World Youth Day
what | who | when | where | back to WYD home page
WHAT?
This is a huge and exciting project with three major aspects: World Youth Day, the Days in the Diocese, and the Journey of the Cross and Icon.
World Youth Day (WYD)
World Youth Day is an international convention of young people held every three years in a different host city. In 2008 Sydney expects to host half a million young pilgrims, with approximately 125,000 international participants, for a week-long festival of prayer and celebration culminating in an outdoor mass at Randwick Racecourse celebrated by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.
WYD was instituted by Pope John-Paul II in 1984. In 1985, he spontaneously called on young people to meet him on Palm Sunday in Rome. 250000 responded.
Since that time, World Youth day has been celebrated locally every year on Palm Sunday, and internationally in a different host country every 3 years.
- WYD host cities include Buenos Aires, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, and Toronto. In 2005 Cologne hosted WYD, and many young Australians were amongst the 1 million pilgrims who attended.
- In 2008, it will be in Sydney – the largest gathering of people Australia has ever hosted, a crowd 5 times larger than the Grand Final and all barracking for the same team!
- The elements of that first spontaneous gathering in 1985 remain largely unchanged:
- simple school based or homestay accommodation
- the presence of the World Youth Day Cross
- bishops in discussion with groups of young people
- international personalities witnessing to their faith
- the Way of the Cross,
- opportunities for leadership
- opportunities for worship
- celebration, cultural exchange and friendship
- outdoor Mass celebrated by the Pope
Days in the Diocese
The dioceses of Australia and New Zealand host groups of international visitors in the days preceding WYD08 week. It is:
- a cultural exchange in the context of faith
- international and local pilgrims meet and mingle
- pastoral preparation for participants in WYD whilst receiving local hospitality
- a chance for local communities to join in with the WYD experience
- an opportunity for local communities to showcase the region for international visitors
- a chance to build and strengthen relationships with overseas communities.
- Sandhurst has a vibrant and historic connection with the Diocese of Paderborn in Germany, which was the home of our first priest on the goldfields, Father Henry Backhaus. We expect 300 pilgrims from this diocese, to be billeted around Bendigo.
- We expect a further 200 pilgrims from the Beatitudes community, to be billeted in the Shepparton region.
- We are receiving further inquiries from Italy and Spain
Journey of the Cross and Icon
The World Youth Day Cross is a large, plain wooden cross (3.8X1.75m), given to the young people of the world in 1984 by John Paul II. It has since been carried in pilgrimages to all International World Youth Days. Along the way, it has created history, being carried by young people throughout Europe, behind the Iron Curtain, and to parts of the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Far East and now to Oceania and Australia.
In 2003, he gave the Icon of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani,(a contemporary copy of an ancient and sacred icon housed in St. Mary Major in Rome) to accompany the Cross.
In Australia, an Aboriginal Message stick accompany the Cross and Icon.
The tradition is that the Cross and Icon travel the dioceses of the host country for the twelve months leading up to World Youth Day. It has been compared to the Olympic Torch of WYD, as it travels from cities to towns, parishes, schools and groups. Young people carry to Cross and Icon to the places that symbolize our story. Our city, our region and our people become a part of the history of the WYD Cross and Icon.
WHO?
500,000 young people aged 16 to 35 from Australia and all over the world meet Pope Benedict 16 in Sydney, July 15-20, 2008.
800 International pilgrims from Germany, France, Italy and the Phillipines visit the Diocese of Sandhurst July 11-14, 2008 and are billeted in homestay throughout the region for the Days in the Diocese.
1000 young pilgrims from Sandhurst travel to Sydney for World Youth Day
The World Youth Day Cross and Icon travels through the Diocese visiting all areas from the mountains to the Murray, as part of a 12-month, 60,000km journey throughout Australia March 7-14, 2008.
WHEN?
Key dates for Sandhurst:
• Journey of the Cross and Icon: MARCH 7-15, 2008
• Days in the Diocese JULY 11-14, 2008
• World Youth Day Sydney JULY 15-20, 2008
WHERE?
WYD events and planning will be undertaken across a 12-month lead-up throughout the Diocese of Sandhurst. Every parish and school will be involved.
• The Cross and Icon will spend approximately 2 days in each Deanery, entering the Diocese at Wodonga on Thursday (7/3/08) night for a sunset walk across the Murray, travelling out to Tallangatta, Beechworth, Myrtleford, Benalla, Wangaratta, Cobram, Shepparton, Echuca & Kow Swamp. It will arrive in Bendigo for a major pilgrimage throughout the city, a schools rally and an all night vigil before returning to Sydney on Saturday (15/3/08).
• The Days in the Diocese will see the region host between 600-800 young pilgrims from Germany and France, hosted in local communities and homes, involving them in social justice programs and cultural exchange, before they move on to WYDO8 (11-14/7/08)
• WYD is centred in Sydney and will involve “camping” in school classrooms, and a packed daily program of events including prayer and faith development to street theatre, music events, dance, indigenous events, concerts, sound and light, gospel and rock bands – hundreds of venues, hundreds of choices.
Contact:
Local Area Contact: Name and Phone
Diocesan WYD contact: Karen Lunney, 5441 2544 or 0408 526 883
Download the Sandhurst info (opens in a new tab/window)
SYM website details
For more info hit the web site
www.wyd2008.org
The Sandhurst connection
www.sym.org.au
