World Youth Days - Jornadas Mundiales de la Juventud - Journées Mondiales de la Jeunesse - Giornate Mondiali della Gioventù
"You are the hope of the Church and of the world. You are my hope."
were the words of the new Pope to the young people in St Peter's Square on 22 October 1978.
Blessed John Paul II repeated these words many times, both at the gatherings of young people on his pilgrim journeys and in particular at World Youth Days, which had their beginnings in 1984 when JPII held an International Youth Meeting in St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, and a week later on Easter Sunday entrusted young people with the Cross. This simple wooden Cross has been carried round the world by young people ever since. 1985 was declared an 'International Year for Youth' by the UN; Pope John Paul II wrote his Apostolic Letter Dilecti Amici to the youth of the world and in December announced the institution of World Youth Day. World Youth Day has been celebrated on Palm Sunday every year since on a diocesan level, with an annual messsage from our Holy Fathers. There have also been 11 international World Youth Days - in Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, Rome, Toronto, Cologne, Sydney & Madrid. They've taken on a 5 day structure: 3 days of catechesis, prayer and celebration, Stations of the Cross on the Friday, a pilgrimage on the Saturday for a prayer vigil with the Pope and the final Mass on the Sunday. The 12th international WYD is in Rio de Janiero this July. WYD 1995 in Manila is in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest gathering in the history of the world (estimates of 6 million) & JMJ 2000 in Rome in the Jubilee is the largest gathering in the history of Europe (over 2 million). They've received v little press coverage but things might change in Rio :o)
If you've been to a WYD & would be up for sharing something of your experience, please do contact the Totus2us team. We so want to give witness to these grace-filled, happy, wonderful, life-affirming, friend-making, faith-building and courage-giving days. Testimonies from WYD Madrid on Totus2us's World Youth Days podcast.
2013 - 12th international WYD / JMJ - Rio, Brazil
XXVIII World Youth Day - "“Go and make disciples of all nations!”" (cf Mt 28:19) 
Papa BXVI's Message to Young People - in Albanian, Croatian, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian & Spanish
..
2011 - 11th international WYD / JMJ - Madrid, Spain
XXVI World Youth Day - "Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (Col 2:7) 
Papa BXVI's Message to Young People - in Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Ukrainian & Vietnamese
2008 - WYD - Sydney, Australia
XXIII World Youth Day - 15th - 20th July, 2008
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses"Theme from Acts 1, 8 - Benedict XVI's message to the youth of the world - in Albanian, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, English, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Ukrainian & Vietnamese
2005 - WYD / WGT - Cologne, Germany
XX World Youth Day - 16th - 21st August, 2005
"We have come to worship Him"Theme from Mt 2, 2 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese & Spanish
2002 - WYD / JMJ - Toronto, Canada
XVII World Youth Day - 23rd - 28th July, 2002
"You are the salt of the earth ... you are the light of the world"Theme from Mt 5: 13,14 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese & Spanish
2000 - WYD / GMG - Rome, Italy
XV World Youth Day - Youth Jubilee - 15th - 20th August 2000
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”Theme from Jn 1:14 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish
1997 - WYD / JMJ - Paris, France
XII World Youth Day - 19th - 24th August, 1997
“Teacher, where are you staying? Come and see.”Theme from Jn 1:38-39 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in English, French, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish
1995 - WYD - Manila, the Philippines
X World Youth Day - 10th - 15th January, 1995
“As the Father sent me, so am I sending you”
1993 - WYD - Denver, USA
VIII World Youth Day - 10th - 15th August, 1993
“I came that they might have life, and have it to the full”Theme from Jn 10:10 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in English, French, Italian & Spanish
1991 - WYD / SDM - Czestochowa, Poland
VI World Youth Day - 10th - 15th August, 1991
“You have received a spirit of sonship”Theme from Romans 8:15 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in English, French, Italian & Spanish
1989 - WYD / JMJ - Santiago de Compostela, Spain
IV World Youth Day - 15th - 20th August, 1989
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”Theme from John 14:6 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in English, French, Italian & Spanish
1987 - WYD / JMJ - Buenos Aires, Argentina
II World Youth Day - 11th - 12th April, 1987
“We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves.”Theme from 1 John 4:16 - John Paul II's message to the youth of the world - in English, French, Italian & Spanish
I World Youth Day - Palm Sunday, 1986
“Always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you”Theme from 1 Peter 3:15
1985 - International Year for Youth
International Youth Meeting - Palm Sunday, 1985- St Peter's Square, Rome
John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Dilecti Amici to the youth of the world
- read in English, French, German, Italian, Latin & Spanish
John Paul II announces the institution of World Youth Day - 20th December, 1985
1984 - Holy Year of the Redemption
International Youth Meeting - Palm Sunday, 1984- St Peter’s Square, Rome
John Paul II presents and entrusts young people with the Cross - Easter Sunday, 1984
Pope John Paul II - in Crossing the Threshold of Hope (1994):
"Every parish priest in Rome knows that my visits to the parish must conclude with the meeting between the Bishop of Rome and the young people of the parish. And not only in Rome, but anywhere the Pope goes, he seeks out the young and the young seek him out. Actually, in truth, it is not the Pope who is being sought out at all. The one being sought out is Christ, who knows ‘that which is in every man’ (Jn 2:25), especially in a young person, and who can give true answers to his questions! And even if they are demanding answers, the young are not afraid of them; more to the point, they even await them.This also explains the idea of holding World Youth Days. At the very beginning, during the Jubilee Year of Redemption, and then again for the International Year of Youth, sponsored by the United Nations (1985), young people were invited to Rome. This was the beginning. No one invented the World Youth Days. It was the young people themselves who created them. Those days, those encounters, then became something desired by young people throughout the world. Most of the time these Days were something of a surprise for priests, and even bishops, in that they surpassed all their expectations.
The World Youth Days have become a great and fascinating witness that young people give of themselves. They have become a powerful means of evangelization.In the young there is, in fact, an immense potential for good and for creative possibility. Whenever I meet them in my travels throughout the world, I wait first of all to hear what they want to tell me about themselves, about their society, about their Church.And I always point out: ‘What am I going to say to you is not as important as what you are going to say to me. You will not necessarily say it to me in words; you will say it to me by your presence, by your song, perhaps by your dancing, by your skits, and finally by your enthusiasm.’
We need the enthusiasm of the young. We need their joie de vivre. In it is reflected something of the original joy God made in creating man. The young experience this same joy within themselves. This joy is the same everywhere, but it is also every new and original. The young know how to express this joy in their own special way.
It is not true that the Pope brings the young form one end to the world to the other. It is they who bring him. Even though he is getting older, they urge him to be young, they do not permit him to forget this experience, his discovery of youth and its great importance for the life of every man. I believe this explains a great deal.
The very day of the inauguration of my papal ministry, on October 22nd 1978, at the conclusion of the liturgy, I said to the young people gathered in St. Peter’s Square: ‘You are the hope of the Church and of the world. You are my hope.’ I have often repeated these words."
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