We could say that to remember - in the case of World Youth Day – is to remember with nostalgia, to relive from the heart. “Chronicle of an unforgettable week” (“Crónica de una semana inolvidable” in Spanish), a video prepared by the Madrid local organizing committee for World Youth Day 2011, brings us into this nostalgic experience.
In only an hour of footage you can see all of the beautiful and grand moments that marked the week of August 16-21, 2011. Looking at these images, your heart will catch on fire in wonder of what is to come for WYD Rio2013.
“I am pleased to announce that the host of the next World Youth Day, in 2013, will be Rio de Janeiro. Let us ask the Lord, even now, to assist with the strength of those who will put it into progress, and pave a way for the youth of the world to return to meet with the Pope in that beautiful city in Brazil, ” said the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in the closing ceremony. The video ends with a simple “See you in Rio in 2013.” More than an invitation, it is and expressiong of the heartfelt desire of young people in Brazil and around the world.
The material prepared by Madrid shows, in numbers, the magnitude of an event like World Youth Day. The nearly two million pilgrims represented 193 countries and 21 languages. 28,400 volunteers worked on WYD. Eight million meals were consumer, and 2,462 places of accommodation were provided. Through solidarity, 2,000 young people were able to be exempt from the cost of registration to allow them to attend the event.
In Madrid were 14,000 priests and 841 bishops. In Retiro Park, where tents were erected for confessions, 40,000 people participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
About 5,000 journalists were accredited for the event. There were more than 22 million web hits and over 1.5 million phones connected simultaneously.
A large and complex structure, WYD was bravely carried on with the Grace of God and the commitment of young people in a living testimony of faith.
The great supporters of WYD promise that, in Rio, we will see a feast of sharing, unity and joy, witnessing Christ and showing the world the power of youth.
Translated from: Rio2013
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