Planning is underway for Bingara’s participation in World Youth Day visit in January, which will see about 2,000 people visit Bingara for celebrations.
World Youth Day is a world wide gathering of Catholic youth from all over the globe. It happens every two or three years. Whilst it is a gathering of Catholic youth, all youth are most welcome. The age limits for direct involvement are from 16 to 35. This is not to say that people either side of this age group can’t also be involved.
WYD, which is actually a week long, begins on Tuesday, July 16, 2008 and concludes with Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Randwick Racecourse on Sunday, July 20. This event will be the biggest event in Australia’s history, there is expected to be at least half a million people at the closing mass!
World Youth Day was an initiative of Pope John Paul II, who was inspired by massive gatherings of young people in Rome celebrating the Youth Jubilee in 1984 and the United Nations International Year of Youth in 1985. He wanted to bring together young Catholics from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith on a more regular basis.
Pope John Paul II saw WYD as away to reach out to the next generation of Catholics, to demonstrate confidence in them, to rejuvenate the Church and ensure that the core teachings of Christ are transmitted and lived.
The lead up to World Youth Day began on July 1, which involves a Cross and icon, a picture of Our Lady, which travel around the world to the country which is the next to host the World Youth Day. This is very similar to the way the Olympic torch is carried around the globe. The tour began the final, Australian leg on July 1.
Bingara is to be honoured by hosting the Cross and icon on behalf of our diocese. The whole diocese is expected to descend on Bingara on Saturday, January 28 for the celebration of the Cross and icon. Bingara Parish will have the Cross from Saturday until 9.00am Tuesday morning when it will be passed on to Glen Innes.
We need a group of young people to get together to organise some activities for our parish celebration. Could anyone who is interested please contact Mike Keating on 0427 098 315.
