You are here: Home / Archives for Madrid 2011

‘May no adversity paralyze you’: Pope’s address at rainsoaked Vigil

August 20, 2011 by 1 Comment

The official World Youth Day website has published a translation of the full address that Benedict XVI intended to give at the WYD Vigil. Due to heavy wind and rain, the Pope limited his spoken remarks to the greetings to the different language groups at the end of his address. The vigil resumed following a brief delay as the weather passed.

Dear Young Friends,

I greet all of you, especially the young people who have asked me their questions, and I thank them for the sincerity with which they set forth their concerns, that express the longing which all of you have to achieve something great in life, something which can bring you fulfillment and happiness.

How can a young person be true to the faith and yet continue to aspire to high ideals in today’s society? In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus gives us an answer to this urgent question: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (Jn 15:9).

Yes, dear friends, God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful. We are not the product of blind chance or absurdity; instead our life originates as part of a loving plan of God. To abide in his love, then, means living a life rooted in faith, since faith is more than the mere acceptance of certain abstract truths: it is an intimate relationship with Christ, who enables us to open our hearts to this mystery of love and to live as men and women conscious of being loved by God.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Madrid11 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Pope to pilgrims: ‘Use these days to know Christ better’

August 18, 2011 by 2 Comments


“Listen regularly every day” to the words of Jesus, Pope Benedict told young people gathered in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles, “as if he were the one friend who does not deceive.”

Following an initial address at the start of the Welcome Ceremony liturgy, the Holy Father delivered a longer homily. Drawing upon the World Youth Day theme, he urged the young faithful to “build your lives upon the firm foundation which is Christ.”

The live event continues right now on S+L TV and online at WYD Central. It will also be streaming on-demand at WYD Central following the broadcast. S+L will re-air the Welcome Ceremony tonight at 7:35pm ET/4:35pm PT and once more at 11:35pm ET/8:35pm PT.

Published below is the full text of Pope Benedict’s homily:

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the kind words addressed to me by the young people representing the five continents.  And I salute with affection all of you gathered here, young people from Oceania, Africa, America, Asia and Europe; and also those unable to be here.  I always keep you very much in my heart and pray for you.  God has given me the grace to see and hear you for myself and, as we gather together, to listen to his word.

In the reading which has just been proclaimed, we heard a passage from the Gospel which talks of welcoming the words of Jesus and putting them into practice.  There are words which serve only to amuse, as fleeting as an empty breeze; others, to an extent, inform us; those of Jesus, on the other hand, must reach our hearts, take root and bloom there all our lives.  If not, they remain empty and become ephemeral.  They do not bring us to him and, as a result, Christ stays remote, just one voice among the many others around us which are so familiar.  Furthermore, the Master who speaks teaches, not something learned from others, but that which he himself is, the only one who truly knows the path of man towards God, because he is the one who opened it up for us, he made it so that we might have authentic lives, lives which are always worth living, in every circumstance, and which not even death can destroy.  The Gospel continues, explaining these things with the evocative image of someone who builds on solid rock, resistant to the onslaught of adversity, and in contrast to someone who builds on sand – we would say today in what appears a paradise – but which collapses with the first gust of wind and falls into ruins.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Madrid11 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Panel Discussion on Prayer

August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

WYD’s Got International Rhythm

June 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Madrid, June 22, 2001 – The winners have now been announced for World Youth Day’s song contest Tuned into Madrid (original Spanish title: “Madrid me encanta”). The jury has selected five artists from Nepal, Colombia, France, Italy, and Spain respectively as the joint winners of this contest, in which a total of 270 candidates from over 25 countries submitted their songs.

The songs chosen are “We’ve been made one”, by Darryll Wilson of Nepal; “Elevando mi canción”, by the Colombian group “Youth Missionaries of the Holy Father”; “Alegría”, by the France-based Emmanuel Community; “Radicati in te” by Italians Andrea Daconte, Alessandro Grasso, and Antonio Minervini, and “Síguele” by “Order and Mandate of Saint Michael” of Spain.

The jury, formed by musicians Juanjo Melero and Augusto Algueró, as well as Javier Láinez and Ángel Matesanz, members of the WYD Local Organizing Committee, and Beatriz Lizárraga, Marketing Manager of “ABC” Newspaper, has additionally decided to award two honorable mentions to reward both the highest number of plays on the official website of the competition, as well as the best voice. Thus, British singer Cherrie Anderson has won the prize for most-visited item on madridmeencanta.org with 400,405 plays for “Faith in You” and the voice of Colombian singer Leonardo Jáuregui has been voted the best in the competition thanks to the song “Venimos”.

A great success in participation

The Tuned into Madrid music competition has seen a tremendous response from artists and public alike since its launching in January. The initiative has rewarded the best freestyle songs inspired by the theme for WYD and interpreted both individually or as a group, in any language.

A total of 270 songs were submitted to the contest, although in the end only 139 met the requirements for participation. The 25 finalists, who competed to become one of the 5 winners, were chosen by the over 1 million people that visited the website each month.

Social networking has been a key instrument for singers from countries as diverse as Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Spain, USA, France, Great Britain, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, South Africa, and Venezuela who have made their music heard and received the support of thousands of people who have made Tuned into Madrid a success worldwide.

An exciting prize
Each of the 5 winners will receive free registration for World Youth Day, which will be held August 16 to 21 in Madrid, as well as special seats in the guest area at the Prayer Vigil on August 20 in Cuatro Vientos, and the chance for their song to be played over the loudspeakers at WYD’s main events.

Filed Under: Journey to Madrid Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Love and Life Site getting ready for Madrid

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

June 19, 2011. (Romereports.com) English speakers getting ready for World Youth Day Madrid 2011, have a center waiting for them in Spain. The facility is called “Love and Life.” It’s a place where pilgrims can attend Mass, concerts, catechesis, art exhibits and even movie screenings-all in English and all for free.

The center will be located in Madrid’s Palacio de los Deportes, or Sports Palace. Aside from all the activities taking place there, the air conditioned facility will also be a great spot to take a break from the summer heat.

Over a million people will be attending World Youth Day this year. Roughly 25,000 of them are Americans. To keep up to date with all the center’s activities, one can visit www.wydenglish.org

About 60 U.S. Bishops are also planning on visiting Spain’s capital. They will be holding a Mass on Saturday 20th before heading out to a vigil presided by the Holy Father.

Those who can’t go to World Youth Day, will be able to follow it from home. The U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched a so called “Virtual Pilgrimage.” Through a Facebook page, users from all over the world can keep up with the daily activities. Also, at this other website called, www.virtualworldyouthday.org, one can see a live video feed directly from Madrid.

WYD starts on August 16 and ends on the 21st.

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

U.S. Bishops Will Join English-Speaking Pilgrims at World Youth Day Love and Life Center in Madrid this Summer

June 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON (June 9, 2011)—U.S. pilgrims attending World Youth Day (WYD) Madrid 2011 will have the added benefit of a
youth facility providing English-language programming. Called “Love and Life: A Home for English-Speaking Pilgrims,” the center will be located at Madrid’s Palacio de los Deportes, the city’s premiere civic and sports arena. A Mass specifically for U.S. pilgrims is scheduled at the facility the morning of Saturday, August 20, with over 60 U.S. bishops expected to participate and
concelebrate.

Activities at the center, scheduled around the WYD program of events, will include Masses and devotions, catechesis sessions, concerts, speakers, testimonies, prayer, movie screenings, and more. The air-conditioned facility seats 15,000 in its main event hall and its exhibition areas will contain a chapel specially constructed for WYD, as well as informational displays, an art show and support for the young visitors to Spain’s capital city. It will also offer them a place to rest from the summer heat.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be providing the animating team for Friday’s catechesis session at the center and is also involved in offering a lectio divina experience on Friday evening after the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross). U.S. Bishops will be present at the site throughout the “Youth Festival” times to interact with the young pilgrims. Several U.S. bishops will provide catechesis at the site as well as at other locations. USCCB is also sponsoring a concert before the Mass on Saturday offered by Oregon Catholic Press and World Library Publications, beginning at 9:00 a.m. At the conclusion of the Mass, the pilgrims will be “sent forth” by the bishops to the Cuarto Vientos Airport, where many of them will participate in the evening Prayer Vigil and will spend the night. The WYD closing Mass with Pope Benedict XVI will also be hosted at this location.

The Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life are sponsoring the “Love and Life” pilgrim center and have worked closely with USCCB’s WYD coordinators, Rick McCord and Sister Eileen McCann, CSJ. The center will be opened to all WYD participants
free of charge. Co-sponsors include Holy Cross Family Ministries, Canada’s Salt and Light Television Network, the Apostleship of Prayer, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), World Youth Alliance and the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.

More than one million people are expected to participate in WYD events, which begin Tuesday, Aug. 16, and end Sunday, Aug. 21, with an open-air Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI. At least 25,000 U.S. pilgrims will travel to the Spanish capital this summer for the event.

For information and updates on activities, performers and speakers programmed at the “Love and Life” site visit
www.wydenglish.org or inquire via e-mail at wyd@kofc.org.

For those who can’t go to Madrid this summer but wish to follow WYD events from home, the USCCB’s Communications Department has launched a first-ever “Virtual Pilgrimage.” Through a Facebook application and website for non-Facebook users individuals can create an avatar and use it to participate in the virtual pilgrimage.  A Google map provides visuals of where pilgrims are coming from and where they are in Madrid —uniting pilgrims from across the U.S. and world.

The USCCB has also created a Facebook page where virtual pilgrims can “participate” in WYD by viewing live video feed from Madrid, following twitter feeds and blogs, and uploaded photos and videos from the event. Non-Facebook users who wish to create an avatar can go to virtualworldyouthday.org.

Filed Under: Journey to Madrid Tagged With: , , , ,

Top 10 details to know about Spain and WYD 2011

April 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Having the opportunity to travel or set out on a pilgrimage is an incredible opportunity that not many people will get.

As pilgrims, or even tourists, we sometimes find ourselves too caught up with the kind of clothing we should pack, the style of suitcases we need, the warm weather, and what needs to be planned ahead of time before pausing to reflect on the beauty and significance of the surroundings we will soon be in.

For hundreds and thousands of Catholic youth around the world, this will be a reality, in the lead up to the celebration of World Youth Days in Madrid, Spain in August of this year.

With that being said, you may be wondering. Where is Spain? More than that, what’s there to do and know about Madrid and the rest of the country?

If so, take note. Here is a list of top ten things you should be acquainted with materialistically as well as spiritually before getting on that plane.

According to the SpanishTalk website,

  1. Spain, as a country, produces around nearly 45% of the olive oil that is consumed on Earth.
  2. Madrid, being the capital of Spain, is the highest capital city in the continent of Europe. It measures 667 meters above sea level. The city is also situated precisely in the centre of the country.
  3. When it comes to the weather, the Spanish climate really fluctuates. So much so, the north of Spain is largely wet and cool with the south being dry and hot. The centre of Spain, which includes the Madrid, is pretty much cool and can be extremely cold during winter.
  4. Spain’s population is approximately 45 million, the sixth largest in Europe.
  5. There are four official and co-official dialects in Spain: Castillian (known to most people as “Spanish”), Euskara, Catalan and Galician.
  6. Don’t be ruled by your watch and your personal timeframe. Life in Spain is very relaxed. You will come to enjoy it.
  7. Spain is geographically the closest country to Africa: at its closest point, the region of Andalucia, in the south, is nearly 12 miles from the coast of Morocco.
  8. Spain controls two cities in Africa: the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
  9. Spain is the third largest country in Europe in terms of geographocal territory.
  10. Travel to Madrid with very few expectations and an open heart and mind. Then will you look back and reap the many spiritual benefits post-pilgrimage.

May God’s peace and our prayers be with you as you look ahead to World Youth Days in Madrid. Bon voyage!

Filed Under: Madrid11 Tagged With: , , , ,