There is only one year until WYD in Madrid... are YOU ready?

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Just a year to go until Spain's capital becomes the centre of the Catholic Church for a week. On August 16, 2011 World Youth Day in Madrid begins with more than one million young people from around the world expected to take part.

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WYD Madrid has opened four more language-specific pages on Facebook... Japanese, Vietnamese, Maltese and Croatian... bringing its total Facebook pages to 18. The pages were created thanks to young volunteers who see the importance of having WYD information available in their own language.

What is World Youth Day? How did it all begin? Why does the Catholic Church see WYD as an important part of youth formation? This video is a moving tribute to the WYDs of previous years, released by the World Youth Day 2011 team in Madrid.

WYD organizers want Madrid to break records and receive the highest number of African participants! This week, the first international WYD presentation took place in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Read this article for more...

The WYD Madrid team have launched the official facebook application for WYD 2011. Click on 'visit this article' to add the app to your facebook profile!

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)

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The Alares Foundation in Spain recently signed an agreement with organizers of World Youth Day Madrid to recruit volunteers to assist the more than 10,000 young people with disabilities expected to attend the event. Read this article for more information, or visit the WYD Madrid official website.

Madrid is expecting large numbers of pilgrims as WYD draws nearer. World Youth Day in Madrid "Will bring the city peace and goodness, in addition to answers that will satisfy young people's hearts" says Cardinal Rouco Varela who is looking forward to the Global Church event.

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Just over a year from now - August 11-15, hundreds of thousands of youth from around the world will gather throughout Spain for the Days in the Diocese, a cultural exchange that takes place leading up to World Youth Day, which will be celebrated August 16-21, 2011 in Madrid. This is the second time in the event’s history that it will be held in Spain. Get the run-down on the latest from Madrid in this article!