World Youth Day (commonly abbreviated to WYD) is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions. World Youth Day is not associated with International Youth Day or any of the international observance days.
World Youth Day was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985. For the first celebration of WYD in 1986, bishops all over the world were invited to schedule an annual youth event to be held every Palm Sunday in their dioceses.
It is celebrated at diocesan level annually, and at a week-long international level every two to three years at different locations. The international level events attract hundreds of thousands of youth from almost every country on the planet. It is a major part of the upsurge in Catholic Youth Work in some countries over recent years; for example, the Director of Catholic Youth Services for England and Wales has said of the event that it would have far-reaching effects, not restricted to those who attended.
The Church has officially designated Mother General of the Missionaries of Charity, Teresa of Calcutta and Pope, John Paul II as the Patron Saints of the event.
Read more about World Youth Day: Traditional Process, World Youth Days 1987 To 1993, World Youth Days 1995 To 2005, World Youth Day 2008, World Youth Day 2011, World Youth Day 2013, Chronology of Celebrations
Famous quotes containing the words world, youth and/or day:
“My mother protected me from the world and my father threatened me with it.”
—Quentin Crisp (b. 1908)
“It seemed monstrous to our intolerant youth that “poor white folksy” men should have an equal right with gentlemen, born and bred, in deciding who should represent the county in the Legislature and the district in Congress.”
—Marion Harland (1830–1922)
“Is money money or isn’t money money. Everybody who earns
it and spends it every day in order to live knows
that money is money, anybody who votes it to be
gathered in as taxes knows money is not money. That
is what makes everybody go crazy.... When you earn
money and spend money every day anybody can know the
difference between a million and three. But when you
vote money away there really is not any difference
between a million and three.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)