Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
September 12, 2001
Registration open for World Youth Day
Archdiocese to sponsor two trips to event in Toronto
By Alwen Bledsoe
Youth and young adults ages 16-35 can now register through their parishes to travel with the Archdiocese of Denver to the 17th World Youth Day in Toronto July 23-28, 2002, local organizers said.
"It's a life-changing experience for young people," said Bob Sherwin, director of the Archdiocese of Denver's Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry.
The three World Youth Days he's attended, added Sherwin, have "given me a greater belief that this generation is going to change the world. This generation is committed to things that previous generations weren't. They have a faith and willingness to go out and do things in the name of Christ and the Church that are just fantastic. I think they take the issues of life, poverty, religion, and faith a lot more seriously than my generation did 15 years ago."
Jason Soltis, events coordinator for the office, said World Youth Day offers a rare opportunity to experience the world-wide Church gathered in one place.
Attendees come to "understand the Church is bigger than them or their group or the archdiocese of Denver," he said. "They have a more real sense of how many people are on the same track they are. It brings the faith alive to get a sense of how encompassing and how large the Catholic faith is."
The two trips sponsored by the archdiocese, said Soltis, give youth a chance to attend the event with people they will see again and to experience both the International Church and the Church in Denver. According to the World Youth Day 2002 web site, youth from over 150 countries are expected to attend, and, in the past, the celebration has attracted over 1 million.
The week's schedule includes an opening Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Toronto, Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, catecheses led by bishops from around the world in various languages, prayer, sharing, reflection, the sacraments of reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, a youth festival, social service activities and Way of the Cross ceremonies. The week culminates in an evening vigil with Pope John Paul II July 27 and a papal Mass July 28.
The archdiocese is sponsoring two trips to Toronto: Trip A limited to 224 pilgrims and lasting from July 17-30 and Trip B limited to 276 lasting from July 20-29. Costs are $1,650 and $1,425 respectively and cover airfare, ground transportation, housing, breakfasts and dinners, admission fees and World Youth Day stipends. Those interested should register before Thanksgiving as spaces historically fill up quickly, said Sherwin.
Trip A will visit sites of religious, historical, and natural importance in Pittsburg, Cleveland, Niagra Falls, and Toronto prior to World Youth Day, including St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Anthony's Chapel, an Indians Baseball game, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Niagara Falls in Ontario. All of Trip B's preliminary activities will occur in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Those under 18 will need a chaperone to attend and must register with a parish group, while those 18 and over can register with the archdiocese directly, but are urged to contact their parishes first, said Sherwin.
While the Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry recommends its two trips, Sherwin added, "any trip to go and see the pope and the International Church and to be in a different country are all advantages of any parish going to World Youth Day."
Those interested in either the archdiocesan trips or in alternate trips should contact their local parishes.
Pre-World Youth Day events are in the planning and will be announced soon, added Sherwin.
For more information about the archdiocesan trips, contact your local parish or contact Jason Soltis at 303-715-3245 or jason.soltis@archden.org. The World Youth Day 2002 site can be found at www.wyd2002.org.
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