A special Christmas” “

It’s a special Christmas, the one being celebrated by the German Church this year: the slogan of WYD in Cologne “We have come to adore him” takes concrete form with the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Three Magi. The words of the Magi “Venimus adorare eum” are also the title of the official anthem of WYD, officially presented at Essen on the occasion of the first Sunday of Advent and greeted with enthusiasm by the 2,000 youth present at the celebration and by the bishop of the diocese, Msgr. Felix Genn . The versions in the other official languages of the WYD – English, French, Spanish and Italian – will be presented in Cologne on 6 January. As Christmas fast approaches, numerous steps are being taken by the various dioceses to encourage the participation of youth in WYD. WYD AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT. A voucher for the WYD as a Christmas present: that’s the idea of the diocese of Augsburg to facilitate the participation of youngsters in the great Cologne event in August 2005. The WYD office of the Bavarian diocese has realized special forms to be compiled to apply for the voucher – issued in the form of a Christmas card. The donors decide on the amount of the voucher. The top price is 238 Euro – the total cost of the journey to Cologne, inclusive of bus journey, solidarity contribution, accommodation, meals, transport season ticket, pilgrim’s bag and insurance. At Dortmund, on the other hand, Christmas trees were sold on 17-18 December in the presence of the mayor Adolf Miksch and provost Andreas Coersmeier with the aim of funding the accommodation of some 5,000 youngsters who will arrive from various countries to participate in the Days of meeting, prior to the WYD itself in Cologne. CASKET OF THE Magi. In January, the diocese of Eichstätt, in Bavaria, will be visited by a “casket of the Three Magi”: a wooden “casket of faith”, which when opened will show the image of the Infant Jesus painted on cloth. The casket will contain gold, frankincense and myrrh, the gifts brought by the Three Magi, as well as suggestions for a mass, for a group meeting, ‘instructions for use’ and various information about WYD. A total of 15 such caskets have been made; they will be consigned to the groups of Sternsinger present in the diocese at a ceremony in Neumarkt on 30 December. The Sternsinger, the “Singers of the Star”, are groups of boys and girls who go from house to house dressed as the Magi in the Christmas period, singing Christmas carols, bringing a blessing for the new year and asking for donations for children in need. It will be they who will take the caskets on tour through the diocese. ON FOOT – oR BY PLANE – TO WYD. “Together with friendship” is the motto of the pilgrimage that a group of young long-distance runners from Bergamo will make to Cologne. Departing on 12 August 2005, they will make the trip from the Lombard city to Cologne in six days, also preparing themselves spiritually with a daily celebration of Mass. The bishop of Fulda, Msgr. Josef Algermissen, for his part has appealed to all those who participate in programmes for frequent flyers to donate their air miles gratis to WYD. “Miles for the faith” is the title of the charity appeal, which is aimed at helping youngsters from poor or distant countries to travel to Cologne. WYD CROSS goes DOWN THE MINE. On reaching the area of the Ruhr, famous for its coal deposits, the WYD Cross, in its pilgrimage through Germany, could not fail also to visit a mine. So on 16 December the Cross descended for the first time to a depth of 1,000 metres below ground in the mine of Prosper-Haniel at Bottrop. Accompanied by miners, and representatives of Catholic youth and of the diocese of Essen, the Cross thus entered “a world that has for centuries characterized our region”, said Msgr. Felix Genn. The miners and the young participated in a mass celebrated by Msgr. Heinrich Heming, director of the pastoral office of the diocese of Essen, and by Markus Pottbäcker, diocesean delegate for youth ministry. After Essen, the Cross will visit the Union of superiors of German religious orders and the association of Catholic Student Youth. It will then be at the centre of a year-end retreat held in the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Waldbreitnach, before travelling to the central headquarters of the WYD organizing office in Cologne where it will be on display from 6-9 January.