World Youth Day 2016 is underway right now in Krakow, Poland. For those who don't know what World Youth Day (WYD) is, I'll give you a brief history. WYD is an event for young people organized every three years by the Catholic Church. It was initiated by Saint John Paul II (back then Pope) in 1985 with the first official WYD in 1986. The most emphasized and well known traditional theme is the unity and presence of numerous different cultures, because people come from all walks of life and nationalities. The celebration of WYD involves many events among the millions of pilgrims that travel there including prayer, songs, chants, hearing the Pope address the crowd, Mass, and whatever else the groups have planned.
If you're like me, you WISH you could be in Krakow, Poland right now with all the millions of pilgrims from all over the world participating in World Youth Day 2016. It's so great that this year's WYD is being held coincidentally in the hometown of St. John Paul II (the man who started this all)! However, for whatever reasons it may be, you can't actually be there. There are some ways you can still be involved in participating in World Youth Day without being there physically. I've made a list of things to help you out...
1. Pray for all the Pilgrims who are travelling there
There are literally millions of people from all over the world traveling to just one area. They are making a pilgrimage which is a journey a pilgrim makes to a sacred place for the purpose of venerating it or to ask for heavenly aid, and ultimately to come to know God better. There are many other reasons why a person might be making a pilgrimage as well. Although you will not be making the pilgrimage yourself, the best way to stay involved in WYD is to pray for those who are. Pray for their safety as they travel from all over, pray for their closeness of God, pray for peace and unity, or pray for WYD in general and make your own prayers. Offer a holy hour to them (in adoration) or gather a group of people and pray together, say a rosary, ask the priest of your church to say a special mass for pilgrims, write a prayer intention, there are endless ways you could pray for the pilgrims!
2. Watch a Live Feed of World Youth Day 2016 Online
Also, on the USCCB Facebook page they will be using Facebook live to bring live updates from events during WYD https://www.facebook.com/usccbso go like them on Facebook and enjoy! There are probably many other websites that will provide live feed of WYD 2016, so go look it up and see what you find.
3. Get the WYD App
YES! There's an app for that! You can download it on Google Play and I also believe on ITunes. The World Youth Day App is packed with features to help you pray, learn, and interact with Catholics worldwide as you journey to World Youth Day or follow along from home. I find this app to be pretty great and it really does help to get involved with WYD without actually being there. How beautiful it is to think that millions of other people around the world are praying together as this event is happening! There's also an option to sign up for updates sent to your email. (http://worldyouthday.com/app)
4. Learn about the life of Saint John Paul II
I mean, Saint John Paul II is the man who started this whole thing in the first place. If you want to do more for WYD, I would totally suggest learning about St. John Paul II and the amazing life he lived. He did so much and learning about his life might give you a better understanding as to why we have WYD. Also, SJP2 is an amazing saint in general, so you should totally learn about all the amazing things he has done! He inspires me a whole lot and a big reason as to why I'm so faithful now. He is the man! (JP2 WE LOVE YOU!)
5. Pray for a specific person/group you know who is traveling to WYD 2016
Prayer is one of the most powerful things you can do as a Catholic. Why not pray even more? Similar to the first thing I mentioned, praying for someone who is traveling there is a way of being involved in WYD. You might have a friend, priest, family member, or neighbor traveling to WYD. Offer prayers up to that specific person. If you don't know anyone personally, then pray for a group of people from your diocese that might be traveling there. Most dioceses have a group that makes a pilgrimage there, and while you might not know who those specific people are, it's still nice to pray for those who are from where you are. I have many friends and fellow parishioners who are traveling to WYD this year and one thing they asked me to do before they left was for me to pray for them. Prayer can go a long way and gives a sense of comfort to those experiencing something life-changing.
There are probably a lot of other ways you can stay involved in WYD without actually being there, but these are just some that I thought might be important if you are lost on how to get involved. I hope that the next time WYD comes around, I will be able to make the pilgrimage myself, but until then, I will be praying for those who are there now, and I'll hope for the best in the future. I can't wait to hear from all my friends what Krakow, Poland was like and being surrounded by millions of other people of faith from all over the world!
