Change of the Annual Diocesan Celebration of WYD

Change of the Annual Diocesan Celebration of WYD

from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday!

The focus remains centred on the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man

At the end of Mass for Christ the King on November 22, 2020, Pope Francis had some important reflections on World Youth Day (WYD).

First, he greeted youth from Panama and Portugal who were present to transfer the symbols of WYD from the last venue to the next, Lisbon in 2023.

Second, he announced a change in when the annual WYD will be observed at the diocesan level.

“And as we prepare for the next intercontinental edition of WYD”, the Holy Father said, “I would also like to renew its celebration in the local Churches. Thirty-five years after the establishment of WYD, after listening to various opinions and consulting the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, which is responsible for youth ministry, I have decided, beginning next year, to transfer the diocesan celebration of WYD from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday. The centre of the celebration remains the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, as Saint John Paul II, the initiator and patron of WYD, always emphasized.”

• NOVEMBER 22, 2020 – published on Zenit

The Official* prayer for the 2023 WYD was also published on this same day:

Our Lady of the Visitation,

You who set out to reach Elizabeth in haste,

Lead us also to encounter all who are waiting for us,

So that we may proclaim the living gospel to them:

Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Lord.

We will hasten without distraction and without delay,

in readiness and joy. Amen.

(*This translation may not be the final wording in English)

"Mary rose and left in haste", will be the theme.

Young people are called to "be light in the darkness" for those who do not know "the joy of new life in Jesus", Pope Francis said. Youth must be accustomed to use the example of the Virgin Mary, who rose in haste, and immediately said "yes" to God, in following the path He had prepared for her. There is no "authentic" joy, he said, if you don't share it around you.

The more Christ is brought to others, the more God will be present in the lives of young people.