Muslims around the world celebrated Tuesday the feast of Eid al-Adha – commonly known as Eid, which marks the end of Hajj. Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the city in Saudi Arabia, regarded as the holiest site in Islam, since the prophet Muhammad proclaimed Islam in that city in the 7th century. Hajj ...read more

[audio:http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/audio/wyd2011_theme.mp3|titles=WYD2011 Theme Song][/audio] The official hymn for World Youth Day 2011 was released on the eve of November 9th, Feast of the Virgin of Almudena, Patroness of Madrid. “Firm in the Faith,” was performed by the Youth Orchestra of the Community of Madrid and the Youth Choir of the Escolanía de El Escorial. Both groups ...read more

The first registrant for World Youth Day Madrid isn’t Spanish, but German. It fact, it’s Pope Benedict XVI. The Holy Father registered after a meeting in Rome with Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela of Madrid and other organizers of the August 2011 event. The Pope described World Youth Day as “not just a mass gathering but ...read more

It’s hard to believe but World Youth Day is celebrating its silver anniversary! Twenty-five years ago Venerable John Paul II launched the annual meeting for young people and Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this milestone in his annual World Youth Day message which was released on Monday. Apart from the international World Youth Day gatherings, ...read more

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