WYD Theme & Spirituality

Picture: Bishop Ambrose Griffiths, Bishop Kieran Conry & young pilgrims with the WYD Cross and Icon

There will be much celebration during World Youth Day week, but the pilgrimage will also be deeply rooted in prayer and Catholic spirituality. Many young people have spoken of how their faith has been renewed through their experience of World Youth Days. Each WYD has a theme taken from the Bible and this year’s theme is 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.' Acts 1:8. Click here to read more about the theme

Various features are emphasised at WYD to help young pilgrims to live out this theme and to have an enriching pilgrimage including: the Mass, the sacrament of Reconciliation (’Confession’), Bishops’ catechesis (teaching), the Bible, discussion groups, the WYD Cross and Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the World Youth Day Prayer and Song, and the teaching from the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The Australian Church will be aiming ‘to provide a moving and sanctifying pilgrimage in faith, to provide the forum for youth to experience the power of the Holy Spirit, to assist the rediscovery of the centrality of the Word and Sacraments in the lives of the young people, to enable youth to be witnesses to Christ’.

Here is more information about some of these features of WYD:

• WYD catechesis (teaching)

  

• WYD Cross & Icon of Our Lady ‘There have been many testimonies from people who have been touched by their contact with the Cross. …..They see the presence and love of God in that Cross. Through it, many young people come to a better understanding of the Resurrection, and some find that it gives them courage to make decisions about the course their life should take.’ (Pontifical Council for the Laity).
• A prayer for WYD08
• Read Pope Benedict XVI’s message to the young people of the world for WYD08
• “Today too there is a need for disciples of Christ who give unstintingly of their time and energy to serve the Gospel. There is a need for young people who will allow God’s love to burn within them and who will respond generously to his urgent call, just as many young blesseds and saints did in the past and also in more recent times. In particular, I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to your contemporaries. The difficulty that adults undoubtedly find in approaching the sphere of youth in a comprehensible and convincing way could be a sign with which the Spirit is urging you young people to take this task upon yourselves. You know the ideals, the language, and also the wounds, the expectations, and at the same time the desire for goodness felt by your contemporaries”. (from Pope Benedict XVI's Message for WYD 2008)
• Patron Saints: The patrons chosen for WYD08 are: Servant of God Pope John Paul II, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Saint Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Mary McKillop, St. Peter Chanel, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Blessed Peter To Rot, St. Maria Goretti Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and the Virgin Mary under the title of "Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians". To read more about these WYD patrons click here.
• Listen to the WYD Song

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES

Prayer and Catholic Spirituality:

• Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales ‘Prayer & Spirituality’ page
• Sacred Space prayer site, updated daily, which guides you through a ten minute session of prayer, centred on a passage of scripture
• ‘PRAY-AS-YOU-GO’ Daily prayer for your MP3 player
• Basic Catholic prayers from EWTN prayer page
• How to pray the Rosary, EWTN prayer page
• Catholic.com, articles about prayer
• Daily Mass readings
• Daily Mass readings PODCAST
• CASE resources for evangelization and prayer
• Life4seekers for those seeking to know more about the Catholic Faith

Catholic groups involved in supporting young people in England & Wales, some of these organize retreats:

• The CASE Evangelisation Directory has a comprehensive section called ‘Youth Initiatives and School Missions’, which lists many groups involved in supporting young Catholics in their faith in England and Wales. It includes youth representatives for each Diocese, Catholic Youth Services, and communities and new movements. To view the Youth section, click the link above and scroll to pages 40-64
• Catholic Youth Ministry page on the website of the Catholic Church in England and Wales
• Youth 2000 organises retreats and spiritual events in England and Wales for young people (16-30), with a strong emphasis on the celebration of the Mass and Adoration of the Eucharist, and also evangelization & catechesis

Reading:

• Catholic Truth Society - home
• Catholic Truth Society - cheap booklets for young people about the Catholic Faith
• Catholic Truth Society - free downloads
• St Pauls Multimedia
• Redemptorist Publications
• Family Publications - page about publications for young people

There are many other good websites for young people about Catholic spirituality, this is just a selection. Many of these pages listed will have their own 'links' pages which may be useful.

Disclaimer:

Whilst we've taken the utmost care in sourcing the links on these pages, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales cannot be held responsible for the content on external sites. Inclusion of links on this site does not imply approval of content by the Bishops’ Conference. Whilst we endeavour to ensure that all the sites listed on this website are faithful to Catholic teaching, we distance ourselves from any that are not. Most images © WYD08, WYD Logo © Copyright and ™ WYD 2008 courtesy of WYD2008