Alicia gives us the basics about today’s walking route that will take pilgrims from downtown Madrid to Cuatro Vientos Air Base for the prayer vigil and closing Mass with Pope Benedict XVI. ...read more

If you’re watching any of our coverage of WYD, either on our digital cable network or at WYD Central, you will have undoubtedly seen WYD pilgrims with their WYD backpacks. All pilgrims receive a pack with their registration. The bag itself features the official WYD colours: red, yellow and orange. Wonder what’s in the pack? ...read more

In the last 24 hours here in Madrid, I have found myself in the middle of a swarm of Brazilian pilgrims, I got caught in an Italian traffic jam, had lunch with a group of young pilgrims from Ciudad Real, Spain a.k.a. “the land of Quixote,” as one pilgrim explained, and had my eardrums blasted ...read more

Every city has it’s little secrets. Some are dark and sinister, some are just plain fabulous. After eight months in Madrid, I learned one of those neat little secrets that I put in the fabulous category just because it’s downright ingenious. One of the most iconic landmarks in Madrid is Plaza Cibeles. It’s a roundabout ...read more

Madrid in August is hot, hot, hot. We’re talking two-showers-a-day hot. However, most pilgrims will be housed in group accommodation venues which means either a school gym, a community centre, or a parish hall.  All spaces can sleep a large group, but don’t normally house young people for a full week. These accommodation venues have been outfitted ...read more

Does your schedule this August have you in class? Or working and unable to get time off to go anywhere? Many would-be World Youth Day pilgrims have this problem. [singlepic id=43 w=320 float=right]The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has tried to solve this problem with their website virtualworldyouthday.org. In the approximately 34 days left ...read more

As we close in on the one month mark here in Madrid things are getting busier, crazier, and more intense. [singlepic id=42 w=220 float=right]The only thing that will keep us in working order (aside from proper sleep and nutrition) is prayer. The team at Holy Cross Family Ministries foresaw this event and back in May ...read more

Nobody in Spain is up at 8:30am on a Saturday morning. Nobody. Except this Saturday. A handful of volunteers from World Youth Day were up and moving at 8:30am. The lure was a very rare visit to La Aguilera and a unique religious community for women based there called Iesu Communio. They don’t like to appear ...read more

Working at World Youth Day has been an eye-opening experience both in terms of experiencing a new culture, but also being exposed to the richness of the universality of our Church through the different movements that are represented in the WYD organization. Some are new realities, some are just new to me like the Schoenstatt ...read more

The theme song for World Youth Day 2000, held in Rome began with the lines, “from many roads we come to Rome, following the footsteps of faith.” Today, St. Peter’s is again a meeting point for the youth of world, this time to celebrate the man who taught them that they have an indispensable place ...read more