viewing an exhibit about Dominican Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, and especially seeing Pope John Paul II from only a few feet away, were awesome experiences that have helped to change my life. It won't be difficult to heed the words of the Holy Father, "May you always treasure the memory of Toronto."

- Emily Bissonnette