WORLD YOUTH

DAY
TERMS TO REMEMBER
LIGHT-LIFE MOVEMENT
WORLD YOUTH DAY
one of the movements of
created by Pope John
renewal in the Catholic
Paul II after large
Church, according to the
turnouts at the 1984
teaching of the Second
Jubilee of Young People
Vatican Council. This
and the 1985 gathering
movement originated in
for the International Year
Poland thanks to the
of Youth in Rome.
efforts of Servant of God
Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki.
 THE IDEA OF WORLD YOUTH DAY
Its concept of World
Youth Day has been
influenced by the Light-
Life Movement that has
existed in Poland since
the 1960s, where during
summer camps Catholic
young adults over 13
days of camp celebrated
a “DAY OF COMMUNITY".
CONT…
For the first celebration
of WYD in 1986, bishops
were invited to schedule
an annual youth event to
be held every Palm
Sunday in their dioceses.

It is celebrated in two levels.

1. DIOCESAN LEVEL (ANNUALLY)
2. INTERNATIONAL LEVEL (EVERY 2 OR 3 YEARS
AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS
 TRIVIA

The 1995 World Youth Day

closing Mass in the
Philippines set a world
record for the largest
number of people gathered
for a single religious event
with 5 million attendees

In 2015, the 1995 record was

surpassed during the visit of
Pope Francis where 6 million
people attended the Mass.
 SHORT HISTORY OF WORLD YOUTH DAY
Many people say that
World Youth Day (WYD)
is Pope John Paul II’s
best invention.

He used to say that

it was the young
people themselves
who invented it.
CONT…
There was a Holy Year of
the Redemption in 1983-
1984.
It was 1,950 years after the
Passion of Jesus. One of the
activities that Pope John Paul
II decided to hold was a
gathering of young people on
Palm Sunday.
The organizing committee expected about 60,000
participants. Surprisingly 250,000 came.
CONT…
In 1985 the UN proclaimed
an International Year of
Youth.
The Pope felt that the
Church’s concern for the
younger generations
should be made known,
and so he issued another
invitation to young people
to come to Rome for Palm
Sunday.
CONT…

300,000 young people

gathered in churches
around the city for
times of prayer and
catechesis, and then
they met together in
Saint Peter’s Square to
take part in the
ceremonies with the
Holy Father.
CONT…
After these two gatherings,
many people were left
wondering why there had
been such a huge response
and what young people
were seeking.

John Paul II knew that young people felt the need to

meet together to share their experiences, to listen to
words of faith, to look to the future together, and to
renew and confirm their commitment.
CONT…
On December 20, 1985,
John Paul II announced
the institution of World
Youth Day and that it was
to be celebrated every
year in the dioceses.

The Pope also named a

day for the celebration:
PALM SUNDAY.
WHY PALM SUNDAY?
John Paul II tells young
people: “The response is
given by all of you who
have been coming to Rome
on pilgrimage for many
years precisely to
celebrate this day…
Does this not mean perhaps that you yourselves are
searching for Christ at the heart of his mystery? You are
seeking it in the fullness of the truth which is Christ
himself in the history of humankind”
(Homily, 27 March 1988, Palm Sunday Mass, 3rd World Youth Day).
CONT… (HISTORY)
The diocesan celebrations
were soon joined by
international gatherings.
The first official World Youth
Day (WYD) was held in the
dioceses in 1986, and then the
first international gathering
was held in 1987 in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, a strong
message to a country that was
emerging from dictatorship.
CONT…
The 4th WYD in1989
was held in Santiago
de Compostela in
Spain.
This is a well-known
center of faith in Europe
that attracts huge
numbers of young
pilgrims from all over
the world.
CONT…

The 6th WYD in

Czestochowa in
Poland in 1991 was
the first great meeting
of young people from
Eastern and Western
Europe after the fall of
the Berlin Wall.
CONT…
The 8th WYD in 1993
left the old continent
and went to Denver in
the United States.

Here the young people

were invited to proclaim
Christ without fear, even
in the heart of a modern
metropolis.
CONT…
In 1995, World Youth
Day was held in Manila,
Philippines.
In spite of the scarcity
of available financial
resources, the 10th
WYD turned out to be
the largest gathering
ever known.
CONT…
1997, the 12th WYD
took place in Paris in
France and was a new
“French revolution”.
Masses of young people
filled the streets and
squares singing about
their faith, and showing a
spiritual thirst and a
missionary desire that
was really amazing.
CONT…
In the Jubilee Year of
2000, the 15th WYD was
held in Rome.
John Paul II, in spite of
his advancing illness,
joyfully shared in this
amazing time of grace
with nearly two million
young people. He asked
them to be “sentinels of
daybreak”.
CONT…
In 2002, the 17th WYD
was held in Toronto in
Canada.

The young people, “people

of the beatitudes”, came
to proclaim Christ in a
modern, multicultural
country.
CONT…
In 2005, shortly after
the death of John Paul
II, Benedict XVI
presided over the 20th
WYD in Cologne in
Germany.
It was centered on
Eucharistic adoration,
recalling the adoration of the
Magi whose relics are kept in
the city cathedral.
CONT…
In 2008, the 23rd WYD
was held in Sydney in
Australia, the “LAND OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT”, a
continent that was new
and distant for many, but
WYD was finally brought
close to many youths in
the southern hemisphere.
CONT…
And then WYD is
returning to Spain in the
city of Madrid to help
young Europeans to
rediscover the values
that founded Europe.

In 2023, the WYD was

held in Lisbon, Portugal.
CONT…

The next World Youth

Day will be in 2027 at
Seoul, South Korea.
THE PURPOSE
OF WORLD
YOUTH DAY
 1. Celebrating and Putting Trust in the Young

Youth and young

adults are not only
the future of the
Church but are
active participants
in the Catholic
Church today.
World Youth Day helps to prepare these young men
and women to bring about Christ's mission in the
world and to equip them to be missionary disciples.
CONT…
World Youth Day
brings together young
people from the four
corners of the earth,
where the Holy Father
is able to entrust the
Church and its
mission to younger
generations.
World Youth Day is not simply a celebratory gathering of disparate
groups of youth and young adults, but a key time to call them forth
on a great mission of faith.
2. Making Pilgrimage
Understanding that young
people are on a journey,
the act of going on
pilgrimage is an essential
component to the World
Youth Day experience.
From ancient times, people of faith
have made great journeys – from
Abraham and Moses to the Early
Christians, who traveled "to the
ends of the earth" (cf. Acts 1:8) to
spread the Gospel.
CONT…

World Youth Day,

whether celebrated
locally or
internationally, is a
pilgrimage reflecting
the road that young
people continue to
travel throughout
their whole lives.
3. Encountering the Catholic Community
World Youth Day goes
beyond "being in contact"
and gives youth and
young adults a personal
encounter with the
international Catholic
community they cannot
get through their phones
or computers – all in
service to the ultimate
encounter with God.
CONT…
Like the disciples on
Mount Tabor, World
Youth Day participants
have a great opportunity
to experience a
transformative event –
and to use that moment
of grace to equip
themselves for the great
work that awaits them
in the everyday valleys
of life.
 THE TRADITIONAL PROCESS

World Youth Day is usually

celebrated with a biblical
theme.
It is commonly celebrated in
a way similar to many
events. The most
emphasized and well-known
traditional theme is the
unity and presence of
numerous different cultures.
CONT…

Flags and other national

declarations are displayed
among mainly young
people to show their
attendance at the events
and proclaim their own
themes of Catholicism.
Such is usually done through
chants and singing of other
national songs involving a
Catholic theme.
CONT…
Over the course of the
major events taking place,
national objects are
traded between pilgrims.
Flags, shirts, crosses, and
other Catholic icons are
carried amongst pilgrims
which are later traded as
souvenirs to other people
from different countries of
the world.
CONT…
Other widely
recognized traditions
include the Pope's
public appearance,
commencing with his
arrival around the
city in the
"Popemobile" and
then with his final
Mass held at the
event.
Schedule of Events for World Youth Day
1. World Youth Day Opening
Mass
2. Morning Catechesis and
Mass
3. Youth Festival (concerts,
talks, exhibits, and music
at select locations)
4. Papal Welcome Ceremony
5. Way of the Cross
6. Evening Candlelight Vigil
with the Pope
7. Morning Papal Mass
 World Youth Day in the Philippines
The Philippines was the
first Asian country to
host the World Youth
Day (WYD) from January
10–15, 1995 in Manila.
THEME SONG: Tell the
World of His love (Trina
Belamide)

THEME: As the father sent

me, so I am sending you.”
(Jn 20:21)
REFLECTIONS:
The initiative of Pope John
Paul II helps young people
learn what it means to follow it promotes the growth of
Jesus Christ and to live as healthy, competent, caring,
his disciples today, and faith filled young
empowering them to serve people.
others and to work toward a
world built on the vision and
values of the reign of God.
it helps young people grow in faith as they
experience life in community and actively
participate in the mission of Jesus Christ
and his Church.