Adelaide to stage WYD events
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Hundreds of young Catholics from around the Adelaide Archdiocese will gather for a weekend of local celebrations in August to commemorate international World Youth Day being held in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Catholic Office for Youth and Young Adults (COYYA) is planning a series of events to be held from Friday August 4 to Sunday August 6.
COYYA coordinator Julian Nguyen said the program is recommended for people aged 16 to 35 and there would be “something for everyone”.
“We understand that for many young people the costs associated with attending the festival in Lisbon are prohibitive so we are very pleased that the Archdiocese and Catholic Education SA has supported us to stage local WYD celebrations,” he said.
“We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to feel the energy of WYD, even if we are thousands of kilometres away from Portugal. Our program is still in the planning phase but this is a call out for young people to put the dates in their calendars now!”
Mr Nguyen added that throughout the weekend they would be honouring this year’s WYD theme, ‘Mary rose up and went with haste’.
The first event on August 4 will be in keeping with Pope Francis’ call for ecological action, with a ‘Rise Up’ tree planting session at the new wetlands in Victoria Park.
Mr Nguyen said the event was being coordinated with the Adelaide City Council and would involve senior students from Catholic schools planting 1000 trees on the eastern side of the wetlands.
The following day there will be a series of activities hosted at Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park which is open to everyone.
Melbourne Catholic educator and motivational speaker, Gianna Lucas, will present the main ‘Power Up’ workshop, exploring how young people can ‘courageously respond to the needs of the world today using their gifts and talents, followed by a stream of workshops where young people have a choice of various relevant topics.
A special WYD-inspired liturgy will be celebrated in the main auditorium after the workshops and will showcase contemporary music and reflection.
In the evening there will be a concert featuring Catholic rock indie duo Gus and Iggy, who will be supported by local musicians.
On Sunday, the celebrations will be further afield, with local parishes and communities encouraged to host young people with a WYD-focused Mass.
Mr Nguyen said resources for this Mass are being developed by COYYA and the Archdiocese and will be available closer to the date. Further details and registration will also be available soon.
For the latest details go to www.cathyouthadelaide.org.au
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