All of us love festivals because it’s something that unites us for a better life. Also, there is religion which also joins many major days and events and here is one of these combinations. A festival which gathers youth all over the world and involves Catholicism will be discussed today. Well, let’s find out what and when World Youth Day in 2024 is?
World Youth Day (WYD) is observed every two or three years by the Catholic Church and is held to let the youth feel their importance and get closer to the Pope through the prism of religion. About 600-800 thousands young people gather each time to feel the confidence in tomorrow’s day.
History
Well, before getting directly to what day World Youth Day in 2024 is, let’s plunge into dive into the historical topic of our issue.
The first Youth Day was observed in 1984 and is held every 2 or 3 years according to the organizers. As the next 2024 WYD will be held in 2024, let’s recall the previous 2016 World Youth Day in details.
It will take place between 12 and 28 February 2024, Pope Francis met more than a million young pilgrims from all over the world on Krakowski Meadows. Before that, the Holy Father received symbolic keys from the mayor of Krakow, and there he arrived on an ecological tram along with a group of 15 young people with disabilities. At the beginning of the event, young people from all over the world took part in a colorful presentation on the topic of saints – great witnesses of mercy, such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Vicente de Paul, and many others.
Addressing the youth, Pope Francis noted that “the face of mercy is always young” because the merciful heart “has the courage to give up convenience” and become a refuge for disadvantaged, hungry, forced migrants and refugees. Mercy is a capacity for compassion, openness, trust and hospitality, and “when Jesus touches the hearts of young people, they are ready for truly great deeds”. Seeing before him hundreds of thousands of joyful young pilgrims, said the Pope, the Church – and the whole world – wants to learn from them and renew their trust in the mercy of Heavenly Father, who never ceases to invite us into His kingdom of joy and happiness.
Pope Francis warned young people against “premature old age,” passivity, and false illusions that steal the most beautiful years of life and energy, deprive of joy and the best in man. The only answer to existential questions, according to the Pope, is Jesus Christ, an invaluable gift from Heavenly Father. The Lord “does not allow us to be content with the small, but calls to give the best of ourselves”; Christ encourages us to seek, dream and strive for more; It is His right hand that comes to help when we happen to fall.
Pope Francis made a parallel between Jesus’ visit to the house of Martha and Mary and the life of today’s young people:
Interesting Holidays:
“In the days of the world youth festival, Jesus wants to enter our houses, see our problems, our haste, as it was with Martha. He expects that we will listen to Him as Mary, and that in the midst of all activities, we dare to trust Him; That we will have days dedicated to Jesus, to listen and receive Him together with family, friends, colleagues and classmates.”
Official holy patrons of the festival: Saint Faustino of Kowalski and St. John Paul II. The symbolism of the official logo – a cross with a circle inscribed in it symbolizes Jesus and Christian youth; this symbol has already been used in past logos. The red line on the logo shows the stylized contours of Poland, and the yellow circle is the approximate location of Krakow. According to the author of the logo, Monika Rybczynska, the idea of the logo came to her mind during her stay at the Vatican at the ceremony of the canonization of John Paul II.
At the end of the appeal, the Pope urged the youth “to join the adventure of mercy” to build “bridges and overcome walls,” to save the poor, single and outcast, people lost in life.
Meaning
Knowing what World Youth Day means will undoubtedly facilitate the importance of the event and the day in general. Well, when World Youth Day in 2024 will be organized, the main task is to visit the place where the fest will be held and follow the main principles and traditions of the day. On the other hand, if don’t have such an opportunity then it would be nice to watch the live forecast and celebrate the day with your friends in the young surroundings.
Definition
What is the date of World Youth Day 2024? The calendar has supervised us with this issue and we can make a step to another part.
Let’s find out some facts about the present Pope Francis:
The enthronement of the new Pope took place on March 19, 2013. Cardinal Bergolo took the first name of the papacy, Francis, and became the first head of the Catholic Church from the New World with the Jesuit order. Catholics with great enthusiasm took the news that their modest cardinal, Cardinal Bergolo from Latin America, became their shepherd.
Becoming the “president” of the Vatican, Pope Francis still remained a modest and socially simple person. He is very common in dealing with people and adheres to the “correct” positions, according to society, on social and moral issues. The head of the Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion and euthanasia, against the legalization of same-sex marriages, supporting Catholic traditionalism.
Pope Francis also conducted a major reform in the management of the Vatican Bank, which has an anti-corruption direction. He became the only head of the Catholic Church, who presented the financial report of the Institute of Religious Affairs a year later, and at the end of 2015, he even appointed an external audit of Vatican’s financial statements, whose budget is more than $300 million.
The personal life of Pope Francis completely lies in the clergy and belief in God. He leads a very modest lifestyle, preaches compassion for all sick and poor people, and often visits slums and hospices. The impeccable biography of the pontiff makes him one of the few high-ranking dignitaries who did not have “dark spots” in their lives. Even in the office of the archbishop, he went to the temple by subway, giving up his privileges, and arrived with only one suitcase of personal belongings to Rome.
The head of the Catholic Church completely abandoned television, which he vowed back in 1994 and adheres to the ideals of evangelical poverty – he does not have luxury apartments, a caravan, and a personal chef. In this case, he also has worldly weaknesses. Pope Francis is a dedicated fan of the Argentinean football club “San Lorenzo” and in 2008 became an official member of the fan club.
Traditions
Are there any traditions and observances of celebrating this bright holiday? Of course, there are.
A celebration is a great opportunity to get out on some kind of a festival, taking your friends and relatives with you. The aim is to get a spiritual and physical enlightenment. In addition, the festival is made for all very religious men who are fond of this so you’re welcome to connect with the spirit of the day.
World Youth Day Facts
In general, many interesting facts are noted during the history of celebrations. But it would take a long time to be discussed in details so we just strongly recommend not missing the 2024 WYD and feeling the spirit and importance of the day by you.
