All young people are welcome to participate in World Youth Day if they want to celebrate Jesus Christ with their peers.
What is World Youth Day?
World Youth Day, WYD for short, is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to strengthen your faith and grow closer to Christ through prayer and the sacraments with hundreds of thousands of other youngsters who share your interests and purpose in life. It is a program for young people in the Roman Catholic Church that provides religious instruction and spiritual development.
Pope John Paul II was influenced by both the church's Youth Jubilee (1984) and the United Nations International Youth Year (1985) in establishing World Youth Day in 1986. Since that time, World Youth Day has been observed annually by the global Church as well as regionally in numerous dioceses all over the world.
A worldwide conference is organized every two to three years in order to bring the Holy Father and all of the youth, as well as young adults, together.
History
Perspective
A bystander's curiosity would be piqued if they saw a big crowd of youth flooding the city streets during a worldwide World Youth Day. Some may cringe at the very mention of those words, fearing what irresponsibility awaits them, but witnessing this gathering would put their anxieties to rest. The casual observer would instead see smiles and joy, youth singing and dancing from every culture and nation, proudly flying their flags or wearing them, greeting one another in peace, exchanging tokens, and recognizing how small they are in a world of people of things while being inspired by the sight of so many others who share their convictions. How did it all begin?
Beginnings
Over 300,000 youth from all over the world attended His Holiness John Paul II's invitation to an international jubilee of youth on Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square in 1984, at the conclusion of the Holy Year of Redemption. Looking out to the masses who had responded to his invitation, he exclaimed, “What a fantastic spectacle is presented on this stage by your gathering here today! Who claimed that today’s youth has lost their sense of values? Is it really true that they cannot be counted on?” At this gathering, the Holy Father gave the young what is now known as the World Youth Day Cross, to be carried around the globe as a representation of Christ's love for humanity.
First WYD
The next Palm Sunday, which occurred during the United Nations' International Year of the Youth, Our Holy Father used the occasion to extend a warm welcome once more to youth from around the globe in Rome. Later, on December 20, 1985, it was announced that World Youth Day had been established. The first WYD was celebrated in the dioceses in 1986, and the first international event was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1987. Both events had a strong message for a nation that had just overthrown a dictatorship.
International WYD
A new tradition was established the following year when the second event and the first worldwide WYD were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since then, every Palm Sunday has been declared a World Youth Day, which is alternatively observed at the diocesan and international levels. There have been 12 International World Youth Days, and the youth and young adults have continued to show up in astounding numbers to accept the Holy Father's invitation to join him and take the message they learned there—to be Christ's light to the world—home with them. While the Catholic Church's clergy and laity arrange these gatherings, young people of all faiths are invited to attend and encounter Christ, making this gathering truly worldwide.
Reflection
“When, back in 1985, I wanted to start the World Youth Days… I imagined a powerful moment in which the young people of the world could meet Christ, who is eternally a young man, and could learn from him how to be bearers of the Gospel to other young people. This evening, together with you, I praise God and give thanks to him for the gift bestowed on the Church through the World Youth Days. Millions of young people have taken part, and as a result have become better and more committed Christian witnesses.”
John Paul II established World Youth Day as a legacy for the youth and Pope Benedict XVI faithfully carries on John Paul II's hope and mission for the young of the world by inviting them and appointing them as Christ's disciples to be steadfast living witnesses.
World Youth Day 2023
Venue for World Youth Day 2023
After four years of anticipation—one year longer than intended due to the pandemic—and fears that the pope's health issues would force another postponement date, World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, finally takes place from August 1-6, and it promises to be exceptional in many ways.
Portugal is a country in the southwest of Europe. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, it shares boundaries with Spain to the north and east and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west.
The majority religion in this nation is Roman Catholicism. It also serves as the location of the Shrine of Fatima, one of the holiest pilgrimage sites dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Theme for World Youth Day 2023
The theme of this year’s World Youth Day is based on Luke 1:39, which reads: "Mary arose and went with haste." This begins the story of the Visitation, in which Mary pays a visit to her cousin Elizabeth after the angel informs her that she will be the mother of God's Son.
Pope Francis Itinerary for World Youth Day 2023
Wednesday 2 August: Arrival in Portugal
Pope Francis will leave Rome's Fiumicino airport on Wednesday, August 2, at 7:50 am, and he will reach Lisbon's Figo Maduro air base around 10 am. He will then be welcomed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the president of the republic, at the National Palace in Belém. He will also meet with representatives of the government, civil society, and the diplomatic community in the cultural center of the Belem neighborhood.
At 4:45 pm. He will meet with the Prime Minister in the Apostolic Nunciature before attending Vespers at the renowned Monastery dos Jerònimos at 5.30 pm with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, seminarians, and pastoral staff.
Thursday 3 August: Welcoming Ceremony for the WYD
Pope Francis will greet the students on the grounds of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa on Thursday morning.
Then, he will go from Lisbon to the nearby city of Cascais to meet the youth who make up the Scholas Occurentes.
He will be back in Lisbon in the late afternoon to participate in the WYD opening ceremony at Edward VII Park.
Friday 4 August: Way of The Cross with Young People
On the morning of Friday, August 4, a few WYD youth will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation from the Pope in Belèm's "so Impèrio" square. Francis will personally visit the "de Serafina" parish center at around 9:45 am to meet with representatives of a few aid and charitable organizations and youth festival.
Lunch with youth will be served in the Apostolic Nunciature at 12 noon.
The Pontiff will lead the Stations of the Cross with young people in Edward VII Park at 6 pm.
Saturday 5 August: Visit Fatima and WYD Vigil
On Saturday, August 5, the Pope will pay a morning visit to the pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.
Pope Francis will fly from Lisbon to the Fatima Stadium at 8:00 and he will arrive at 9:30 am to pray the Holy Rosary with the youth who are unwell. He is supposed to go back to the capital at about midday.
A private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus is scheduled for 6 pm in the Colégio de S. João de Brito and, as previously announced, the youth vigil will take place in Tejo Park at 8:45 pm.
Sunday 6 August: Holy Mass and The Return to The Vatican
The Pope will once again lead the concluding Mass for World Youth Day on Sunday, August 6, at 9 am in Tejo Park. Before the departure ceremony at the Figo Maduro airbase, there will be a meeting with the WYD volunteers in the afternoon at the "passeio marìtimo" in Algès.
At 6:15 pm, the Pope will fly back to Rome. and arrive at 10:15 pm at the Fiumicino airport.
For more information on Vista Residences, email [email protected], follow @VistaResidencesOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, or call the Marketing Office at 0999 886 4262 / 0917 582 5167.
