ADVISORY/Canadians to Bring World Youth Day Cross to Ground Zero in New York City.

News/Assignment Writers

ADVISORY...

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2002

The WYD Cross will detour from its pilgrimage throughout Canada to visit New York City on February 24-25, 2002. This visit is a sign of hope to the people of the United States and the entire world who struggle to understand the violence and death-dealing forces experienced on September 11, 2001.

From July 18-28, 2002, Canada will host WYD. Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world will join Pope John Paul II in Toronto and the WYD Cross is the symbol of this event.

Schedule:

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        Date              Time                  Activity
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 Saturday, February 23  Midnight   Departure from St. Michael's
                                   College School, Toronto (corner
                                   of Bathurst and St. Clair)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Sunday, February 24    7:00 p.m.  Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral
                                   in New York City followed by a
                                   prayer vigil with young people
                                   from New York City and neighbouring
                                   dioceses
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 Monday, February 25    8:15 a.m.  Mass celebrated by Archbishop
                                   Renato Martino, Permanent Observer
                                   of the Holy See Mission to the
                                   United Nations at the Church of Our
                                   Savior in New York City (Park Avenue
                                    and 38th Street)
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 Monday, February 25    Around     Following Mass, the Canadians will
                        10:00 a.m. go to Ground Zero to pray for those
                                   who died there, their survivors and
                                   for peace and justice. Joining them
                                   will be young people from New York
                                   and surrounding areas as well as
                                   representatives of the police, fire
                                   and emergency services of New York
                                   City.
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The 100 Canadians who will bring the WYD Cross will be hosted by the Catholic Youth Office of the Archdiocese of New York City. They will include:

-- Representatives of the WYD National Office

-- Youth from many Canadian dioceses

-- Personnel from the Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Service of Toronto

-- Bishop Anthony Meagher, Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto and Chair of the
Canadian Bishops' Episcopal Committee for WYD

-- Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., National Director of WYD

Backgrounder on the WYD Cross

At the close of the Holy Year of the Redemption in 1984, Pope John Paul II entrusted to the young people of the world a wooden Cross, asking them to carry it across the world as a sign of the love of Jesus for humankind. Since then, carried by generous hands and hearts, the Cross has made a long, uninterrupted pilgrimage across the continents, to demonstrate that the Cross walks with young people and young people walk with the Cross.

Since Palm Sunday 2001 (April 8) when the Cross was handed over to Canadians in St. Peter's Square in Rome, the WYD Cross has touched the three oceans that border Canada. It has visited cities, towns and rural areas. The Cross has been touched and embraced by tens of thousands of people and has touched many hearts in return. It has been a witness to the power of reconciliation and peace that WYD can bring the world.

We now wish to share that same reconciliation and hope with our sisters and brothers in New York City. The presence at Ground Zero is also a sign of our solidarity with all those throughout the world who suffer because of the power of evil, hatred, war and destruction. The Cross of Jesus brings suffering humanity a sign of hope, healing and reconciliation.