World Youth Day Totally Explained

Everything about World Youth Day totally explained

World Youth Day (It. La Giornata Mondiale della Gioventù) is a youth oriented Roman Catholic Church promotional event aimed at young people. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, young people are invited without discrimination. World Youth Day isn't associated with International Youth Day or any of the international observance days. World Youth Day was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1984. It is celebrated on a diocesan level annually, and at a week-long international level every two to three years at different locations. The international level events attract hundreds of thousands of youth from almost every country on the planet. It is a major part of the upsurge in Catholic Youth Work in some countries over recent years; for example, the Director of Catholic Youth Services for England and Wales has said of the event that it would have far-reaching effects, not restricted to those who attended.

Origin

In the months before the Extraordinary Synod, John Paul II took the occasion of the United Nations' International Youth Year to launch one of the signature initiatives of his pontificate-the World Youth Days that would draw millions of young people on pilgrimage to Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia, and Oceania.
   The idea of the World Youth Day, the Pope remembered, could be traced back to his young friends in Srodowisko and their exploration of the personal and vocational dynamics of adolescence and young adulthood. His early papal pilgrimages, in Italy and abroad, had convinced him that a pastoral strategy of accompaniment with young people was as valid for a pope as it had been for a fledgling priest. Srodowisko, a term suggested by Wojtyla himself in the 1960, is now used as a self-description by a group of some 200 men and women, many of them married couples with grandchildren, which first began take shape during his university Chaplaincy at St. Florian's Church in Krakow's old town, in Poland. Srodowisko doesn't translate easily. "Environment" is one possibility, but John Paul II prefers more humanistic "milieu." In any case, what would later come to be known as Srodowisko involved the fusing of several networks of young adults and young married couples with whom Father Wojtyla worked. The earliest of these called it self Rodzinka, or "little family." A later group of Wojtyla youngsters called themselves Paczka, "packet" or "parcel." Srodowisko saw youth groups evolve into networks of intellectual conversation. Both youngsters and intellectuals got involved in vacation excursions. The word itself maybe hard to translate, but that this network of friendships was crucial in shaping the ideas and the ministry of Karol Wojtyla the priest, the bishop, ultimately, the pope, is indisputable.
   John Paul II marked the UN's International Youth Year and his Palm Sunday, 1985, meeting with young people in Rome with an Apostolic Letter, To the Youth of the World, which mixed reminiscence, exhortation, and the Pope's phenomenological approach to anything human in fairly equal proportions.
   Beginning in 1987, and continuing biennially, World Youth Day was celebrated with the Pope at an international venue to which the young of the world would be invited. On the even-numbered "off" years, World Youth Day is celebrated in the dioceses.

Purpose

The stated purposes of World Youth Day are:

Gathering together
Putting trust in the young
Meeting the international world on a human level

World Youth Day 2008

Australia was chosen as the site of the 2008 World Youth Day celebrations. The decision was made by Pope Benedict XVI during the conclusion ceremonies of the 2005 World Youth Day celebrations in Cologne, Germany.
   The occasion will mark only the fourth Papal visit to the country, and has been commended by the then Prime Minister of Australia John Howard and the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
   The theme of World Youth Day 2008 will be "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you'll be my witnesses" (Acts1:8)
   World Youth Day 2008 will be held in Randwick, Sydney. Most activity will occur within Randwick Racecourse which has been given to the Roman Catholic Church to use for the event. Although holiday accommodation is scarce in this area, tens of thousands of international visitors are expected to stay in the 'WYD08 Allocated Accommodation' for the event.

Chronology of celebrations

International

International level celebrations>

Year	Dates	Location	Attendance¹	Theme	Theme Song (Anthem) [Languages]²
1984	April 15	Rome, Final Mass held at Piazza San Pietro	300,000	Holy Year of Redemption	_{NO ANTHEM}
1985	March 31	Rome, Final Mass held at Piazza San Pietro	300,000	International Youth Year	Resta Qui Con Noi^[Italian]
1987	April 11–12	Buenos Aires,	900,000	We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves (1 Jn 4:16)	Un Nuevo Sol^[Spanish]
1989	August 15–20	Santiago de Compostela, Final Mass held at Monte do Gozo	400,000	I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:6)	Somos Los Jóvenes^[Spanish]
1991	August 10–15	Częstochowa,	1,600,000	You have received a spirit of sonship (Rom 8:15)	Abba Ojcze^{[PolishItalian Spanish]}
1993	August 10–15	Denver, Final Mass held at Cherry Creek State Park	900,000	I came that they might have life, and have it to the full (Jn 10:10)	(We Are) One Body^[English]
1995	January 10–15	Manila, Final Mass held at Luneta Park	5,000,000 [currentworld record of the largest single event one-day assembly of humanity in history]	As the Father sent me, so am I sending you (Jn 20:21)	Tell the World of His Love^[English]
1997	August 19–24	Paris, Final Mass held at Longchamps	1,200,000	Teacher, where are you staying? Come and see (cf. Jn 1:38-39)	Maître Et Seigneur^[French]
2000	August 15–20	Rome, Final Mass held at Tor Vergata	2,000,000	The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14)	Emmanuel^{[ItalianEnglish French Spanish]}
2002	July 23–28	Toronto, Final Mass held at Downsview Park	800,000	You are the salt of the earth ... you're the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14)	Lumière Du Monde/Light Of The World^{[FrenchEnglish Spanish Italian]}
2005	August 16–21	Cologne, Final Mass held at Marienfeld	1,200,000	We have come to worship Him (Mt 2:2)	Venimus Adorare Eum^{[GermanLatin French Spanish English Italian]}
2008	July 15–20	Sydney, Final Mass to be held at Randwick Racecourse	500,000 expected	You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you'll be my witnesses. (Acts 1:8)	^{[EnglishItalian Spanish French]}

¹Attendance numbers reflect the total number at the closing Mass which includes many locals who attended only that one event. Unless otherwise referenced, the numbers are quoted from the USCCB website

. ²This lists languages used in the main international version of the anthem. Local versions of the anthem in other languages (and alternate versions) may have also been produced.

Diocesan

Diocesan level celebrations (celebrated on Palm Sunday each year)>

Date	Theme
March 23, 1986	Always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that's in you (1Pt 3:15)
March 27, 1988	Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5)
April 8, 1990	I am the vine, you're the branches (Jn 15:5)
April 12, 1992	Go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mk 16:15)
March 27, 1994	As the Father sent me, so am I sending you (Jn 20: 21)
March 31, 1996	Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (Jn 6:68).
April 5, 1998	The Holy Spirit will teach you all things (cf Jn 14:26 )
March 28, 1999	The Father loves you (cf. Jn 16:27)
April 8, 2001	If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me (Lk 9:23)
April 13, 2003	Behold, your mother! (Jn 19,27)
April 4, 2004	We wish to see Jesus (Jn 12:21)
April 9, 2006	Your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path (Psalm 119:105)
April 1, 2007	Just as I've loved you; you also should love one another (Jn 13:34).

Typical schedule of events (International level celebrations)

	Tues	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Morning	Day of Welcoming Arrival and Welcome	Catechetical Session w/ participating bishops	Catechetical Session w/ participating bishohps	Catechetical Session w/ participating bishops	Pilgrimage to Vigil Site	Closing Liturgy w/ Holy Father
Afternoon	Opening ceremony	afternoon and evening shows, music, prayer and reconciliation opportunities	afternoon and evening shows, music, prayer and reconciliation opportunities	afternoon and evening shows, music, prayer and reconciliation opportunities. The pope arrives and celebrates mass with the pilgrims
Evening				Stations of the Cross	Vigil Celebration & sleep over

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