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Pope lauds Spain’s ‘profoundly Catholic soul’ upon departure

August 21, 2011 by 2 Comments

After thanking WYD volunteers, Benedict XVI left immediately for Madrid’s Barajas airport. In the presence of Spain’s King and Queen, he thanked the Spanish authorities and assured the country of his prayers. He specifically mentioned his concern for those suffering from the high rate of unemployment in Spain.

The Holy Father called Spain “a great nation” that is “capable of moving forward without surrendering its profoundly religious and Catholic soul.”

The Pope also congratulated pilgrims for their “joyful, enthusiastic and intense presence.” He says they will be returning home as “missionaries of the Gospel” who will help their friends “discover that loving Christ means living life to the full”.

The papal plane is expected to land at Rome’s Ciampino Airport at 9:30pm local time.

The English translation of the Pope’s farewell address is posted below.
[Read more...]

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Que todos los pueblos te alaben…

August 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

May all the peoples praise you… (Ps. 67)

Let me tell you about Siham.

She works at a little icecream/pastry/breakfast place, not far from our apartments here in Madrid. She’s a Muslim from Morocco. When she found out that we were here for the Pope’s visit she exclaimed, “yo amo al Papa!” She loves the Pope.

And she is full of joy. It’s a pleasure to buy icecream from her, just to see her smile and her bubbly energy. As an immigrant, and a Muslim in a predominantly Catholic (although “secular”) country, life could not have been so easy for her. Her Mother lives in Paris, she told our colleague Cyprian, also from Paris and she’s been in Madrid for 5 years. She used to be a chef in a cruise ship.

She also told us that she is celebrating Ramadan. This means that she is fasting all day, from sunrise to sunset. No only do Muslims fast, but they “fast” from swearing, intimacy and they try to live their days in purity. This is why, when she went to kiss us, she said she could only do so at night. If we came during the day, she could not kiss us. Her name means, “arrow of love,” which is why her co-worker and friend calls her “flechi,” short for “flecha” or arrow. She is, sort of like an arrow of love!

And today at Mass, hearing about the Cananite woman, I thought of Siham. The Franciscan priest at the Parish of El Cristo de Medinacelli, welcomed all young people from around the world. He welcomed all the people, from all cultures – because when we gather together under the banner of the Risen Christ, we are all the same.

And in his homily he reminded us that God’s mercy and love are not exclusive and we need to be sure not to exclude anyone from experiencing his arrow of love.

World Youth Day is an ocassion when all the nations gather to praise God. And it is common to see non-Catholics, even non-Christians in those crowds. Many Muslims go to World Youth Day. Many Muslims, like Siham, love God (and even the Pope!)

The next couple of days are going to be amazing – there’s no doubt. But if my whole WYD journey to Madrid had only included a visit to this little icecream shop to be met by a joy and love-filled Muslim woman, it would have been well worth it. Because in meeting her, I encountered Christ.

God’s love pierces us like an arrow, as it did to that Cananite woman who passionately challenged Jesus so many years ago. May His love continue to pierce our hearts as we journey towards one day praising Him with all the nations in His Heavenly Kingdom, where God excludes no one.

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WYD: Seeing all things through God’s eyes…

August 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

By Dan Moynahan

8 August 2011
And we are under way . . . the churched, the un-churched, those that are seeking and the curious. Truthfully our pilgrimage started at Baptism, but this particular journey began with each of our registrations for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid. The 325 pilgrims from the Diocese of London, Ontario have been planning, praying and organising for months, even years for our departure and here I am writing from Terminal 3 at London Heathrow just days before we gather with the thousands of young people and the Holy Father. The small group of 55 that I am with comes from five parishes, there are brothers and sisters, parents and children, friends, married and ordained. Some are veterans of multiple World Youth Days and some are rookies, but all come with searching hearts and minds.
It is easy for me to claim that the World Youth Days are amongst the best our church has to offer: The wisdom of the leadership of the church, the creativity and energy of our youth, the hospitality and sacrifice of the welcoming city and country, and the prayers and support of those left behind in our local communities.
This past Sunday at my local parish our Pastor blessed the 18 pilgrims from our community. In the midst of a busy parish, preparations for WYD can seem overwhelming at times. The sheer enormity of the event, fundraising, international travel, safe environment policies, fundraising, retreat days and more fundraising can stretch the patience and resources of a parish community. I certainly witnessed this after mass when my Pastor and I were discussing the next World Youth Day. To say that he was excited for the ‘next’ experience would be a gross over-statement. His exhaustion was evident and his body language certainly did not communicate an excitement to do-it-all-over-again.
How true is this experience for most of us? Are not many of our clergy feeling taxed and stretched? Are not our families running here there and everywhere trying to make ends meet and respond to the needs of their children? Are not our institutions, our Catholic schools, parishes and dioceses bustling with activity and schedules always trying to do more with less? And so, I am left thinking; thank God our Church is teaching us about pilgrimage, about retreat, about prayer, about solidarity through World Youth Days. Without a doubt the intensity of resources and necessary sacrifices to organize pilgrims for Madrid are tremendous. My experiences of Denver 1993, Paris 1997, Toronto 2002 and Sydney 2008 have all taught me to ask myself a most fundamental question: Do I choose to see all things through God’s eyes, through the eyes of faith? When I do this, often hope, creativity, faith and love follow.
And isn’t this where our Church puts her trust: That World Youth Day provides opportunities for the pilgrims to meet Jesus and become that same hope, creativity, faith and love in the midst of their friends, families, parishes and communities? May we continue to thank God for the sacrifices many make to pass faith on to the young and may the young continue to learn to see life through God’s eyes.

Dan Moynihan is a Youth Ministry Specialist with the Diocese of London, Ontario.

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Cardinal Rouco: “World Youth Day is an opportunity for many young people to discover the foundation of their life.”

August 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Madrid, May 26, 2011 – This morning, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the Cardinal of Madrid and President of the Local Organizing Committee for World Youth Day (WYD), delivered the lecture “Three Months Away From World Youth Day”, at the “Forum for New Society” (Foro de la Nueva Sociedad).

“Young people have a life ahead of them‟ and World Youth Day is an opportunity for them to let the light of Christ into their lives. There, in their hearts and in their desires for commitment and solidarity, they can discover the foundation of their life,” he explained.

The fruits of commitment from World Youth Days are evident “in the short run: e.g. the many vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life, and marriage that arise from each World Youth Day. However, above all, in the long run they make a contribution to today‟s society: energy to overcome the crisis and strengthen the path to peace,” he emphasized.

More than just technical solutions
In the context of the financial crisis, especially hard on the youth, the Cardinal mentioned that “young people find problems as a result of unemployment, but they find them above all in their hearts and that’s the only place where they can be solved. Democracy lives on certain assumptions that it cannot guarantee. It must drink from other sources of humanity,” he underlined.

The Cardinal of Madrid compared the current situation to a house in flames: “If we’re in this situation, it is important that we call the fire department, but the most important thing is to react and make sure this does not happen again, and this requires more than just technical solutions.”

World Youth Days “are a personal initiative of John Paul II, who opted for a new generation of youth, the youth of 2000. Now, Benedict XVI is carrying on this legacy. It‟s the Pope who gathers and attracts the youth. In his last encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, the Pope addresses the many problems of society today…showing that in the end they all have something in common: a commitment, solidarity, and charity,” he recalled.

Choosing Spain
“We cannot ignore the fact that the choice of Spain is no mere coincidence. In fact, it has to do with the spiritual contribution of this country to the history of the Church and to Western culture. This is evident in the spiritual legacy left by the patrons of World Youth Day: St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Rose of Lima, St. Francis Xavier … ,” he highlighted.
“The Madrid skyline will change during the days of World Youth Day, as this event is one of the Universal Church, but it is also a great gathering for the society and city hosting it,” he stressed. In addition to the Papal events during World Youth Day, there will also be a rich, multifaceted schedule of cultural events.

The Cardinal of Madrid expressed his gratitude for the support of all the individuals and franchises that have made this event possible: “I would like to thank the governmental offices that have been collaborating without reservation, the entire city of Madrid, parishes and movements, communities of contemplative life who support us with their prayers, and most especially, the hundreds of thousands of WYD volunteers of all nationalities, that form a sort of special „UN‟.”

Just three months away from World Youth Day, there are about 400,000 young people from 182 countries registered.

Contact Information:
WYD Madrid 11 Press Office
C/Maudes, 51 -9ª planta– 28003 Madrid
Tel: (+34) 91 7885354 – (+34) 638672099
Marieta Jaureguizar, WYD Madrid 11 Press Office Director
Media Attention: medios@jmj2011madrid.com

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Wednesday, August 17: Hollywood comes to WYD

August 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Film screenings, events with actors, a soundtracks concert, and a world premiere

On Wednesday, August 17, Madrid’s “Calle Fuencarral” will be all decked out, red carpet included, to host a day of cinema, which World Youth Day (WYD) Madrid 2011 will offer to all the world’s young people. During the day, there will be a wide array of screenings, meetings, debates, a film soundtracks concert outdoors, and even a world premiere.

Sixteen theaters will show both short films and documentaries. Madrid’s cinemas “Proyecciones”, “Cine Paz”, “Roxy A”, and “Roxy B” will all host the screening of international films such as Il Etat Une Foi, Popieluszko, Rosary Stars, Super Brother, The Calling and El gran milagro, an animated film in 3D. The 16 theaters on Calle Fuencarral will also show several films like Katyn, There Be Dragons, Of Gods and Men, The Last Summit, The Passion of the Christ, and Shooting Dogs (also known as Beyond the Gates). Not only will these films be showing, but there will also be events held with the producers, directors, and actors of these and many other productions.

 World Debut of Cristiada

The most prestigious Latin actors of Hollywood will star in Cristiada, a film based on a real-life story from the Mexican Cristero Wars which took place during the decade of the 1920s. Cristiada features different people who, from their varying perspectives and characters, engage in a struggle to defend their religion. Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Catalina Sandino, Rubén Blades, Nestor Carbonell, Oscar Isaac, Mauricio Curi, Eduardo Verastegui, and Santiago Cabrera are the protagonists in this blockbuster by Dean Wright, which also features guest appearances by Peter O’Toole, Bruce Greenwood, and Bruce McGill.

Among the most anticipated event for young people will be an encounter with the actress from High School Musical, Monique Coleman, currently UN Youth Ambassador; actor Matthew Marsden, famous for his work on Transformers and Black Hawk Down; and Steve Mc Eveety, Producer of The Passion of Christ, and secondly, another encounter with Mexican actress Karyme Lozano, known for her roles in several “telenovelas”. Lozano will also tell the story of her conversion process and return to the Catholic faith, following the death of her father…  …Read More

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Sceneries for the Via Crucis in Madrid

August 10, 2011 by 2 Comments

Madrid, August 3, 2011 – A presentation was made of the scenery that will cover the Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross to be held on the Paseo de Recoletos on August 19. The WYD Via Crucis will feature “pasos” (or statues used in Spanish Holy Week processions) from 12 Spanish cities. Each of these images illustrates a Station of the Cross.

The scenery has been designed by Reset Architecture. Eduardo Delgado, Project Manager and Studio Director, emphasized the fact that “our goal has been to combine the different dimensions and styles contained in each of the different ‘pasos’, all with one scenery.”

The various ‘pasos’ that make up the Via Crucis will be accompanied by structures “in the form of a canopy” that will help shield them from any adverse weather. The back of each structure will feature texts related to each of these scenes, using the colors red and white. Delgado said that with this scenery, “the leading role will be taken by the images.”

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A 2.0 WYD

August 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Madrid, August 3, 2011 – Antonio Gallo, Director of Social Networks for WYD, noted at a press conference earlier this week that “the enormous support WYD is receiving” and presented the initiatives that have been underway on the Internet over the past two years, as well as projects to be carried out during WYD. In fact, the presence of the Church on social networks has been strengthened by the interest shown by Benedict XVI himself: “A Pope who ‘Twitters’ relates better to social networking,” said Gallo.

WYD is now followed by over 400,000 on Internet: on Facebook, with over 300,000 followers, Twitter with over 15,000, Tuenti, with about 20,000, and YouTube, where its videos have been played over a million times already.

Gallo stressed that this is a “friendly and open channel [of communication]. On these networks, the person who sends the message is equally as important as the one who receives it.”

Today, over 80 volunteers from 20 countries are working in 21 different languages. The WYD Organization never sleeps: “while we’re going to bed in Spain, others are waking up in China,” said Gallo.

Two initiatives related to followers of WYD on social networks will take place during World Youth Day. iCat will be the meeting point where “all the people with whom we have interacted for the past two years will meet each other in person.” This will be a meeting for exchanging experiences and examining how to live the faith using new mass media.

Likewise, coverage of the main events for World Youth Day will be offered from the so-called “Bus 2.0”, where 60 volunteers will offer live “tweeting” of the different events and their run-ups, to keep everyone up to date, making this World Youth Day a 2.0 WYD.

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Six thousand Canadian youth at World Youth Day 2011, in Madrid

August 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

(CCCB- Ottawa)… More than 500,000 young pilgrims from all over the world, including 6,000 from Canada, are expected in Madrid, Spain, to participate in the XXVIth World Youth Day (WYD). After Sydney in 2008 and at the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI, young people from around the world will descend on the Spanish capital city of Madrid, from August 16-21, 2011, to experience this international gathering, whose theme will be “Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith”. Among other countries sending a large delegation to WYD in Spain are Italy with 90,000, Spain with 83,000, France with 50,000, the USA with 30,000, Germany with 16,000, and Australia with 4,300 young pilgrims.

Among the Canadian participants are over 470 young people from the Archdiocese of Edmonton, 510 from the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and over 1000 from various Quebec Dioceses traveling with the Youth Ministry of the Archdiocese of Montreal.  Nearly one hundred priests and 30 seminarians from Canada will be part of the Canadian delegation in Spain.

From August 11 to 15, 61 Spanish dioceses will host thousands of young people, among which 2,500 of our 6,000 young Canadian pilgrims, giving them the opportunity to participate in various activities. The daily program varies from one diocese to the other, but it always includes cultural activities, visits to tourist sites, festivities, and especially, prayer and celebrations.

On the morning of August 16, for the first time in the history of Canada’s participation at WYD, the Canadian pilgrims will gather together for a national celebration, in Madrid’s Palacio de Deportes. The gathering will include a special Morning Prayer, music and testimonies from young Canadians. Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., will preside at the celebration and Archbishop Richard Smith, as Vice-President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), will greet the assembly in the name of the CCCB. The Canadian Ambassador to Spain, Mr. Graham Shantz, and the Spanish Consul General to Canada, Mr. Francisco Pascual de la Parte, will also be present at the gathering.

Throughout the week in Madrid, Canadians will find a special home at the “Love and Life Site”, at the Palacio de Deportes. This rest area is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life who have partnered with Canada’s Salt and Light Television and Holy Cross Family Ministries.

Canadian delegation to WYD 2011, in Madrid

In addition to the 6,000 young people, the Canadian delegation will include 24 Canadian Bishops. Invited by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, five of them will serve as catechists for the young pilgrims; three in French and two in English. The Bishop catechists are: Bishops Paul-André Durocher and Lionel Gendron, and Archbishops Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, J. Michael Miller, and Richard Smith. Each Bishop will present three catechetical sessions, one for each day, based on the theme of WYD 2011 “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith”. The theme for each day will be: Firm in the Faith (Wednesday), Established in Jesus Christ (Thursday), and Witnesses to Christ in the World (Friday).

Pope Benedict XVI will preside over the Stations of the Cross on Friday evening (August 19), as well as the evening prayer vigil on Saturday (August 20), and the closing mass on Sunday (August 21), at the Cuatro Vientos airfield, in Madrid. He will also celebrate a mass for seminarians and meet with young religious Sisters and with more than 1,000 young university professors during his stay in Madrid.

Salt and Light, Canada’s national Catholic television network, available on satellite and cable television throughout the country, as well as on the Internet at www.saltandlighttv.org/ <http://www.saltandlighttv.org/>  or www.seletlumieretv.org <http://www.seletlumieretv.org/> , will provide live coverage of World Youth Day’s most important moments and provide a special program schedule on the catechesis sessions, as well as conduct many interviews throughout the week.

Salt and Light has also created a special website (www.wydcentral.org <http://www.wydcentral.org/> ) to keep our favorite memories of WYD 2011. Salt and Light CEO, Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., former National Director and CEO of World Youth Day 2002, will be in Madrid with a team of young journalists to cover the event. Fr. Rosica is also serving as coordinator of the Canadian delegation to WYD in Madrid.

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Youth and families, the focus of WYD’s social aid projects

August 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Madrid, August 3, 2011.- Families and young people will be the beneficiaries of the two social aid projects that will emerge from the next World Youth Day (WYD), to be held in Madrid from August 16 to 21.

Madrid has been the chosen site for building a residential complex for families at risk of social exclusion. The building will have four floors and 127 homes that will be distributed. Javier Hernando, General Coordinator of Caritas Madrid, stressed that “the current economic situation directly affects employment, housing, and basic needs of families,” so this project “gives social visibility to a problem that currently affects many families.”

Caritas Madrid already has two buildings of this kind in the city, one opened in 2004 and the other, in 2006. Over the years, these two projects have provided housing to 300 families, about 1,000 people.

In addition, a project in Brazil will create opportunities for the Brazilian youth most affected by poverty and violence. According to Marisa Salazar, Director of Corporate Communications for Caritas Spain, this is a project “of young people, for young people.”

Both projects will be presented to the young participants at World Youth Day, encouraging them to assist in their financing through mobile messages and other means.

For his part, Yago de la Cierva, Executive Director of World Youth Day, stressed that “the formative aspect of World Youth Day would be incomplete if we failed to remind young people that their faith remains incomplete unless they help others, unless they are generous, unless they try to do something about changing what they see is wrong.”

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Youth Unite to Change the World

August 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

World Youth Alliance bring World Youth Day to the European Parliament

hinh-news-enWorld Youth Alliance, an international organization dedicated to promoting human rights and solidarity among youth, recently emphasized the global importance and positive effects achieved by World Youth Day.

On a June 28, 2011 WYA sponsored public hearing before the European Parliament entitled: “Solidarity, Freedom, Democracy…The Experience of the World Youth Day and its contribution to the European project”, two former WYD participants expanded upon their WYD experience.

Ms Leen Van Blauwen and Mr Klemen Žumer, both young people working with European Parliament and committed to living the message of World Youth Day, testified to the effectiveness of the World Youth Day message enacted in their own lives.

Ms. Leen Van Blauwen currently works as assistant to Fr. Piotr Mazurkiewisz, general secretary of the COMECE (Commission of the Bishop´s Conferences of the European Community). Her first experience with World Youth Day was in Rome, 2000, with John Paul II. “When the Holy Father called us, young people during the closing event, “the disciples of the new millennium and the watchmen of the dawn” it struck me deeply.” Blauwen says that after this encounter, she changed her life to follow this call.

“All of this is burning in my heart and I do not seize to deepen it but also to transmit it to others that is why since I have gone to WYD, not for myself but to able to give this message of hope.” Blauwen testified to the importance of youth in Europe´s society through the positive messages of World Youth Day and the call to responsible citizenship.

hinh-news-en-2Mr Klemen Žumer works as an advisor in the cabinet of Mr. Joseph Daul MEP (French), President of the European People´s Party – Christian democrats. His first experience with World Youth Day was in 1997 in Paris, France.

These testimonies received a positive response from members present who recognized the importance of youth and their ability to shape the future. World Youth Day was recognized as a positive and life-changing experience that is beneficial for the whole of Europe because of the values it promotes.

Van Blauwen´s testimony further emphasized the role of religion as a positive contribution to the European Union:

“It seems to me that he, and Benedict XVI with him, encouraged us young people that we can make a difference, that the future is up to us, not by being revolutionaries but by doing what God calls us to do, studying for the one, working for the other, taking up social and political responsibilities in small town organizations and on a higher level.”

World Youth Alliance will be hosting a table at World Youth Day at the Love & Life Site, Palacio de Deportes, organized by the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life. There, they will be hosting “Solidarity Excursions”, training sessions to build youth into leaders who understand the value of human dignity. They will continue to update their website with further news and ways to become involved in the WYA movement:  www.WYAatWYD.com.

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