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World Youth Day: Cologne 2005
Peterborough Pilgrimages |
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What is World Youth Day? World Youth Day (WYD) is the mega event of the summer of 2005. The Holy Father Pope John Paul II invited young people three years ago at the end of the World Youth Day in Toronto. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has renewed the invitation , and hundreds of thousands are expected to follow his call. They all want to celebrate together, renew their faith, meet other young people and get to know the Church as the universal community of faith that she is. Prayer, fun, contemplation, music, encounter, catechesis, Mass and other Church services, dance and theatre are all part of WYD. What are the Days of Encounter held in the Dioceses throughout Germany? WYD takes place in Cologne from August 16th to 21st, 2005. The event is preceded by the Days of Encounter in German Dioceses from August 11th to 15th. During this time guests from all over the world are invited to meet young Germans and their families, and to become familiar with German life, culture and history. Guests will be hosted in local families.
The Opening Mass, a Welcoming Ceremony, the Vigil and the Concluding Mass with the Pope are the cornerstones of the event. Other major events include the Way of the Cross, catechesis sessions offered in different languages in over 400 places around Cologne, places of prayer, reflection and study, and a youth festival to take place on over 90 stages throughout the region.
WYD is an event organized by the Catholic Church and is open to all young people, especially those between 16 and 30. Young people with special needs are particularly welcome. Any youth under 18 must be accompanied by a designated chaperone. WYD participants or pilgrims come from all over the world. Over 160 countries will be represented and can easily be identified by the many national flags visible in the crowds. Dozens of different languages can be heard and events are organized according to major languages such as English, French, Italian, Spanish and, of course, German.
Anyone who has ever been to WYD is amazed at the unique spirit and atmosphere at WYD. One thing is clear: You’ll never meet so many young people in one place; and all of them brought together by the same faith, sharing something in common across racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries. When will the Pope be there? As was just recently confirmed by the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI will be in Cologne August 18-21. As much as he invited the youth of the world to Cologne, he hopes that young people’s encounter with Jesus Christ will be the focus of the event. Where will WYD events take place? WYD requires a lot of space, especially for the Welcoming Ceremony, and for the Vigil and Concluding Mass at the end, for which hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected. Two venues were selected: the Rhine Meadows in central Cologne and Marienfeld about 15 km outside of the city. All other events will take place in and around the city of Cologne and in the neighboring cities of Bonn and Dusseldorf. What is the Day of Social Service? On August 12th, during the Days of Encounter, guests and hosts will bring to life the social side of the Christian faith by working together on some social project. The motto of the day is: ‘under construction – help build a world in justice’. What is the WYD Cross? The WYD Cross is a gift from Pope John Paul II to the young people of the world. Since 1984 it has been travelling through a great many countries, carried by young people from community to community as a sign of faith and reconciliation. WYD facts and figures: WYD in the Archdiocese of Cologne is the 20th World Youth Day and the 9th to be celebrated as an international youth festival. In between the international events annual World Youth Days are celebrated in each Diocese. It all started in 1984. Since then, young people have travelled to Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), Rome (2000) and Toronto (2002). The largest crowd gathered in Manila when over 4 million people attended WYD, the largest gathering ever recorded. As far as Cologne is concerned, the WYD Office expects as many 250,000 in German Dioceses, 400,000 for the Welcoming Ceremony with the Holy Father and 800,000 at the Concluding Mass. Some 600 bishops and cardinals are expected to attend, and the event will be observed and broadcast by over 4000 journalists from every corner of the globe.
The logo of WYD Cologne shows the cross in red on the one side and a half circle in blue on the other representing the world. The two triangular in red at the bottom stand for the Cathedral of Cologne and the blue underneath for the Rhine river, on which Cologne is situated. The golden star overtop represents the star of Bethlehem which guided the three Wise Men, whose remains are preserved and venerated in the Cathedral of Cologne. The motto of this year’s WYD is taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, where the Wise Men gave to Herod the reason for their journey: “We have come to worship him”. May this be the reason also for our journey to Cologne. What are the Peterborough trips to WYD? The Diocese of Peterborough has organized two separate trips to Cologne. The first one, August 9th – 26th with accommodation in a hotel near Cologne, will include, in addition to the Days of Encounter and the Youth Festival also 4 days in Paris before returning home. The second trip, August 10th – 23rd with simple accommodation provided by WYD Office, will include the Days of Encounter and the Youth Festival in Cologne. The idea behind the two trips was to make it possible and affordable for as many young people of our Diocese as possible to attend WYD in Cologne. The trips will hopefully allow our young people to experience their faith in a new way, make connections across the globe and bring back home the spirit of WYD and keep it alive.
On behalf of all WYD pilgrims of the Diocese of Peterborough: Thank You!
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