Showing faith on Palm Sunday

By  Natasha Milavec, Youth Speak News
  • April 1, 2010

TORONTO-“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This quote, from Mark 10:17, is the theme for World Youth Day 2010, and helped set the mood at the archdiocesan Palm Sunday event at St. Paul’s Basilica and St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto March 27.

Hosted by the Office of Catholic Youth and in its eighth year, the event consisted of about 30 volunteers, and averages around 400-500 participants annually.

The event began at St. Paul’s Basilica with praise and worship songs. Susan HooKong-Taylor and Ana Da Costa, who wrote and performed “Song of the Cross” for Pope John Paul II at World Youth Day 2002, delivered lively music for the crowd. Da Costa said it is “very hopeful that youth are gathered here today.”

After much clapping and joyful singing, Archbishop Thomas Collins delivered a catechesis on integrity, hypocrisy and reconciliation. Collins ended by answering the question that the theme poses, saying that to inherit eternal life we must live with integrity and show forgiveness to others.

The event also consisted of small catechesis discussion groups led by seminarians from St. Augustine’s Seminary, residents of Serra House, religious sisters, deacons and priests. These discussion groups reflected on Collins’ lecture by asking questions like, “Why are people interested in the pursuit of eternal life?”

Alyssa Andino is a Grade 10 student who volunteered at the event through the OCY. After hearing Collins’ speech, Andino said what made an impression on her was when he talked “about the apostles, when you think that they are perfect people,” but they are not.
Collins said that just like the Lord forgave the apostles’ failures, He also forgives ours, and that “reconciliation is the true gift of Easter.”

From St. Paul’s Basilica, the procession began.

Christian Elia, director of the OCY, said that to organize such an event, co-ordination and timing are most important; everything must be in synch at St. Paul’s and at St. Michael’s. In addition, police must approve the procession route, and volunteers need to be informed of their tasks, he said.

A group of people took turns carrying the WYD Commemorative Cross in the front, with Collins and a crowd of about 300 following behind. Amid the busy streets of Toronto, people also carried palms on the way to St. Michael’s Cathedral while praying and singing.
Wajnaa Jajou is the youth facilitator at St. Francis Xavier parish in Mississauga and a student at the University of Toronto.

She said she wanted to bring youth to the event so that they could “meet other Catholics,” “walk in procession” and “express (their) faith in a city that… goes at such a fast pace.”

Reaching St. Michael’s Cathedral, the procession filed into the pews for Palm Sunday Mass with Collins and concelebrated by about 10 priests from different parishes. In total, about 450 people attended the Palm Sunday Mass that evening.

Elia said that in Holy Week, which is the most important time for Catholics, it is “fitting that we move forward” and that the unity of the youth shown at the event proved that the faith is strong in younger generations.

(Milavec, 16, is a Grade 11 student at Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School.)

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