YOUTH 2OOO New York Major Event

I arrived in New York a week and a half ago on July 15 after a long (two back to back eight hour flights) but uneventful journey from Africa through Amsterdam. Because I was travelling east, I was able to make the journey in a single day. Arriving at night gave me a head start on adjusting my body to the seven hour time difference. I needed it because the very next day I headed to Kellenberg Memorial High School on Long Island for the YOUTH 2OOO New York annual major event.

It was wonderful to see so many young people gathered in prayer around Our Lord in the Eucharist, listening to the Word of God, deepening their friendship with Christ and growing in faith. It was also inspiring to see so many priests, religious and even two bishops accompanying these young people on their journey with Christ. It was a special joy to catch up with lots of old friends, including Fr. Peter Byrne (below), pastor of Immaculate Conception Church on Staten Island, long-time supporter of YOUTH 2OOO and a really great priest. Among the young people he brought was a small contingent of Nigerians. I was very happy to meet and speak with them, and gave them each a St. Bakhita prayer card. Although Immaculate Conception is located in an economically disadvantaged area, Fr. Peter still put an announcement it the bulletin encouraging parishioners to support the CFR Sudan Mission.

I had the privilege of leading the prayer vigil on Saturday night. The theme of the Major Event was "Caritas in Veritate / Love in Truth," taken from Pope Benedict XVI's most recent encyclical. Working with YOUTH 2OOO New York's director, Angela Scannapieco, and her team, we planned the vigil to try to communicate the call of the encyclical to the young people present in a visual and symbolic way related to the Eucharist.

We carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession from the main tent to a specially prepared altar located in a structure meant to evoke the image of a large lantern as well as the kind of monstrance used by St. Clare to repel an attack by Saracen invaders. On the panels behind the altar were hung hundreds of heart-shaped mirrors, one for each person present. We used 2 Corinthians 4:6 ("For God, who said , 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.") and other Scripture passages to talk about our call to reflect the light and love of Christ in our lives

At a certain point each of the young people came forward to receive a heart-shaped mirror. We then asked them to hold it in such a way that they could see Jesus in the Eucharist reflected in their hearts, then to hold it so the person next to them could see Him, and finally to see Jesus reflected in the heart of their neighbor. It was a deeply prayerful and very moving experience.

The following morning before Sunday Mass with Bishop Murphy of Rockville Center, I had the chance to share with those present about the situation in Africa and other places in the world, and urge them to consider the possibility of some kind of missionary service. It was in the evening of that same Sunday that I appeared as a guest with Fr. Benedict on EWTN's Sunday Night Live program.

In the course of the next few days I was able to renew my driver's licence, pick up two new habits, visit a Dominican sister who recently returned to the US from serving in Kenya, meet with our Community Servant, spend time with our friars, and visit the hospitalized mother of a close mission collaborator. Last Wednesday I traveled to Pennsylvania to spend time with my family, and this past weekend offered Sunday Mass in my home parish, as well as celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of some family friends.

I ask for your prayers as I travel to Honduras later this week. I will be celebrating the wedding of two lay missionaries (the bride a Honduran, the groom an American), as well as the Baptism of the bride's nephew (whose parents I married several years ago), helping to lead two youth retreats and catching up with many of the people whom I had the privilege of serving and working with in the course of my almost seven years there. We will also be discussing the possibility of for four lay missionaries (two Americans and two Hondurans) to serve in Sudan for several months in the near future.

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