WORLD YOUTH DAY '23

Young people have a special annual event in the church just for them. Each year, the youth are invited to come together to celebrate World Youth Day. World Youth Day celebrates young people and prepares them to become missionary disciples. The World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal is a reminder that Catholic young people are on a journey of faith, like those who have come before them. It is also an opportunity for young people to encounter the Catholic community. Every year, young Catholics gather from all over the world to reflect on, celebrate, and proclaim their faith in God. 

 

World Youth Day (WYD) was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985 for the youth all around the world. Its concept has been influenced by the Light-Life Movement that has existed in Poland since the 1960s. Ever since the first celebration of WYD in 1986, bishops were invited to schedule an annual youth event every Palm Sunday in their dioceses. Although it is celebrated at the diocesan level annually, WYD is also celebrated at the international level every two to three years at different locations. The WYD 1995 closing Mass in the Philippines set a world record for the largest number of people gathered for a single religious event with 5 million attendees— a record surpassed when 6 million attended a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in the Philippines 20 years later in 2015.