INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC WORLD YOUTH DAY

• History

World Youth Day (WYD) is the gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. Although its Catholic identity is clearly evident, WYD opens its doors to everyone, no matter how close to or distant from the Church they are.It is celebrated at the diocesan level on Palm Sunday, and every two, three or four years as an international gathering in a city chosen by the Pope, with the presence of the Holy Father. It brings together millions of young people to celebrate their faith and sense of belonging to the Church.

Since its first edition in Rome in 1986, World Youth Day has proven to be a laboratory of faith, a place of birth for vocations to marriage and consecrated life, and an instrument for the evangelization and transformation of the Church.It aims to provide all participants with a universal Church experience, fostering a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.It is a new stimulus to the faith, hope and charity of the entire host country community. With young people as its protagonists, World Youth Day also seeks to promote peace, unity and fraternity among peoples and nations around the world.

International Catholic World Youth Day, program of religious education and spiritual formation for youth in the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II was inspired to establish World Youth Day in 1986 by the church’s Youth Jubilee (1984), a special meeting between the pope and young Catholics held at the conclusion of the 1983–84 Year of Jubilee, and by the United Nations International Youth Year (1985).The first World Youth Day, held on Palm Sunday in Rome, had the goal of assuring young Catholics of their capacity to perpetuate the church’s traditions, spirituality, and work within the world.

WYD is open to all young people who want to take part in a festive encounter centered on Jesus Christ together with their peers. This event is an opportunity to personally experience the universality of the Catholic Church, and to share with the whole world the hope of many young people who are committing their lives to Christ and His Church. World Youth Day is a unique way to deepen your faith and grow closer to Christ, through prayer and the sacraments, together with hundreds of thousands of other young people who share your interests and ambitions.

Catholic World Youth Day 2027 Seoul, South Korea

World Youth Day (WYD) is the gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. Although its Catholic identity is clearly evident, WYD opens its doors to everyone, no matter how close to or distant from the Church they are.It aims to provide all participants with a universal Church experience, fostering a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. It is a new stimulus to the faith, hope and charity of the entire host country community. With young people as its protagonists, World Youth Day also seeks to promote peace, unity and fraternity among peoples and nations around the world.

Pope Francis announced that Seoul will be the host city in 2027 at the end of his Sunday Mass in Lisbon's Tejo Park, where an estimated 1.5 million young people from more than 200 countries camped overnight on the banks of the Tagus River. The Mass capped off a week's worth of events in the Portuguese capital.World Youth Day is a global gathering where young people deepen their faith, experience the universality of the Catholic Church, and commit their lives to Christ alongside hundreds of thousands of like-minded peers. Archbishop of Seoul, S. Korea invites you to WYD Seoul 2027!

Theme

The young Catholics of Seoul are already looking forward to World Youth Day, which will take place in the Korean capital in 2027. With this spirit, young Koreans also celebrated the diocesan Youth Day on November 25th and 26th by marching through and illuminating the streets of the city with a candlelight procession "in a celebration of faith, hope and unity," reads a note from the archdiocese. Since 2020, Pope Francis has moved the diocesan celebration of World Youth Day from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday, the end of the liturgical year, and this change, it is said, "has given a unique resonance to the meeting in Seoul," which in this way is spiritually engaging connected to a network of all dioceses in the world. On this occasion, the Korean Archdiocese of Seoul officially announced that it will be the host city for World Youth Day (WYD) in 2027: the city has offered its great willingness, both in the area of the Catholic community and in the area of social and civil fabric, "to organize the youth event", which will be prepared over the next four years with a spiritual, but also technical and organizational approach.

The Youth Department of the Archdiocese of Seoul organized a Eucharistic celebration for the occasion, which was attended by many young Koreans, presided over by Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung, who addressed those present with the following words: "If we view World Youth Day only as a major event or a goal to be achieved, we miss its true essence. Instead, World Youth Day is a time to unite our hearts, minds and strengths and prepare to invite our brothers and sisters, young Catholics around the world, to come together to celebrate the joy of the Gospel across borders, cultures, languages and ethnicities".Msgr. Chung recalled Pope Francis' message for the 38th World Youth Day: "The theme 'Rejoice in Hope' is a message of encouragement and hope for all young people who often face challenges and difficulties in today's world. Pope Francis says that Christian hope is the 'certain knowledge of God's presence among us,' and it is this hope that gives us the strength to move forward even when we encounter difficulties."