A brief look at the story of how JMJ YOUTH came together from the experience of two pilgrims. It started in World Youth Day in Denver, Colorado. The rest, is history!

When a deacon is present at the Celebration of the Eucharist, he has some special duties that he is responsible for. These duties include proclaiming the Gospel (and possibly the homily), praying the General Intercessions, assisting in the distribution of Communion, and carrying out other liturgical duties as necessary. So although at World Youth Day there were tons of priests that could have proclaimed the Gospel, it is the rightful duty of the deacon to do so, if there is a deacon present at the Mass.

23 July 2012 marks ten years since John Paul II led his last World Youth Day meeting. It took place in Toronto back in 2002. Despite his age, the Polish Pope showed inner strength and energy, while encouraging the youth to not fear the pain that life can bring. He also told them to seize the moment by striving to be saints, from a young age. Watch this video to watch some of the highlights of WYD2002!

From the 1-13 August, London will be hosting a mini 'World Youth Day’ just a 20-minute walk from the main Olympic site. The Joshua Camp will take place during the London Olympic and Paralympic games. This is an opportunity to join in and help to serve on projects of Hospitality, Service and Evangelisation in key churches across the city.

……

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

……

World Youth Day is an annual event that takes place every year on Palm Sunday at a local level - and every 2-3 years at an international location (such as Sydney, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro). This year, World Youth Day will take place on Sunday 1 April 2012, and thousands of young people will gather at St. Peter's Basilica, to take part in the Holy Father's Palm Sunday Mass. Pope Benedict XVI has released his annual World Youth Day message - here is the full text:

……

Millions of people attended World Youth Day in Madrid. But, afterward a group of young adults asked “Now what do we do?” So, they all decided to take action and launch a blog, to post different experiences.

……

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the last World Youth Day attended by Pope John Paul II, which happened in Toronto, Canada. The theme of the 2002 event was "You are the salt of the earth ... you are the light of the world", and it brought nearly half a million people to the city.

……

On 2 April 2012, Pope Benedict XVI will meet with young people from Madrid, who will thank the Pope for choosing Madrid to host the last World Youth Day and, above all, for the fruits produced by his trip to Spain.

World Youth Day in Rio is still over a year away, but some cities are already putting their name out, hoping to host the World Youth Day after Brazil. Right now the most popular city is Krakow, Poland. London is also on the list, and others would like to see World Youth Day go to Asia. Also being considered are countries such as India, Honduras, Latvia, and Peru. Also an African country is in the picture for World Youth Day after the pope's visits to Benin, Cameroon and Angola.