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Reflections Page
Our stories from World Youth Day 2002
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Stories to inspire and to let others be a part of our adventures
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If you'd like to submit your own reflection or testimony
(even if you weren't with the St. Patrick's group),
Click on the address to send it:
Hope to hear from you!
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More stories and reflections to come!
Keep checking back!
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Mike Bartlett's story:
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My World Youth Day 2002 Experience
Monday morning was quite a hectic morning! Being in charge of attendance and making sure everyone on my bus got fed made it worse! The ride to Toronto was quite nice and scenic. We sang songs, told jokes, prayed and had an all around fun time. When we got to Toronto and finally found our school, Woodbine Junior High in North York, we were greeted by some pretty heavy thunderstorms!
As more busses arrived, we all gathered in the gymnasium. The World Youth Day volunteers gave us the low down of how things were going to work: times we had to be out of the school in the mornings, curfews, and when it would lights out at night. For a while, we felt like a bunch of Grade sevens in school, but soon realized it was just for our safety. This was about the time I found out I was the monitor for a group of 31 people! I thought it was just for the bus ride. I was not happy. Marta Robu kept coming up to me and saying; “What’s next boss?”…that was funny! As we were in the gymnasium, bright flashes of lightning and loud booms of thunder echoed throughout the school. After we plopped down our stuff in the classroom we chose, the storms finally left, just in time for our walk over to St. Timothy’s church. Archbishop Gervais presided over a very nice welcoming ceremony for us Ottawa natives. Afterwards, we were all set free to get supper at the local shopping mall.
The weather up till Friday was perfect, nice and sunny, not too hot…just right! By the time Wednesday rolled around, I was beginning to feel out of place (not because of the people), but because I felt that I wasn’t getting anything out of the week. I was feeling quite down and figured a trip up the CN Tower might cheer me up. I’m telling you, it was the longest line up I’ve ever been in! The Tower reported that they broke records for attendance that week…and I saw why! By the time I made it back to Exhibition Place to meet up with the St. Pat’s gang for supper, my ankle really stared to ache. It had bothered me in the morning, but this time it was pain! I went to one of the little first aid stations, but they told me to go to the hospital set up in the park. Mark Ferreira graciously came with me and waited with me for the diagnosis. I didn’t get one, just that they wanted to send me to one of Toronto’s hospitals. So from 7:30 PM till 11 PM, Mark and I waited for the ambulance. By the time they found a hospital with some free space, it was about 12:30 AM. I finally saw a doctor around 3:30 AM. He felt around my ankle area (which was quite painful), said my all my tendons in that ankle were all swollen and inflamed. He promptly handed over the crutches! By the way, Mark was still waiting for me, and with me, the whole time, God bless him! Since he knew we hadn’t eaten much of a supper, one of the orderlies gave us his lunch after I got the crutches. Mark and I enjoyed it till the last bite! So it was now 4:30 in the morning, no busses or subways running, so Mark hailed down a taxi and got us back to the school. Now 5:30 AM, one of the coordinators at the school let us in and informed me that I’d have to go back to Ottawa.
Now with this news, after how I felt before my hospital visit, you’d think I’d be happy. On the contrary, I was devastated (not knowing why). But after all I went through, I knew I couldn’t leave now, I knew God must have had something special planned for me! Mark and I were allowed to sleep in a while longer at the school that day (now Thursday). The other Mike, Mike Howley stayed with us. He helped Mark get me down to Exhibition Place. My first time on crutches, and it was the longest walk, I’ve ever taken in Toronto! We got there just in time for the Papal welcoming ceremony. We didn’t get to see Pope John Paul in person, but just feeling his presence in the air was very emotional! It was an awesome ceremony, his talk on the Beatitudes was beautiful and hit me right in the heart! So thank you Mark and Mike for getting me down there to experience such a wonderful moment! By now, I was having the time of my life, crutches and all! I got to see a taping of EWTN’s “Life on the Rock” show. Afterwards, I got to meet two very familiar faces from EWTN, Brother Peter and Jeff Cavins (host of “Life on the Rock”) and actually got my picture taken with both of them! I also met such a nice lady named Zorina, she came in after they opened the gates to the public.
Due to my immobility, Joyce Carvalho got my monitoring duties…poor Joyce! Patrick Dursi and Prentis Clairmont actually arranged to get me a wheel chair and a place on the “Para Transpo” like bus called the Stock Bus. Because of this, the coordinators didn’t have to ship me back to Ottawa since I had all this stuff to keep me mobile without crutches. So thank you so much Patrick and Prentis for all your hard work! I have no idea how you pulled it all off in such short notice!
So, I was able to get to Downsview for the Vigil with the Pope. I must now thank Our Blessed Mother, Mary now. Let me explain… On Thursday at the Papal welcoming ceremony, I asked Mary if she could somehow intercede for me to Jesus so that I might be able to see Pope John Paul in person. It didn’t have to be close, just enough so my eyes could get a quick glance! So, while waiting for the Vigil to start on Saturday, I began to say the rosary, Mark joined in with me. After we finished reciting it, I looked behind me, and saw hundreds of police officers and RCMP creating a barricade and pathway. I couldn’t believe it. I wheeled over to the fence they just put up, and asked one of the officers if the Pope was coming this way, he gave me a big YES! So after waiting a couple of hours, Pope John Paul II, my hero, drives right passed me (and others of course!). I was about five feet away from him, I waved, and he waved back! I don’t think any experience for the rest of my life will ever top that one! THANK YOU MARY! Prentis, Carrie, Ken (Carrie’s father), Marta, Mark and I got to be in a paved area, since we were in the handicapped spot for the yellow section. Very far from the stage, but after seeing the Pope that close, we didn’t care! Sunday morning started off cold and rainy, then huge thunderstorms! But that didn’t stop the Pope, he came through the rain and thunder, and as soon as he began Mass, the sky cleared, the sun came shining down, and the temperatures soared back into the 30’s (without the humidex). What an awesome experience to be at Mass, where the presider is Pope John Paul II! Once in a lifetime…once in a lifetime!
We got back to the school around 4 PM, gathered up all our belongings, (I said goodbye to my wheel chair) and we all boarded the bus and headed for home. We got back in Ottawa around 10:30 PM. All I wanted to do was hop back on the bus and do it all over again! But alas, it was over and we all went back to our prospective homes. I was still on a high from all the excitement, but let me tell you, I slept through all of Monday, only getting up for meals!
I thank God so much for my ankle problem, it gave WYD such more meaning for me. To experience what it is like to be handicapped, To realize how much everyone cared for me, and to see the Pope so close was a bonus too! I’ve never had real friends in my life, but the way everyone in my group helped me out and kept their eyes on me, I got to see what friendship and love really is! Thank you Mark, Mike, Patrick, Prentis, Carrie, Joyce, Marta, Glen, Nathan, Tamar, Lara, Maria and Ken, and of course, Pope John Paul II for your love of everyone! I will be forever grateful to you all, and will never be able to find the right words and actions to show you how much you all mean to me!
Big thanks to the Man who made it all possible…God! To Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Mary as well.
One side note…out of all the souvenirs I thought I would bring home from Toronto, crutches were not one of them!
God bless all!
Michael Bartlett
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