Since it is World Youth Day month, I’d like to share a little something about my first World Youth Day experience, which was last year in Australia! In particular, I’d like to talk about one of the patron saints of WYD 2008 — Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint (well, technically she’s Blessed Mary MacKillop, a ...read more

July is World Youth Day month! I wasn’t in Toronto for World Youth Day 2002, but I still see three things around the city that are “remains” of those glorious days: first, I work at Salt + Light Television, the station that was born “on the wings of WYD 2002” and where the WYD spirit ...read more

It has been one year since those glorious Australian sun-filled days when the streets of Sydney overflowed with faithful pilgrims from around the world. These pilgrims arrived with hearts full of anticipation for the largest event Australia has ever hosted- World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08). Thousands of pilgrims came to Sydney and with their faith ...read more

It’s still over two years away, but already there’s a buzz about World Youth Day in Madrid. More accurately, there’s a ringing… as in a cell phone ringing. Last week Zenit News released an interview with Santiago De La Cierva, Director of Communications for WYD Madrid 2011, who is also the founder of the Rome-based ...read more

Here at Salt+Light we’re all world travelers at heart. Physically we’re sitting at our desks in Toronto….but mentally we’re all off in different far flung places. We’re not the only people like this, apparently. Our friends at H20 News in Rome (where most of us would like to be) have Madrid on the brain. Even ...read more

Pope Benedict’s offered a fond reflection on World Youth Day at his weekly Angelus address. Click HERE for that. You’ll note that in the Zenit translation, after the address, in Italian, the Holy Father said: I greet all those who are vacationing now, wishing them serene days of profitable physical and spiritual leisure. However, I ...read more

For part two of our two-part series called “Left Behind”, we had a chance to catch up one more time with Mr. Richard Valenti, Editor/Cameraman at Salt + Light Television. Q: Mr. Valenti, did we not wish you a safe trip to Toronto on FRIDAY? Why are you still here? Mr. Valenti: Well, apparently, we ...read more

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost a week removed since World Youth Day in Sydney. All the hard work by staff over the past three years culminated in a successful and spectacular event Down Under. The seeds have been planted and hopefully they will yield much fruit! Pedro Guevara Mann, a producer familiar to ...read more

Our Salt + Light coverage of World Youth Day may be over, but Australia is still on the map for a few of us! I fly back to Toronto this coming Friday, July 25th, but until I do, expect a daily blog from Australia from yours truly! This afternoon, Kris Dmytrenko, Richard Valenti, Fr. Stefano, ...read more

The media office at WYD08 has published some final statistics from the historic WYD Down Under: PILGRIMS & ATTENDANCE 70,000 international pilgrims took part in Days of the Diocese throughout Australia during the week before WYD08 150,000 attended the Opening Mass at Barangaroo and CBD sites In excess of 400,000 people attended the Final Mass ...read more