What is World Youth Day?
World Youth Day (WYD) is a celebration of faith for young Catholics all over the world. Traditionally, WYD is marked every year, on Palm Sunday, at the beginning of Holy Week. However, every two to three years, the Pope invites young people to gather in a city to have a larger international gathering to mark WYD. This day, which involves a huge open air Mass with millions of young Catholics and the Pope, is preceded by a week of festivities and activities in the chosen city to allow young people to explore and rediscover or refresh their faith in the company of others. For more, see the WYD section (click here).
World Youth Day was established by Pope John Paul II in 1986 as an annual event to reach out to the youth of the world. Every year since, it has been celebrated at a diocesan level on Palm Sunday. Every two to three years, WYD is taken to an international host city for a week-long pilgrimage with events attended by the Pope and hundreds of thousands of youth from all over.
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