World Youth Day is the world’s largest youth festival. Pilgrims will be able to celebrate Mass and Catechesis each morning with the rest of the world. There will be youth festivals each afternoon with concerts, seminars, conferences, etc. The theme of World Youth Day 2008 will be “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses”.
This began a journey of faith for all young people of the world and the concept of pilgrimage towards World Youth Day was born. Every year, World Youth Day is celebrated at a Diocesan level on Palm Sunday, with a massive international gathering of youth in a “host city” every 2-3 years. Cities such as Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago de Compostable (Spain), Czestochowa (Poland), Denver (USA), Manila (Philippines), Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Toronto (Canada) and Cologne (Germany) have all hosted the international World Youth Day.
World Youth Day is a coming together of young people from all over the world and a strong reminder of the strength and confidence the young bring to the Catholic Church today. A calling for the world’s youth to come together as one people. World Youth Day is not simply a gathering for the young people of the world, but a time to put trust in the world’s youth. It is still a marvel in this the 21st Century to exchange with others and to be a part of an international experience. International events are able to stir much hope but also many fears (increase in fundamentalism, nationalism and other new conflicts). The Catholic Church and Christians feel themselves to have a role to play in preventing the development of these fears, and in aiding each person in finding their way and discovering hope.