18th August, 2005

 An estimated 400,000 people, including several thousand Australians, have gathered in the German city of Cologne for the Catholic Church's World Youth Day celebration. SIGHT asked several Australians why they have gone to take part...

Gillian Meyer, 23, a medical student from Liverpool in Sydney:

"World Youth Day has been instrumental in my spiritual development and an amazing opportunity for meet other young Catholics. When I first arrived in Australia, I went to mass by myself and did not know any young practising Catholics. In joining my parish youth group I found great strength in practising my faith with other young people. When the youth leaders at my parish church encouraged me to take part in World Youth Day, I was excited at the prospect of learning more about my faith and celebrating the church with hundreds of thousands of fellow Catholics. The pre-World Youth Day formation program run by the Maroubra parish inspired me to learn more about the church, and since arriving at WYD Cologne, I have found an immeasurable source of strength and inspiration."

Christopher Leaf, 23, a swin coach and groundsman from Matraville in Sydney:
"I decided to come to World Youth Day to integrate with other cultures and nationalities. I also wanted to expand my own understanding of the church and its true universiality. My faith drew me to come obviously, but at the same time the week has allowed me to deepen my practice of my faith. So far this has been the case, and I have seriously had a good time. I had found a year-and-a-half ago I felt very much isolated as a young Catholic in Australia. I was somewhat discouraged in my outlook on the church as I found that there were not many people my age. Now with the coming of the new Pope Benedict XVI, I feel so united with the the universal church and its members. One thing that World Youth Day has shown me is that God's work is alive and well and the youth of the world have ensured that John Paul II's legacy has remained and strengthed. I am just satisfied to be a part of that, let alone a contributer."

Joseph Suttie, 27, a doctor and World Youth Day leader from Centennial Park in Sydney:
" I have personally seen World Youth Day transform countless individual youths and cities. The message of courageous, youthful hope is an answer to despair and meaninglessness. Despair is matched by hope, emptiness is matched by love and isolation is matched by extraordinary friendship and generosity. The size and vision of World Youth Day on a practical level is matched by a largesse of spiritual and social riches. The practical embodiment of World Youth Day is reflected in the absence of crime or drugs, an in the scale of cooperation between people of 160 nationalities in transporting and accommodating hundreds of thousands. I have seen World Youth Day change young people and these young people will bring Christ to change the world."

Have you been involved with World Youth Day or have any thoughts on it? Leave your feedback below...