> Publikacje JP2online> 4. Pontyfikat, lat...> The iniciator of t...

The iniciator of the World Youth Day

The idea of John Paul II to invite young people from different countries of the world turned out to be a great success. To this day, an international WYD is held every three years in different parts of the world, bringing together hundreds of thousands and even millions of young people.

Światowe Dni Młodzieży w Rzymie w 2000 r. Fot. Wikimedia Commons.

Drag timeline

1984

Papież zaprasza młodzież na Niedzielę Palmową, aby wspólnie świętować jubileusz młodzieży w ramach Jubileuszu Odkupienia.

1985

Wydanie papieskiego listu do młodzieży "Parati semper" (znanego też pod tytułem "Dilecti amici") z zaproszeniem na pierwsze Światowe Dni Młodzieży.

1986

Pierwsze oficjalne Światowe Dni Młodzieży - na poziomie diecezjalnym.

1987

Pierwsze międzynarodowe Światowe Dni Młodzieży w Buenos Aires, hasło: „Myśmy poznali i uwierzyli miłości, jaką Bóg ma ku nam” (1 J 4,16). Brało w nich udział prawie 1 mln ludzi.

1989

Światowe Dni Młodzieży w Santiago de Compostela, hasło: „Ja jestem Drogą, Prawdą i Życiem” (J 14,6).

1991

Międzynarodowe spotkanie papieża z młodzieżą w Częstochowie, hasło: „Otrzymaliście ducha przybrania za synów”, brało w nim udział 1,6 mln osób.

1993

Światowe Dni Młodzieży w Denver, hasło: „Ja przyszedłem po to, aby [owce] miały życie i miały je w obfitości” (J 10,10).

1995

Spotkanie z młodzieżą w Manili, hasło: „Jak Ojciec mnie posłał, tak i Ja was posyłam” (J 20, 21). Na spotkanie z papieżem przybyło 4-5 mln ludzi. Było to największe spotkanie w ramach ŚDM.

1997

Światowe Dni Młodzieży w Paryżu, hasło: „Nauczycielu, gdzie mieszkasz? Chodźcie, a zobaczycie” (J 1, 38,39).

2000

Kolejne spotkanie z młodzieżą w Rzymie, hasło: „A słowo stało się Ciałem i zamieszkało wśród nas” (J 1, 14).

2002

Ostatnie Światowe Dni Młodzieży z udziałem Jana Pawła II w Toronto, hasło: „Wy jesteście solą dla ziemi... Wy jesteście światłem świata” (Mt 5, 13, 14).

Beginnings

"When the Pope accepted his office in the Holy See, both inside and outside the Church, the belief that the Catholic Church is a rapidly aging institution in which young people no longer find a place, has been established. Post-conciliar confusion, consumerist prosperity and the youth revolt of the 1960s resulted, in particular in Western countries, in a dramatic decline in vocations and participation of young people in the life of the Church "(Maciej Zięba, "Jestem z Wami"/ "I'am with you", Krakow, 2010).

The pastoral experience of the new pope was, however, completely different, and as we know, from the beginning he devoted a lot of attention to the issues concerning young people. During his ministry in Kraków, Karol Wojtyła conducted a systematic pastoral work with young people: he organized a retreats and educational trips for them. He believed in young people; in their enthusiasm and ideals. Thus being already the Pope he referred to his pastoral experience when teaching the youth of the world. It is during the Krakow era that one can look for the origins of the idea of World Youth Day - a dynamic new phenomenon in the Church that was initiated during the pontificate of John Paul II.

At the end of the Jubilee Year of Redemption, the Pope in 1984 invited young people to Palm Sunday in Rome to celebrate the Youth Jubilee. About 600,000 young people from all over the world responded to the invitation! During this event, the Holy Father entrusted the Cross of the Holy Year to young people (which then became the Cross of World Youth Day). The UN designated 1985 as the International Youth Year. The Pope joined this initiative and once again invited young people to Rome. The vivid response of young people surprised many observers. Also this year, in a letter addressed to young people, "Parati semper" he announced that henceforth every year World Youth Day will be celebrated. The first official World Youth Day took place in Rome in 1986.

A unique meeting on Jasna Góra

A great meeting of the world's youth took place alternately in dioceses as well as in one place in the world with the special participation of Holy Father. In the Philippines in 1995, up to 5 million people participated in the main celebrations! Despite skeptical voices, it turned out that young people flock to these gatherings, even when they are held in secularized countries. Undoubtedly, World Youth Day - the "invention" of John Paul II - brought revival to the Church. Currently, it takes place every three years in a designated place in the world, and every year in dioceses.

It is worth mentioning that in 1991, after the collapse of the communist system, World Youth Day took place in Częstochowa. In Poland, young people from the East (USSR countries) and the West met. It was a great event that brought together young people from the then decaying Eastern Bloc (USSR) and from the West, two parts of Europe separated for many years by the so-called Iron Curtain. They had the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange experiences and celebrate together. On this occasion, the song "Abba Ojcze" ("Abba Father") was written, to which words were composed by Father Jan Góra. The next World Youth Day in Poland took place in 2016 in Krakow.

Fr. Marian Duda, organizer of WYD 1991 said: