In one of his World Youth Days homilies, Pope Francis told the throng of enthusiastic young adults that he wants “a mess”. “I want trouble in the dioceses!” he exclaimed. The participants embraced his words, reacting with the customary jubilation we have come to expect every time the Holy Father addresses the crowds. The Holy […]
Madam President, Distinguished National, State and Local Authorities, Dear Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, Dear Cardinals and Brother Bishops, Dear Friends, I am about to leave your country to return to Rome. I depart with many happy memories which I know will nourish my prayers. Already I am beginning to miss Brazil, […]
Dear Young Friends, We have come here today to accompany Jesus on his journey of sorrow and love, the Way of the Cross, which is one of the most intense moments of World Youth Day. At the end of the Holy Year of Redemption, Blessed John Paul II chose to entrust the Cross to you, […]
My Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, What joy I feel as I come to the house of the Mother of every Brazilian, the Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida! The day after my election as Bishop of Rome, I visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, in order to entrust […]
Another World Youth Day has come and gone, and with it, all the usual speculation about what it means. Ever since the late Pope John Paul II launched the international faith festival in 1984 by welcoming 300,000 young Catholics to Rome, the chattering classes have struggled to account for its appeal. That struggle continued last […]
Among the groups honored by an audience with the Holy Father during World Youth Day, was a group of sick and disabled youth from St Joseph’s Hospital. Like the seminarians, university professors, and women religious, the Holy Father wanted to remind them of their vital importance in the life of the Church. This may surprise […]
Rosaries and medals blessed by Pope John Paul II were given to young Catholics from persecuted countries at World Youth Day. Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which held an exhibition about Christian persecution as part of World Youth Day’s cultural program in Madrid, gave the blessed objects to visitors to the […]
I am grateful to Your Majesty for your presence together with the Queen, and for the kind and deferential words with which you welcomed me, reviving in me the unforgettable gestures of kindness which I received during my previous Apostolic Journeys to Spain, and most particularly during my recent Visit to Santiago de Compostela and […]
The persecution of Christians is being highlighted by an exhibition which has been organized as part of World Youth Day (WYD) 2011’s cultural program. The photographic and multimedia exhibition, “Persecuted Christians Today,” takes place in the Royal Church of Saint Jerome in Madrid from the 15th – 21st August, but a special preview was held […]
World Youth Day 2011 will be celebrated in Madrid from August 16th to 21st, 2011. The Theme for this year is: “Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith”— Saint Paul What is World Youth Day? It is a great worldwide encounter with the Pope which is celebrated every three years in […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Eight, Fr. Edward Lohse The final day of World Youth Day 2002 began, in a manner of speaking, without our really having noticed it. Midnight arrived, and Saturday […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Seven, Theresa Bey On the seventh day of World Youth Day 2002 we walked from our sleeping areas to Downsview Park, where Pope John Paul II would celebrate […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Six, Daniel Meola “What is man, that thou are mindful of him?” (Ps. 8:4). These words come to my mind every time I think of World Youth Day […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Five, Fr. Chris Singer God’s ways are mysterious and marvelous. I had the great honor of attending World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. And it was there that […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Four, Statia (Sullivan) Brown Every morning the WYD participants attended Catechetical sessions with hundreds of others to learn more about our Catholic faith. We heard from different cardinals, […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Three, Fr. Dan Hoffman There are not many things more beautiful than the joy of the Lord! As we embarked on the third day of this pilgrimage of […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Two, Stephanie Muhs The second day of our World Youth Day pilgrimage was one filled with great hope and anticipation. As we boarded the buses that beautiful, sunny […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part one, Fr. Rich Toohey It was September 2001. I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Erie four days before the horror of 9/11. I was asked […]
Beloved Pope John Paul II, already acclaimed “the Great” by so many, shaped the faith of millions of Catholics for whom he was the face and mind of the Church all during their formative years. With his beatification nearing, we are journeying together to a very special Lent. In addition to the graces of any Lenten […]
