My
Dear Friends:
At the conclusion of the World Youth Day in Rome during the Jubilee
Year, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II invited the young Catholics
of the world to gather with him in Toronto, Canada in July of
2002. This wonderful announcement has happy implications for Catholics
across our country. I invite all Catholics in our diocese, and
in particular our young people, to
prepare, support and participate in World Youth Day in Canada.
World Youth Day began in 1984 when our Holy Father invited young
people to join him in a day of prayer. It has continued as a major
international happening for young Catholics, and is held every
two years in a different part of the world.
While the major highlight is undoubtedly the meeting with the
Holy Father, World Youth Day in fact involves us in three distinct
phases.
1. Remote Preparation
2. Hosting Catholic Youth Pilgrims from other countries in
our
diocese
3. Celebration of Papal World Youth Day with young people
from around the world.
Our
diocese has exciting plans for all of these stages. There will
be many special events leading to World Youth Day. These will
be publicized as the relevant times approach. However, even now,
I wish to mention the Hamilton Diocesan Youth Day to kick off
World Youth Day, which will be held August 24, 2001 at C.Y.O.
Camp Brebeuf, and the Pilgrimage of the World Youth Day Cross,
which will be in our diocese from February 18 to 22, 2002.
The preparations for World Youth Day and its celebration can be
occasions of great joy and ongoing blessings for our entire diocese.
Planning committees are already hard at work. At this time, I
invite every young person in the diocese to become involved in
the preparation and celebration of World Youth Day. I hope that
every parish will have a group of young people participate in
this event, and will provide adult volunteers to assist as needed.
I encourage every person in the Diocese of Hamilton to contribute
in
some way to this extraordinary event and to pray for the success
of World Youth Day in Canada. Through our contributions and prayers,
we can grow in our love of God and our imitation of Jesus Christ.
May
God bless you.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
