It has been difficult to find hope in the future of the Church during this time of crisis and trial.

Yet, for all those with eyes to see and ears to hear, a revolution of love—focused on the person of Jesus Christ and firmly planted in the Catholic Church—has been quietly gaining strength during the last two decades.

Responding to the invitations of Pope John Paul II, roving mobs of young foot-soldiers for Christ have made high-visibility pilgrimages to sites around the world. Then they've gone forth and carried the Good News to every sector of society. These members of the “JP2 generation” have set up camp in Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris and Rome. In late July, they will descend upon Toronto for five days of liturgy, sacraments, worship and the joy of sharing Jesus with the successor of St. Peter—and with one another.

It will be an exciting and transformative five days. How do I know? I was there in Denver in 1993, there in Paris in 1997. And I wouldn't miss Toronto for the world.

As we have at past International World Youth Days, we will, at this 17th such occasion, meditate on the words of Jesus Christ: “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). And we will walk away forever changed by the experience.

The last World Youth Day to be held on North American soil was hosted by the city of Denver in August 1993. At that time, young Catholics gathered in the mile-high city to proclaim the fullness of life that can only come from Jesus Christ. They carried their message of hope for the world through the streets of Denver as they trekked more than 15 miles to Cherry Creek State Park for an overnight prayer service with the Holy Father. Following their meeting in the developed world, they next desired to stand with the poor in Asia. In 1995, they held the largest outdoor gathering in human history on the least Christian continent in the world. In the city of Manila, Philippines, a young Asian woman galvanized the sense of unity among the throngs when she proclaimed, in the name of all those present: “Holy Father, we are not afraid to become saints!”

During the last five years, the JP2 generation has not shrunk from doing its part to foster a culture of life. In 1997, confounding the dim expectations of the French media, more than 2 million young people descended upon Paris in order to call the people of France—“the Church's eldest daughter”—back to their Catholic heritage. Then, during the most recent international World Youth Day, they gathered around the tomb of St. Peter in Rome during the Jubilee Year—the 2,000th anniversary of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We are fighting a spiritual battle that will not only define our young lives as committed Catholic men and women, but will soon come to have lasting effects on the future life of the Church and the world. And the results are unmistakable.

Indeed, the effects of these international meetings with Pope John Paul II are measurable far beyond their original context at World Youth Day. In our own country, an unprecedented number of young Catholic men and women turned out to vote for pro-life and pro-family candidates during the most recent elections and the same seems to be in order for the gubernatorial races this year. American colleges and universities across the nation have founded new programs geared to making their students the future leaders of the new evangelization—and the same colleges and universities have reported enthusiastic responses from their respective student bodies.

Young policy groups and think tanks in Washington, D.C., New York City and elsewhere have found practical ways to build a civilization of love; World Youth Alliance, a U.N.-lobbying organization, will soon celebrate its third anniversary of service to the pro-life community at the international level.

While some have taken the Good News of Jesus Christ into the heart of the world, others have flocked to orthodox seminaries and houses of religious formation in Catholic strongholds such as Denver and Sioux Falls, S.D.

In the course of his visits to the people of every continent, Pope John Paul II has never tired of seeking out young Catholic men and women. He sees in us the face of the future of the Church, as he made clear during his 1999 visit with young people at the Kiel Center in downtown St. Louis. At the conclusion of his remarks, the Holy Father issued a strong statement that we may all do well to recall to mind during this time of crisis:

“Christ is calling you; the Church needs you; the Pope believes in you and he expects great things of you!”

To date, the JP2 generation has responded to that call with great enthusiasm and love. Look for the momentum to continue growing in Toronto and beyond.

John Paul Shimek, a philosophy major at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., will participate in a roundtable discussion on the human person in a free and just society at World Youth Day in Toronto.