• Home
  • About
  • Lisbon
  • CYBB WYD Logo
  • Register
  • Contact us
    CYBB WYD Logo 1
    • Home
    • About
    • Lisbon
    • CYBB WYD Logo
    • Register
    • Contact us
    CYBB WYD Logo 1
    • Home
    • About
    • Lisbon
    • CYBB WYD Logo
    • Register
    • Contact us

    About

    World Youth Day

    Who Started WYD?

    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).

    Saint Pope John Paul II
    WYD Pope Francis

    What is WYD?

    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 of the 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. The World Youth Day was instituted by Pope St John Paul II, following the success of a youth Gathering in Rome in 1984. The first Official WYD then occurred in 1986.

    What happens at WYD?

    Over the course of a week, young people from all over the world are welcomed, mainly in public (gymnasiums, schools, pavilions …) and parish facilities or family homes. In addition to the moments of prayer, sharing and leisure, the young people enrolled in this celebration participate in various initiatives organized by the WYD team, in different locations across the host city. The highlights are the celebrations (central features) for which the Pope is present, such as the welcoming and opening ceremony, the Way of the Cross, the vigil and, on the last day, the closing mass.

    Broken Bay WYD Engagement

    Year Location Engagement
    2002
    Toronto, Canada
    45 Pilgrims
    2005
    Cologne, Germany
    45 Pilgrims
    2008
    Sydney, Australia
    More than 2000 Pilgrims
    2011
    Madrid, Spain
    112 Pilgrims
    2013
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    32 Pilgrims - Over 18s only
    2016
    Krakow, Poland
    226 Pilgrims across 4 pilgrim pathways
    2019
    Panama City, Panama
    65 Pilgrims

    WYD 2023 Theme

    Lk 1:39

    «Mary arose and went with haste» (Lk 1:39) is the bible quote chosen by Pope Francis as the motto of the World Youth Day that will be held for the first time in the capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. The biblical phrase (a quote from the Gospel of St. Luke) opens the account of the Visitation (Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth), a biblical episode following the Annunciation (the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, and the theme of the last WYD, in Panama).  

    Mary arose and went with haste. Luke 1:39

    CYBB WYD

    Pilgrimage

    22 July – 11 August 2023

    To keep up to date with World Youth Day developments please enter your first name and email address below.

    Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay
    cybb logo

    © 2023 Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay.
    All rights reserved. Terms of Use • Privacy Policy