Some 550 Dutch youngsters will fly to Toronto from the Netherlands to attend WYD from 15 to 18 July. Bearing in mind the distance and the cost of the travel, this is considered a particularly high number of participants for Holland. Some 1,300 participated in the WYD in Rome. For the first time coordinated travel arrangements were organized for the whole of the Dutch Catholic Church, with the title ‘Follow me!’. The main promoters were the eight dioceses and the various Catholic movements and associations. From 18 to 21 July the young pilgrims will be the guests of the diocese of St. Catharines, in the province of Ontario, where they will prepare for WYD in Toronto with moments of prayer, catechesis and relaxation. A get-together of thousands of youngsters being given accommodation in St. Catherines is planned to be held in Niagara Gorge park, close to the Niagara Falls, on 19 July. Scores of fund-raising initiatives have been held in Holland to prepare for the event: for example, the youth of the diocese of Utrecht set up a solidarity fund with the aim of enabling young people from the developing countries to participate in WYD: in May a sum of 3,300 euros was collected thanks to a sponsored cycle race. A parallel programme will take place in Nijmegen from 26 to 28 July for all the youngsters who will be unable to go to Toronto. Bishop Adrianus van Luyn of Rotterdam will participate in it. As in Toronto, there will be a celebration of the Via Crucis on Saturday, 27July. Live TV coverage of the Vigil and Mass with the Pope in Toronto will also be transmitted.
