World Youth Day USA Guides International Pilgrimage Leaders Guide | Page 27

2. World Youth Day is an encounter

backgrounds and cultures, but are united by a
common faith. The international component

with the Universal Church

of World Youth Day allows young people to
World Youth Day is a pilgrimage that calls

experience, in a very intense way, a unique

every single pilgrim (no matter from where they

glimpse of this universality. At World Youth

come) to “go into the deep” and to immerse

Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, for example,

themselves in a truly remarkable way in

pilgrims registered from 175 out of the 195

Catholic faith and life (that is, the Church). In a

countries of the world at the time. Catechesis

sense, the summit of the World Youth Day

was offered in 25 different languages. There

mountaintop experience is not the host city or

was an estimated 3.7 million people at the

country; nor is it the events and activities that

closing Mass.29 At World Youth Day, the

will take place during the week, though these

American participants may not understand all

are all important aspects of the journey. The

of the words that other young pilgrims speak,

mountaintop of World Youth Day is the Church

but the common language of Catholic

who is ever young, gathered universally with the

devotions, service, and the Mass can unite their

Holy Father—the Church who is the Body and

mutual heritage of faith.

Bride of Christ. The summit of the mountain is
a faith community bigger than the local realities

Encourage your pilgrims to meet those

of any single pilgrim, encompassing both

beyond their home diocese and beyond their

Heaven and earth. As leaders know, the

own country – and to listen, smile, serve, and

Catholic Church is quite large when seen from

humbly share their experiences and love of the

a global perspective. Over 1.3 billion people

faith with those from different countries and

around the globe28 comprise the membership of

cultures. Help them to understanding the

the Body of Christ on earth. It may not be

meaning of encounter – to not only meet

something many young people yet grasp,

someone new, but to learn from them and

especially if their Catholic experience is limited

walk alongside them. In addition to this

to their local parish, campus, or diocese. Yet

international dimension, one of the most

throughout the world, fellow Catholics speak

celebrated aspects of World Youth Day is the

hundreds of languages and come from varied

ability for young people to personally encounter

Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at
Georgetown University, 2014, http://cara.georgetown.edu/

See http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/world-youth-day/wydstatistics-from-rios-local-organizing-committee.

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