• The first World Youth Day was held in Rome in 1986 on Palm Sunday.
Every year since, World Youth Day has been celebrated at a Diocesan
level.
• Every two to three years, World Youth Day is taken to an international
host city. The international World Youth Days are a week-long series of
events attended by the Pope and hundreds of thousands of young
people from all over the world.
• The week culminates in a Final Mass celebrated by the Pope on the last day (the actual World Youth Day). Typically, it is the largest event of
the week and, overseas, has drawn millions of people.
• The Pontifical Council for the Laity (PCL) – a key Vatican body – is
responsible for World Youth Days globally
Information taken from -
World Youth Day Sydney 2008 Fact Sheet
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Purpose of World Youth Day
• World Youth Day was established by Pope John Paul II in 1986 as an
annual event to reach out to the youth of the world
• Pope John Paul II was inspired by the massive gatherings of young
people in Rome for the 1984 Youth Jubilee and the 1985 United
Nations International Year of Youth. He wanted to bring together
young Catholics from around the globe to celebrate and learn about
their faith on a more regular basis.
• Pope John Paul II saw World Youth Day as a way to reach out to the
next generation of Catholics, to demonstrate confidence in them, to
rejuvenate the Church and ensure that the core teachings of Christ
are transmitted and lived.
• World Youth Day is a pilgrimage of faith, where young people from
diverse backgrounds meet and experience the love of God.
• World Youth Day is an invitation from the Pope to the youth of the
world to celebrate their faith around a particular theme. Everyone is
welcome to attend
• World Youth Day is now the largest youth event in the world
Information taken from –
World Youth Day Sydney 2008 Fact Sheet
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As at this posting there are 30 days to go for World Youth Day in Sydney.
Preparation for this event is amazing. In our own parish we are currently preparing for the pilgrims we are hosting in the week preceding WYD – Days In The Diocese. Our parish is hosting 91 Irish Pilgrims and 10 from Ghana …. and still counting. It’s an exciting time for all of us. I’ll be looking forward to meeting them all.
WYD08 will mark the first visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia. WYD is an invitation from the Pope to the youth of the world to celebrate their faith around a particular theme. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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