Lauren Wiedt gets emotional when she talks about her recent journey to Toronto to see Pope John Paul II during World Youth Day.

“I saw him up close on Saturday (July 27). I was probably about 10 feet away from him. It’s so overwhelming  he’s such an important figure, and you’re so close to him. It was very touching and spiritual for me,” said Wiedt, a 20-year-old Kansas University junior from Olathe.

“It was amazing to see how many people from around the world share my faith. Oh, my God  I’m getting tears right now.”

Wiedt was one of 32 KU students from St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, 1631 Crescent Road, who made the trip to Toronto. The students were just a tiny contingent among the thousands of Catholic young people from across the globe who traveled to Canada to participate in last week’s events, which were capped by several visits from the pope.

A group of 18 students and two staff members from the campus center left Lawrence July 18 to fly to Montreal, where they spent 3 1/2 days living with host families in a program called “Days in the Diocese.” The group took a train July 22 to Toronto, where students stayed overnight in college dormitories.

Meanwhile, on July 24, another group of 14 KU students from St. Lawrence drove directly to Toronto in two minivans in a journey that lasted 20 hours. They stayed for several nights at a campground about 40 miles outside of Toronto. The group later moved to the site where the international festival was held, at a former airfield north of the city.

“It was great  it was a camp-out-under-the-stars kind of thing,” said Brendan Cope, 21, a KU senior from Leavenworth.

“We were pretty far away (from the pope). The altar was huge, and you could see kind of indistinct figures. Just knowing that he was there was great.”

Broad scope of Catholicism

For the two groups of students from St. Lawrence, the trip was anything but a luxury excursion.

But that was OK Â they were going with a purpose in mind.

“We really focused on the fact that this is a pilgrimage, not a vacation. We had to do a lot of walking, it was very hot and it was very crowded. On the actual days the pope was there, they think there were 800,000 people (attending),” said Sister Vicki Lichtenauer, a member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and a staff member at St. Lawrence.

“But the students and other pilgrims we met were very courteous, and we were all motivated by our faith and our hope for the Catholic Church. We were all there for the same reason  to share our faith. It was very powerful.”

While the huge crowds at the festival made for close quarters and stressful moments at times, they also added to the overall meaning of the experience.

“One of the biggest things I took away (from the events) was the universality of the church. When you go to Toronto and you see young people from more than 100 countries, you really can see the broader scope of Catholicism,” said Eve Herrera, 26, a KU graduate student from Spalding, Neb.

“At any one time, you could hear three languages being spoken because of all the diversity. People talking and singing their own types of music  it was amazing.”

Renewal of spirit

Was it worth making the lengthy trip to see the aging pope and worship with fellow Catholics?

Absolutely, say the Lawrence students.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Wiedt said.

Based on his recent experience, Cope is already planning to attend the next World Youth Day.

“I’m going to do it again, in Cologne, Germany, in 2005,” he said.

It was an unforgettable time for Herrera.

“You (usually) see the pope on TV, you hear what he has to say. But when he’s at this place and he’s speaking to you in English  that was the really cool part. He was so on fire and full of energy,” she said.

“It was definitely a renewal, it sort of recharged the battery a little bit. He told us you’ve got to go forth, spread this message and be the light for other people. It was very inspiring.”