With World Youth Day (WYD) only 17 months away, an invitation to “play your part” is at the core of an archdiocesan training day to be held on March 31.

The free event, hosted at Clairvaux MacKillop College, Upper Mt Gravatt, is the first of a series of four archdiocesan WYD training days planned between now and the celebration of WYD in Sydney in July 2008.

Brisbane WYD Secretariat Project Officer Mr Michael Hart said the key theme for the first training day was one of invitation.

“It’s about inviting people to come to the day to start the journey in terms of their own planning,” he said.

“We know that for some people in parishes and schools, they’re already underway.

“For others it’s a chance to enter into the beginning of that process, particularly in terms of logistics and planning.

“Ideally we would have a co-ordinator, as well as some people who can assist with the separate parts that make up WYD, attending from each parish.”

Mr Hart said the structure of the day would be built around three key streams, each with a specific focus.

The first of these, the Days in the Diocese stream, looks at opportunities for parishes and schools to invite overseas guests to come to Brisbane en route to Sydney, as well as a discussion of the issues around hosting visitors with local families.

The Pilgrimage to Sydney stream would target those people who may already or are soon to be appointed as pilgrimage leaders by either a parish or school.

It will include information about what to expect on the pilgrimage, how to keep the pilgrimage group together electronically via the Sydney registration system and some promotional ideas on inviting people to come on pilgrimage with them.

The final stream, the World Youth Day Champions, was one of special interest to Mr Hart.

“It’s an opportunity for people in that 16 – 35 age bracket to become advocates for WYD,” he said.

“We’re particularly hopeful that previous pilgrims will be involved, but are also on the lookout for school students who are interested in going to WYD and who want to try and promote it in their local community, whether that be in a school or a parish.

“I’m really keen for these types of people to come to the training day and get an insight into what our vision for the “champions” is, to develop some leadership skills and to know the kind of language and ideas that we would like them to be putting out about WYD. 

“As champions one message they can help send is that WYD will be more than just five days in Sydney – it’s about a journey towards WYD and beyond that includes big local events like the Journey of the World Youth Day Cross and Icon and the Days in the Diocese,” he said.

The training day will run from 10.00am to approximately 5pm on the Saturday with a light lunch provided. A gold coin donation BBQ will then be held ahead of a 6.00pm concert in the same venue given by Fr Stan Fortuna, “the rapping priest” from the USA.

Further information and registration forms for participants looking to nominate the particular stream they are interested in being part of will be distributed in the next month and will also be available on the website www.wydbrisbane.org.au.

For any enquiries before then please phone the WYD Secretariat on 3336 9341.

Released by the Catholic Communications office