First steps towards Sidney

With World Youth Day 2006, the first after Cologne, the countdown begins to WYD in Sidney in 2008. In all the dioceses of Europe, this year’s WYD is being celebrated at the diocesan level, on 9 April, Palm Sunday. The theme chosen by Benedict XVI for the 21st WYD is “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps 119: 105), but the themes of the WYDs of 2007 and 2008 have also been announced: they are respectively “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one other” (John 13:34) and “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). We present a brief preview of events and projects in the various countries. ITALY: INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF WYD DELEGATES. An international meeting of WYD delegates will be held at Sassone di Ciampino (Rome), from 6 to 9 April. It will open with a eucharistic celebration officiated by Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Msgr. Francis Khon will introduce the meeting and explain its objectives, while Msgr. Franz Josef Bode will talk about “WYD 2005: pastoral impact in Germany”. Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, will describe the “fruits of WYD in the archdiocese of Cologne”, while Msgr. Koch and Msgr. Herman-Josef Johanns will explain “The organizational challenges of WYD 2005”. On 8 April the delegates will discuss Sydney 2008 in the presence of Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of the city that will host WYD. Cardinal Pell, in his address, will touch on the choice, reasons, challenges and hopes of the Australian Church. The international meeting will end on Sunday 9 April with the diocesan celebration of WYD 2006 with Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square, where thousands of youth from the diocese of Rome and many others from all over Italy are expected. During the Mass, presided over by the Pope, the WYD Cross will be handed over by German to Australian youth. In the journey of the Cross to its final destination at WYD in Sidney, it will for the first time visit Africa, where it will remain until 2007: after leaving Rome on 10 April, its first port of call will be Dakar in Senegal. From there it will travel to 18 countries, from Guinea Bissau to Ghana, from Togo to Burkina Faso, from Niger to Cameroon, passing through Gabon and Congo Brazzaville. The Cross was entrusted by the Pope to the young on 22 April 1984 and ever since then has been continuing its pilgrimage through the world. Since 2003 it has been accompanied by an icon of the Virgin Mary. CZECH REPUBLIC. The Czech dioceses will celebrate the 21st World Youth Day on 8 and 9 April. “The youth of all the country’s eight dioceses – explains Lucie Valchàrova, of the Youth Pastoral Service of the Czech Bishops’ Conference – will gather round their bishops to celebrate WYD. After the experience in Cologne we expect a lot of fervour and a large turnout”. The diocese of Olomuc is organizing vigils and lauds, that of Ostrava-Opava has combined the celebration of WYD with the 10th anniversary of the creation of the diocese. The theme for all dioceses is the one established by Benedict XVI and the bishops have also promoted moments of meditation and prayer round the Pope’s message. A Via Crucis and a Bible reading are also planned in the diocese of Hradec Kràlove; the latter event forms part of the programme of the Bible Year promoted by the same diocese for 2006. SWITZERLAND. The great enthusiasm kindled by WYD in Cologne will bring hundreds of Swiss youth to Lugano Cathedral on Saturday 8 April. There, the diocesan bishop, the Most Rev. Pier Giacomo Grampa will celebrate a vigil with prayers and moments of animation. The meeting will be opened in the afternoon, when the participants will join in a Journey of Hope: the young will go on procession through the streets of the city to the Cathedral. They will bear in their hands a candle symbolizing the theme of WYD, “Your word if a lamp to my feet”. At the end the bishop will lead the listening to the Word, starting out from the passage “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” ( Jn 8:31-32). The meeting in Lugano follows that of the Swiss youth of the German-speaking canton held at Einsiedeln on 1-2 April in the presence also of youth from Germany. The life and work of John Paul II were commemorated during the two days of prayer. A mass officiated by Bishop Amedée Grab of Chur, President of the CCEE, concluded the meeting. Swiss youth from the French-speaking cantons will meet in turn at Neuchatel on 8-9 April to attend a performance in memory of Pier Giorgio Frassati and participate in a nocturnal adoration that will take them through to the following morning, when Palm Sunday Mass will be celebrated by Msgr. Denis Theurillat. GERMANY. Also in preparation for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany in September, the youth of the archdiocese of Munich and Freising will meet Cardinal Friedrich Wetter on Palm Sunday to celebrate diocesan WYD. Hundreds of youth will participate in the procession of the Palms and in a solemn Mass with Cardinal Wetter in the Cathedral. Various celebrations will also be held in the parishes of the city. Youth will meet in the pastoral centre of the Haidhausen district to recall the salient moments of WYD in Cologne with videos and photos. Cardinal Wetter will meet the youth of the archdiocese in the early afternoon. Later a procession will take place bearing the wooden Cross donated by the cardinal to the young during a pilgrimage, in memory of WYD in 2005. In the evening vespers will be celebrated for the young, including opportunities for eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of reconciliation. During the afternoon the young will take part in workshops to examine themes relating to Christian faith and life and the forthcoming visit of the Pope. A discussion with politicians of the Land of Bavaria on the first encyclical of Benedict XVI has also been planned for the diocesan WYD. The long day of events in the dioceses will end with a musical on the prophet Elijah. Munich is only one example of how the German dioceses have organized WYD at the diocesan level. At Augsburg, for example, the youth took part in workshops, vespers and a concert. At Fulda, apart from Palm Sunday Mass for the young, an entertainment called “Top-Act” has been organized (including music, dance, theatre, and live link ups with Rome). In some cases, as in Cologne and Mainz, the diocesan WYD was already celebrated on 1st April: at Cologne, with catechesis, testimonies, candlelight procession and Saturday evening vigil with Cardinal Meisner; at Mainz, with lauds, the reading of the Pope’s WYD message, a eucharistic celebration and a pilgrimage. AUSTRIA. “Completely trusting in the Gospel and Jesus”: that’s the appeal made by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference and archbishop of Vienna, on the occasion of the diocesan celebrations of WYD 2006, held on 1st April. In St. Stephen’s Cathedral the youth received from the cardinal a booklet containing the Acts of the Apostles, with the title “Seeking Witnesses”. They were invited to reflect on what words and experiences had helped them in life and to write them down in their own booklet, and then donate it to another young person. The diocesan WYD in Vienna was also a multicultural festival: it was inaugurated in the church of the Croatian community, from where the young then made their way to the cathedral to participate in mass. The prayers of the faithful were recited in various languages and the musical animation of the celebration was assigned to a group of young musicians of various nationalities. The diocesan WYD in Vienna was concluded with a concert. In the other Austrian dioceses WYD was celebrated with a wide variety of events: in Graz the programme included meetings, music, catechesis, workshops, eucharistic adoration, sacrament of reconciliation, and a mass celebrated by the retired bishop Franz Lackner. At Feldkirch, Bishop Elmar Fischer will celebrate Mass for the young on 8 April. This will be followed by a youth concert; simultaneously a space will be made available to enable the young to pray until midnight. In the diocese of St. Pölten, a long eucharistic adoration with the diocesan bishop Klaus Küng will take place on 9 April; this will be followed by moments of catechesis, a meeting between the young, and lastly the celebration of vespers. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. “The archdiocese of Vrhbosna will celebrate the day of the archdiocese on 28 May, and at the same time celebrate Youth Day by recalling the theme of WYD 2006: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. One of the leaders of youth apostolate in the country, Simo Marsic, has described the youth initiatives in the country to SIR as follows: “Each year – he explains – a Marian pilgrimage to the sanctuary at Komušina is held, during which the youth of the archdiocese meet together to celebrate Mass with the cardinal and the bishop. Many pilgrims ascend Mount Kondžilo to pay homage to Mary. The pilgrimage is particularly popular with youth; musical groups are always present; and the programme of events after mass is always very rich. Each year some 3500-4000 pilgrims arrive. Groups come from all over Bosnia-Herzegovina to meet together and share experiences. This year a vigil of adoration before the Holy Eucharist will also take place. During this period of Lent, most Catholic families are preparing, by fasting, for Easter; the traditional Easter eggs are also being prepared and painted. Participation in the Via Crucis animated by the young is always great. The pilgrimage to Komušina and the celebration of Easter are eagerly awaited,” concludes Marsic.