WYD-2023

 

 WORLD YOUTH DAY is starting and the Holy Father asked for prayers for those attending, that they be a light to the rest of young people across the globe.  Several youth from our area will be attending as will  a priest close to the Community.

“A great many young people, from all continents, will experience the joy of the encounter with God and with their brothers and sisters, guided by the Virgin Mary, who after the annunciation “arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39).I entrust the World Youth Day pilgrims and all young people of the world to Her, shining star of the Christian path.

In these troubling times, when our human family, already tested by the trauma of the pandemic, is racked by the tragedy of war, Mary shows to all of us, and especially to you, young people like herself, the path of proximity and encounter. I hope and I firmly believe that the experience many of you will have in Lisbon next August will represent a new beginning for you, the young, and – with you – for humanity as a whole.”

World Youth Day is an international gathering of young people, ages 16 to 35, with the Pope. It takes place every two to three years in different cities all over the globe. It has a strong Catholic identity and includes a celebration of Mass with the Pope, but it’s open to all.

In addition to celebrating young people, World Youth Day is an “expression of the universal Church and a powerful moment of evangelization for the world of youth.”

Thousands and thousands of young people gather together for several days with accommodations ranging from camping to lodging in churches. More than 400,000 young people have officially registered to attend and take part in the 2023 International World Youth Day celebration in Lisbon, Portugal. 

The most highly-attended WYD was in Manila in 1995, with more than 5 million people in attendance. After celebrating Mass, Pope John Paul II had to take a helicopter to get through the crowds, trading in the popemobile.