YOUTH 2OOO New York Team Formation Day

Eucharistic Holy Hour in the St. Francis Center Chapel.

Last Sunday, September 11, I spent the day with about a dozen young men and women who comprise the team for YOUTH 2OOO New York. We gathered in the St. Francis Center, right around the block. The tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York served as a dramatic backdrop to reinforce the urgent need society has for compelling witnesses who live the new humanity of Christ.

In the morning we used the text of Pope Benedict's address to youth in San Marino in June as a basis for our reflection, particularly the two questions with which he challenged those young people: Who am I? and What am I living for? This was followed by Sunday Mass, and in the afternoon we watched an inspiring documentary on Blessed John Paul II based on George Weigel's biography of the same name: Witness to Hope, which really ignited the young people's enthusiasm. The afternoon ended with an hour in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.