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World Youth Day 2008 Sydney, Australia |
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WHAT IS WORLD YOUTH DAY?
In 1984, Pope John Paul II invited the young people of the world to a special Youth Jubilee gathering in Rome. The story goes that on the morning of the event he peeked out of his window to see if anyone had come - 300,000 were there. In 1985 - the United Nations International Year of Youth – the Pope extended a second invitation – 450,000 turned up. Seeing a need to celebrate the uniqueness of young people, Pope John Paul II called the first 'World Youth Day' in Rome on Palm Sunday 1986.
Ever since, World Youth Day is celebrated at a diocesan level on Palm Sunday and every 2-3 years, all 16-35 year olds are invited to a massive international gathering hosted in a different city – Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Czestochowa (Poland), Denver (USA), Manila (The Philippines), Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Toronto (Canada) and Cologne (Germany) have all been hosts.
Never before has WYD been held in Oceania, and only once in the southern hemisphere:
A journey, esp. a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion.
PILGRIMAGE TO SYDNEY
Who? This is a Catholic celebration for the young people of the world. All young people aged 16-35 are invited to attend World Youth Day (WYD).
However, only youth ages 18 and older will be allowed to join the Ukrainian Catholic Youth of Canada Contingency, as we cannot legally allow minors to travel to WYD.
What? Each WYD, whether local or international, has a biblical theme chosen by the Pope. International WYDs generally follow a program of events including:
The celebration typically includes a range of other activities for pilgrims, including:
Where? Sydney, Australia
When? July 15-20, 2008 Registration: From July 2007 Pre-registration: Begins now
How Much? Estimated Cost per person for Canadian Pilgrims approx $4 000 - $5 000
The Ukrainian Catholic Contingent from Canada will be in Australia for approx. 23 days. Cost of flights to Australia from Canada are currently, and are expected to cost around $2 000 per person. Registration for WYD, which is one week, is going to be approx. $300, which includes all your meals, transportation and accommodation while in Host City of Sydney. When our group is not being hosted, we will be staying in Hostels, which also adds a relatively low and reasonable cost per night. Other costs include travel from one city to another and other land or sea travel, meals and other daily costs. Further break down of costs will be given to Pilgrims upon completion of our itinerary.
Passport and Visas are not included in this quote and will be an additional cost to the Pilgrim.
Advice when fundraising:
DAYS IN THE DIOCESE
What? Every pilgrim traveling to WYD is given the opportunity to register for Days in the Diocese (DiD). This is a chance to experience something of life with the people in the church of the host country. This gives the host country the opportunity to share their unique country and their warm hospitality by officially hosting pilgrims from various countries traveling to World Youth Day (WYD). The program for DiD may vary according to the pastoral area/region but usually include visits to local attractions & significant religious sites, celebrations of faith, hospitality, social justice activities and hosting by local people.
When? Dates are not yet finalized and will vary according to travel demands of the group and the hosting pastoral areas. However, the dates will probably be 9-13 July 2008.
WYD08 THEME
The WYD08 theme, received from The Holy Father is:
'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.' Acts 1:8
This passage occurs after the death and resurrection of Jesus, just before his ascension to the Father. It represents the birth of the Church.
The concepts behind the WYD08 logo The logo distils the essence of the theme for WYD08:
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8).
It highlights the promise made by Jesus to set fire upon the Earth by the power of the Holy Spirit which inspires the Pilgrims who come to Australia, to believe and witness to Him.
Central to the logo is the Cross raised in victory, representing Christ and the life of witness which the Holy Spirit enables. It is the passion of the heart of Christ, poured out into the world from the Cross, which consumes the young people of Sydney, of Australia and of the world. The whiteness of the Cross indicates that Jesus is the light of the world.
The flames of the logo represent the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in tongues of fire. They evoke the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The colors of red, orange, and yellow flowing throughout symbolize the Trinity and Unity of God. They also bring to mind the colors of the Australian outback.
The blue of the logo represents the oceans that surround Australia, the waters of Baptism, the sea of humanity and Mary, full of grace.
The Opera House is the symbol of Sydney, the host city for World Youth Day 2008.
For more information about WYD, please visit www.wyd2008.org. If you or a group of youth from your parish is interested in joining the Ukrainian Catholic Contingency from Canada for WYD 2008, please contact the following:
Sr. Darleane Pelechaty, SSMI 600 Cathedral Ave. Winnipeg, MB R2W 0Y5 (204) 582-6919
Fr. Michael Smolinski, C.Ss.R. 188 Euclid Ave. Winnipeg, MB R2W 2X4 (204) 946-5352 |