The will to change

Seventeen-hundred young people from the United Kingdom’s twenty-two dioceses; thirteen youth organizations represented and fifteen bishops, 50% of the entire Bishops’ Conference. The Catholic Church of England and Wales will participate in the “World Youth Day” to be held in Sydney on July 15-20 2008. “Counting the youth from Scotland, the overall number amounts to 2000”, explained HELEN BARDY , responsible for youth pastoral work of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. “Each group participates on its own while logistics, travel and organization facilities are in common”. With Ms Bardy, SIR also met with PETER JONES, a young man from Liverpool who is preparing to go to Sydney.When did you start preparations for Sydney?“We began over a year ago, in the past six months we have been holding regular meetings in our parish churches. Many youth groups consider Sydney a formation opportunity for their leaders who in this way are encouraged to play a more active role. Some parishes also organize diocesan or regional meetings. This promotes cooperation between the parishes and the dioceses”.Have you availed yourself of specific literature or have you promoted specific initiatives?“As relates to preparative meetings, the youth clubs of the various parishes used the Pope’s message for the World Youth Day as well as material from the “Live simply” campaign which calls for a less consumerist lifestyle. The starting point for all is the topic of the “National Youth Sunday 2007”, which is: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.What is the envisaged cost to participate in Sydney’s WYD?“Participating to Sydney is expected to cost between fifteen-hundred and two-thousand pounds (approximately 2200-2900 euro). Some young people asked parishes to support them financially, while others gained sponsoring with walks or participating in sport events, or organized garage sales. A parish produced a Christmas carols cd. The revenues will be used for travel expenses. Another parish organized a mini-production of Christmas pies. But there’s more…”.What?“This year is marked by major environmental concern. Those who are planning their trip to Sydney are wondering how they could prevent their long flight from having negative impacts on the environment. To counter these effects, a diocese decided to plant a few trees in areas where these are most needed, another asked young people to devote some free time to volunteer work, placing their hours in a time bank. Environmental concern is deeply felt by the WYD since it is related to the way in which we worry about others without living a purely egoistic and consumerist life”.What is the main motivation that brings a young Englishman to participate in Australia’s WYD?“For British youth the WYD is also an opportunity to meet other people and churches. In Cologne there was a strong emphasis on social commitment, which characterizes the German Church. In Australia it is evident that the Church’s main concern is evangelization. For the youth in the UK it’s very hard to be testimonies of the Catholic faith due to the kind of society they live in. During the WYD they are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of young people just like them and they no longer feel they are alone. They realize that the Catholic Church they belong to is a global reality, strong and rich in values. This gives them courage and faith”.With which spirit are you preparing for Sydney’s WYD?“I believe it’s important that for so many young Catholics to come together. I can’t wait to meet new people, find friends in other parts of the world who will be reminding me that the Holy Spirit operates in so many powerful and mysterious ways. I was raised a Catholic and was always a practicing Catholic, but it was only five years ago, during a trip to Lourdes, that faith became a personal choice. For the very first time, I felt free to speak about this dimension of my life with other people. It was a very strong experience that changed the direction I was following. Instead of studying to become a choreographer as I had decided before going to Lourdes, I chose theology. I want to become a Professor of religious studies. I hope that in Sydney I will experience a strong moment of sharing of my faith that will change my life and bring me closer to God”.