Aged between 20 and 25, in large part students, “few workers for holiday reasons”: that in short is the identikit of the French youth about to depart for Canada to attend the 17th World youth Day. Some 10,000 youth from all over France are expected to participate: 8,000 youngsters have already registered through the dioceses that have formed delegations of various size. Thus, while the diocese of Sens-Auxerre has only 15 registered participants, the archdiocese of Paris will be taking a delegation of no less than 970 persons to Toronto, filling two whole pre-booked jumbo jets. Over 120 youth from the overseas provinces and territories are also expected to participate. But events are also planned for those youngsters unable to travel to Toronto: especially “Jubilatio! “, a youth apostolate initiative of the diocese of Bayonne. It is organizing a week of special link-ups with WYD in Toronto from 23 to 28 July. The theme is : “JmJ, Côte Basque… Jubilatio! Les pieds dans l’eau” (“WYD, Basque Coast… Jubilatio ! Feet in the water”). “We wish to give young people the opportunity to experience the WYD live, even though we are thousands of kilometres from Toronto”, explains Catherine Mialaret, who is heading the organizing committee in Toulouse. Four hundred volunteers are helping to organize it. The programme envisages the chance for the participants to follow live coverage of the religious functions three times per day. The leisure programme will enable the young participants to meet in themed bars, to relax in beach games and to attend concerts each evening. The culminating moment will be the Pope’s Vigil in Toronto, on the night between 27 and 28 July, which will be transmitted live on giant screens set up on the beach. The diocese of Paris is concentrating its programme on the weekend of 27 and 28 July. A time for prayer, alternating with testimonies of participants in previous WYDs, is planned for Saturday at 9.00 pm.
