WYD will be an “eye-opening moment” for many young Catholics in Australia

By Edoardo Giribaldi

"The opportunity to go to World Youth Day and meet millions of other young Catholics is a really critical moment in the life of the Church in Australia and particularly for young people." With these words, Malcolm Hart, Director of the National Centre for Evangelization at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, presented the upcoming WYD from the perspective of "about 3,000 or more" young Australians about to embark on the pilgrimage to Portugal.

Commitment and opportunities

Together with them, the delegation - "one of our largest to World Youth Day" - will see the presence of 19 Australian bishops, representing about half of the total in the country.

"The commitment they have shown is really exciting," Hart affirmed. "It's also a great opportunity. There is a lot of learning that happens between young people and the bishops."

About eighty groups will travel, divided according to their dioceses, and touch on various locations on their way to Lisbon. "The Holy Land, Rome and Italy, France and Lourdes, as well as Spain, and of course Portugal and Fatima."

Online interactions

Even more interesting are the opportunities that will be available for all the young people, and not only them, who will not be in Lisbon.

"Nearly every group has got some sort of social media page, so there's a lot of online activity and interactions," Hart said.

The time change issues will be overcome with live broadcasts from Portugal, which will be available for people to watch the following day.

Hart also noted how the Australian Bishops Conference has recently launched a new website with an online resource called Evangelize Plus. "We will be posting the clips online as well, so people will have a central place to be able to watch the events."

Sharing stories

World Youth Day represents an occasion for young people from all around the world to come together. "The opportunity to travel is very appealing," Hart admitted, "but to do a travel of faith on pilgrimage is even more exciting."

These experiences represent a time "of faith experience, exploration, and growth" in the lives of young people, especially when they get to know millions of other Catholic peers. It's also a "really critical moment in the life of the church in Australia."

In fact, the country "is becoming very secular, very isolating of people of faith and church. That's why it's really important for young people to come along and see so many large groups of Catholics, to share with them, to listen to their stories and struggles and joy and wisdom, and demonstrate how relevant faith is in their lives today."

The encounter with Pope Francis

Even more importantly, according to the Director of the National Centre for Evangelization at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, is the time that young pilgrims are going to spend with the bishops themselves, but also with Pope Francis.

"He is very strong in his words to young people, and they respond," Hart affirmed. "Seeing him and being greeted by the Holy Father is a moment of grace. It really reinforces the whole journey, the pilgrimage, the encounter with other young people."

Those moments will live in the hearts of the pilgrims "all of their lives," but also in the heart of the Church in Australia, which has benefitted from the "lasting impact" of the previous World Youth Days.

Elderly and young people

The upcoming World Youth Day will be preceded by the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated on Sunday, July 23.

Hart, following Pope's Francis emphasis on the relationship between the elderly and young people, highlighted how relevant this bond is in terms of the first encounters that children and adolescents have with Jesus.

Hart underlined the importance of conversations where young people can "learn about life and their faith in a safe way." And talking with grandparents usually presents that kind of space, where it is also possible to "ask questions."

Conversations and support

This kind of relationship has been, according to Hart, the focus of a number of Australian groups, also following this year's WYD theme: "Mary arose and went with haste" (Lk 1:39).

The groups looked at the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth, "introducing young people to different grandparents and asking them to engage in conversations and support" as they approached World Youth Day.

These relationships "have really grown since Pope Francis has highlighted them," Hart concluded. "That's something that we've been looking at here in Australia, to be more attentive and open to the graces and wisdom of the elderly."