World Youth Day (WYD) is the largest worldwide gathering of young people dedicated to celebrating young people, fostering a personal encounter with Christ, and experiencing the universality of the Catholic Church. Many attribute WYD to Saint John Paul II calling it his “most beautiful invention….” Yet the Pope attributed it to the young people of the world when he declared that the young people themselves were the ones who invented WYD.
It all harkens back to 1984 when the Church observed an extraordinary Jubilee Year to mark the 1,950th anniversary of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. During the Jubilee celebrations, Saint John Paul II proposed a special gathering of young people on Palm Sunday. The response far exceeded the modest expectations when more than 250,000 young people came and filled Rome with joy and faith.
In 1985, the United Nations proclaimed the “International Year of Youth.” In response, the Holy Father once again invited young people to Rome on Palm Sunday to highlight the Church’s special concern for the new generation. Over 300,000 young people responded and spent time in prayer in churches around Rome, attended special catechesis sessions, and ultimately gathered with the Pope for Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Organizers wondered why there was such a strong response and what the young people were looking for. Saint John Paul II believed that the young people wanted to meet each other and share their experiences of faith and listen to words of faith. He felt they were focused on the future and wanted to firmly establish and renew their commitments. In response, he established the international World Youth Day celebration in 1985. He also asked each local Church to commemorate it accordingly.
Originally, the international gathering was held every other year with the first one held in 1987 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the second in 1989 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. For the English speaking west, 1993 witnessed a peaceful “revolution” as described by Saint John Paul II when over 750,000 young people descended upon Denver for the first international WYD celebration in North America.
Today, the diocesan World Youth Day is celebrated every year in individual dioceses, now on Christ the King Sunday. Every three to four years, young people from around the world gather to celebrate WYD with the Pope. The next international WYD celebration will take place in Seoul, South Korea in August 2027. Bishop Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez will lead delegations from the Diocese of Palm Beach and invites all young people ages 16 and over to prayerfully consider joining him for this life-changing pilgrimage.
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