OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Nation-wide tour for World Youth Day team, young people’s enthusiasm reaches the stars

Thursday, 14 September 2006

Sydney (Agenzia Fides) - A special World Youth Day team is travelling to the different Catholic dioceses of Australia amidst growing enthusiasm among young people. An awareness building campaign has been launched to prepare hearts and minds for the universal Church event in July in 2008, Sydney. The Youth Pastoral Team, formed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Australia in on a nation wide tour to promote the event with meetings and special prayers in collaboration with the respective dioceses.
The aim is to share the spirit of WYD with people in dioceses, parishes, Church movements, and other Christians to make the event known to young Australians of all faiths and those of no faith said Dominican Father Anthony Fisher, WYD Australia co-ordinator. A special participant in the tour will be Bishop James Wingle who helped organise WYD 2002 in Toronto, Canada. Mgr Wingle is Bishop of Saint Catherines diocese, a suffragan of Toronto archdiocese.
The tour has already involved 7,000 young people in special WYD 2008 preparatory prayers and events and hopes to contact over 100,000 young people in universities and schools, leading them to take part in this unique universal event which is meant particularly for the young people of Oceania, but for which many will come from all over the world to celebrate the Christian faith with Australians and with the Pope.
Spiritual preparation is most important to enable the youngsters to live WYD to the full. Bishop Wingle will give conferences on Faith and Youth in various cities: Sydney 24 October, Brisbane 27 October, Townswille 28 October, Melbourne 30 October, Hobart 31 October, Wagga 1 November, Bathrust 2 November, and Parmatta 4 November.
The organisers say WYD offers young people of Oceania and the world an opportunity toe meet, the make a pilgrimage of faith and the experience hospitality and love of God. It is a time for young people to rediscover the importance and promises of baptism, and central importance of the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, and to grow in apostolic fervour to be better witnesses to the Gospel in the world today. The theme of WYD 2008 is take from the book of the Acts of the Apostles “You will be filled with the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1,8).
“We hope the WYD 2008 will have the style of the young people of the Pacific”, says Bishop Anthony Fisher. “Excitement is tangible, people are happy to host WYD in Oceania. For many young people in Oceania, especially those in PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu, Marshall, this will be the first opportunity to take part in World Youth Day and their enthusiasm reaches the stars”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/9/2006 righe 36 parole 368)


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