Nearly 80 young people from the Diocese of Madison are traveling this month to Spain for World Youth Day (WYD) 2011.
Pope John Paul II started World Youth Day in 1985 as a gathering of youth and young adults for prayer, worship, and celebration of the Catholic faith. The event is observed every three years at an international level.
For those who can’t attend WYD in person, there are other ways to participate and stay in touch with our pilgrims. One way is to join the Virtual Pilgrimage on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VirtualWorldYouthDay
Kat Wagner, reporter for the Madison Catholic Herald, will be attending WYD and will be posting pictures and reports on a blog at madisoncatholicherald.wordpress.com Pilgrims will also be sharing videos at www.youtube.com/user/DioceseofMadison
In addition, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has a Web site (www.usccb.org/wyd/) with lots of information on WYD, including a WYD prayer.
I encourage everyone in the Diocese of Madison to pray for our young people as they journey to Madrid and meet with the Holy Father. I’m sure they will come back renewed and energized in their faith and will share their excitement with many other young people. We need their enthusiasm in the Church today and in the future.