WORLD YOUTH DAY 2011

The next WYD will take place in Madrid, Spain, from the 16 - 21 August 2011. Thousands of young pilgrims will once again join in celebration of the certainty of Christ, as proclaimed by John Paul II:

"All young people should feel cared for by the Church: to do so, the whole Church, in union with the Successor of Peter, must feel increasingly committed at the global level, in favor of youth (...) to correspond to their expectations, communicating to them the certainty of Christ, the truth that is Christ, and the love that is Christ through adequate formation, which is a necessary and updated form of evangelization" (John Paul II, Address to the College of Cardinals, December 20, 1985).

See WYD Madrid 2011 for more details.

WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008

World Youth Day 2008 - What a wonderful event. The Order of Malta happily welcomed over 300 volunteers from around Australia and all over the world to fill its role as the officially designated 'carer' for the thousands of disabled pilgrims who visited Sydney during the week of WYD08. The Order’s volunteer pilgrims came from every state and territory of the Commonwealth together with around 30 from Malta, 40 from France, 12 from Italy and more than 140 from Malteser Youth in Germany.

As the ‘carer’ of the disabled, the Order’s role included the daily manning of the State Government sponsored Disability Service Centre in the Hilton Hotel in Pitt Street for the whole week leading up to the Papal Mass at Randwick on Sunday, July 20th. But the major task was providing assistance to the disabled in getting them, via the specially provided public buses, to and from Randwick for both the Vigil on the Saturday and the Mass on the Sunday and tending to their needs whilst they were there, some even staying overnight with the pilgrims. All the while, the volunteers were wearing their distinctive red and white SMOM vests for easy identification. Indeed our presence at Randwick was a "sea of red vests and white crosses" … it was clear that the Order was there and in force. (See photos below)

In the true traditions of the Order and its mission, Obsequium Pauperum, the knights, dames and volunteers carried out its role with distinction as confirmed in a thank you letter from Ms Amelia Starr of the NSW Government’s WYD Coordinating Authority who very kindly wrote:

"Ready, willing and able are certainly three words which come to mind when I think of all the volunteers I had the pleasure of meeting and working with both at the Disability Service Centre and also at Randwick Racecourse. I very much appreciate the time, commitment and compassion you and your volunteers displayed in dealing with the diverse needs of pilgrims with disabilities, older pilgrims, their carers and family. Your presence and assistance was invaluable and I am grateful for all that you offered and provided to WYD pilgrims with a disability and older pilgrims during their stay in Sydney."

Special mention must be made of the Order’s WYD Organising Committee comprising Dr Michael Campion, and Sean and Damian Fogarty who worked tirelessly for months planning the Order’s involvement and its activities to ensure their success. Too, special acknowledgement and thanks must be given to the volunteers from Malteser Youth in Germany who did an outstanding job in attending the various venues including the Order’s WYD offices, the booth at the Vocations Expo and generally being on hand at very short notice to do what had to be done.

But it wasn’t all work! The Order’s booth at the Vocations Expo was a marvellous success giving us the opportunity of telling our exceptional story. The invitation to the knights and dames to provide an honour guard for Pope Benedict XVII and then enjoy reserved seating at the mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral on the Saturday morning was a real highlight.

The many expressions of emotion felt by those who attended the World Youth Day activities were in themselves a witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit but none were more moving than this impression articulated by one of the younger Australian members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta as to what she saw and heard.

It was truly a wonderful week filled with laughter, song and prayer shared by hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims, their hearts abundant with hope and love. One could feel the real presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst which continues to give us hope and guide us in our ongoing work in the Order.

Select the Links below to view the some of the photos of the Order's World Youth Day activities

Barangaroo Papal Mass a St Mary's Cathedral

Papal Mass at Randwick 1 of 2 Papal Mass at Randwick 2 of 2

Private Mass for Members St Mary's Cathedral Interviews

Vocations Expo Volunteers At Work

Pilgrims at WYD Office Papal Harbour Cruise