World Youth Day 2011 update
While it may still seem as if it is a long way off, the next international World Youth Day will be held in Madrid, Spain from 16–21 August 2011. Here's some of the basic information to help you think about how you and other young people in your community might engage with this worldwide Catholic event.
Pilgrimage Coordination
WYD2011 will be quite a different experience to the previous World Youth Day in Sydney, for both for pilgrims and coordinators. It will be held in the middle of the Spanish summer, attended by an estimated two million pilgrims and organised in a uniquely European manner!
It will be vital that the Melbourne pilgrimage is well-planned and as a result, the Archdiocese will be investing significant resources to ensure that we can provide a safe, spiritual and successful journey to WYD. A WYD Coordinator has been appointed by the Archdiocese who will work with the Archdiocesan Office for Youth team to develop suitable pilgrimage options for those travelling from the Melbourne Archdiocese.
What if I want to travel with my own group? Due the significant costs associated with attending WYD2011, it is unlikely that parishes or schools will have large enough pilgrim numbers to consider taking their own pilgrimage groups. Therefore as an Archdiocese we will be coordinating the overall Melbourne pilgrimage to WYD with parishes and schools who will then be able to have their own 'sub-group' within the overall 'Melbourne group' structure.
Costs
Pilgrimage costs from Melbourne to Madrid are likely to be in the vicinity of $4,500-6,000 per pilgrim. These pilgrimage costs will be all-inclusive of airfares, WYD registration, accommodation and a pre- or post-WYD tour/retreat within or around Spain. We are hopeful that we will be able to provide detailed packages and costings prior to mid-2010.
To receive updates on the pilgrimage plans and costs, join our mailing list.
Official Tour Provider
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has appointed Catholic tour operator Harvest Pilgrimages as the official tour operator to support Australian groups attending WYD2011 in Madrid. The Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life invited expressions of interest in July 2009, and appointed Harvest Pilgrimages who have previously organised Australian pilgrimages for the 2002, 2005 and 2008 World Youth Days. The Archdiocese of Melbourne has begun negotiating pilgrimage packages with Harvest with the aim of providing package details to prospective pilgrims prior to mid-2010.
Promotion
Download the latest WYD2011 teaser posters to begin the promotion of WYD2011 to your community. This might also encourage you to begin thinking about how WYD2011 could fit into your parish calendar for preparations in 2010 and then for the actual event in 2011. During 2010 we will also produce resources to ensure that there are ways for all young people to be involved in WYD2011 – whether or not they are able to actually travel to Madrid. Click on the images below to download poster.
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