WYD
Scotland: new impetus to faithOn July 8 the first 51 youth left from Glasgow headed for Sydney. Some one-hundred more will follow in the next few days. “During their first week in Australia – we were told by the diocese – they will be hosted by families from the parish of Saint Paul, in the diocese of Wollongong, and will attend spiritual and ludic activities”. “In the past 18 months – explained Father David Wallace, the young chaplain who accompanies the youth with Sister Bernadette Cassidy and Chris Docherty – we developed a spiritual formation and a WYD preparation program, focused on our mission and identity within the Church”. Looking ahead, Father David declared, we believe the WYD “will be a major occasion for pilgrims to share this experience and to undertake a program of renewal for all the Catholic adults in the archdiocese”. “The WYD is a wonderful way to share and give new impetus to my faith”, said Clare Sweeney, 28. Elaine Briceland 18, has been anxiously looking forward to the departure: “In 2005, when my sister attended the WYD, I was too small to go with her, but this time I was determined: nothing would have stopped me from going”. Scottish youth will be joined in the next few days by Cardinal Keith O’Brien and by archbishop Mario Conti. Italy: the synergy of Catholic media 10thousand Italians are expected in Sydney, the Italian delegation includes some 50 volunteers, while almost 30 will cooperate with Australia’s organizing Committee. In the meantime, dioceses and parishes throughout Italy are getting prepared to live moments of reflection and prayers in communion with the youth who will be meeting Benedict XVI in Sydney. “Sat2000, Radio InBlu, the daily Avvenire, news agency Sir and Italy’s official WYD website, www.gmg2008.it will enable viewers to follow the live broadcast of the Day’s most important events – explained Father Domenico Pompili, director of the National Office for Social Communications of Italy’s Bishops Conference. The editorial staff of the website www.gmg2008.it has been working at full pace to relay the most relevant moments like the catechesis of Italian bishops, the vigil and Sunday’s Holy Mass” and also “Sydney’s major encounter which will be attended by all Italian faithful”. The encounter (on July 16, at 4.30 p.m. Sydney’s Entertainment Centre) is called “Viva Agorà”. It will be an occasion for dialogue amongst the youth, along with moments of prayer and the exchange of life and faith experiences. The objective is that of bringing the Italian youth close to their Italo-Australian peers. The WYD will be attended by some 35 Italian bishops. On July 22, marking the closing date of the WYD, a pilgrimage will take place to Sydney’s cathedral to give thanks to the Madonna of Loreto, attended by Cardinal George Pell and by Msgr. Giuseppe Betori, Secretary General of the Italian Bishops Conference, by the Italian youth and by Italo-Australian faithful. Poland: satellite link from Warsaw The Polish youth who will be unable to attend Sydney’s meeting with the Pope, will have the possibility of convening in Warsaw, where satellite link will connect them with Sydney. This information was delivered by Msgr. Kazimierz Nycz, archbishop of Warsaw, who invited the youth to convene in Poland’s capital city. “I hope this encounter will enable them to live a great religious and ecclesial experience, and that it will be an occasion for joy as well as an important formative experience”, declared the archbishop. On July 19-20 a series of events for the youth are expected to take place in Warsaw: the Mass, as well as the debates, theatre performances and concerts, will be broadcast via satellite on mega-screens placed on the shore of the Vistula river. In the previous week there will be prayer meetings and evangelisation activity. Some 2 thousand young Poles will be attending Sydney’s events, 250 of whom are priests and 5 are bishops. All WYD participants (those returning from Australia and those convened in Warsaw) will come together in the sanctuary of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa for a solemn thanksgiving liturgy.France: youth from all over EuropeSome 5thousand youth from all over Europe are expected in Lourdes on July 15-20 for the celebration of the World Youth Day (www.lourdes2008.com). The WYD will thus represent an opportunity to learn more about Bernadette, 150 years since the last apparition of the Holy Virgin, on July 16. Thanks to the cooperation with the Catholic television channel Kto, the youth will be able to follow the satellite broadcast of the Pope’s arrival in Sydney, the prayer vigil and the Mass. The youth will have the possibility of following catecheses on baptism, on the beatitudes and on the Holy Virgin along with a mystagogic Catechesis in French, English and Spanish. An encounter with the testimonies of 12 missions in Lourdes is scheduled for July 17th, attended also by youth from Unitalsi. A musical festival is also part of the programme.
