Krakow, Poland

World Youth Day is a yearly youth celebration that was started by Pope John Paul II as a way to inspire the youth and encourage them in living the teachings of Jesus Christ.

What is WYD

World Youth Day can be a deeply meaningful and grace-filled pilgrimage experience, if you choose to accept it.

What is WYD

It is a great opportunity to open your heart to the Grace of God and contemplate the meaning of life.

What is WYD

Young people (approx. ages 16-35), from many countries and nations around the earth, come together showing the universality of, and diversity within, the Catholic Church.

Who Comes to WYD

It is a time for the youth to share their faith and be rejuvenated to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in their homelands.

Who Comes to WYD

It is also a way to come to understand other cultures and spread peace and understanding throughout the world. As they wave their regional flags with pride, the youth unite as one in their walk of faith.

Who Comes to WYD

During the week leading up to the final Mass at World Youth Day, the youth gather in catechesis to learn the teachings of the faith.

What Happens at WYD

They celebrate together in cultural festivities and meet with the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

What Happens at WYD

The summit of the events begins Saturday evening with an encounter with the Holy Father followed by a night under the stars and finally Sunday Mass, once again with the Pope.

What Happens at WYD

World Youth Day is a reflection of the Holy Spirit moving through the ever young Catholic Church. Many come to be inspired, many come to inspire.

The Holy Father comes to be with the youth and together they encounter Jesus Christ in His people, in His Word and in His most Blessed Sacrament.

Many graces flow and the fruits are abundant because it is truly a pilgrimage in which self-sacrifice is an integral part. Many pilgrims save and prepare for years to attend. Others sacrifice by traveling a great distance. All are joyful despite the difficulties of huge crowds of people, uncomfortable climate conditions, lack of usual comforts like good food, comfortable lodging, electronics, cleanliness, etc.

Why WYD

July 20th Depart Amarillo

July 20th-24th Mission work in a Polish Diocese

July 25th Arrive in Krakow or nearby airport, prepare for WYD

July 26th Take in some sites of Krakow, time permitting, Opening ceremonies begin this afternoon

July 27th Morning catechesis, WYD events

July 28th Morning catechesis, Welcoming ceremonies with our Holy Father

July 29th Morning catechesis, WYD events

July 30th Morning pilgrimage, evening vigil with our Holy Father

July 31st Morning Mass with our Holy Father, pilgrimage back to accommodations

Aug 1st Depart Krakow for Rome

Sample Itinerary

August 2 Arrive Rome, Pray at S. Pietro in Vincoli, Witness the Coliseum & Roman Forum, Enjoy the Gesu, Pantheon, and the Fontana di Trevi

August 3rd Marvel at St. Peter’s, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel

August 4th Explore the Catacombs of S. Callisto, St. John Lateran, the Holy Stairs, & Santa Croce. Spend time in St. Mary Major and Santa Prassede

August 5th Depart Rome this morning for Amarillo

Sample Itinerary

Sample Itinerary

WYD Poland - $2849/person

Rome - $899/person

Fundraising+Family+Parish=$WYD$

Cost

1. If you are 18 yrs. or more by July 20, 2016 you must take the safe environment class at St. Vincent de Paul.

2. If you will not be 16 yrs. by July 20, 2016 you must be accompanied by a parent.

3. Everyone traveling to World Youth Day must be eligible for a passport/visa.

4. You must attend mass and faith formation every week.

5. You must participate in the youth group every week (16-18 yr old)

6. You must participate in fundraisers at least once a month (everyone)

7. You must attend monthly pilgrimage meetings/formation (everyone)

8. Your parents must attend an informational meeting to be announced.

9. A $100 non-refundable deposit must be paid by August 1.

Requirements

At least 1 fundraiser/month.

EVERYONE must participate in 10/12 fundraisers/year.

EVERYONE must actively help plan/organize fundraisers.

Fundraising

Sold Free-Trade Coffee after mass on Sundays for $12/lb. Kept $4/lb and made $8000 total. -Foxfield CO [Editor's update: Check out HisCoffeeCo.com - Coffee with a purpose!]

Recycling – On the diocesan level set up an account at an aluminum recycling center in Lincoln where pilgrims could drop off cans and turn in a receipt to the office. They had donors to match whatever the pilgrims raised this way. -Lincoln NE

Raffle- wrote up a specific form letter to be sent to businesses asking for donations, sent it out country wide to anyone and everyone, sold 1000+ tickets to raffle off all the great donations. (Paperwork was required to be licensed by the state to do the raffle) -Gwinn MI

Cinnamon Bun Sale- Done monthly, take pre-sale/prepay orders, spend the entire weekend preparing homemade cinnamon buns as ordered. Sold 8×8 pans for $5. And accepted donations -Gwinn MI

Parish Pledge- Two years in advance challenged the parish to pledge $5/mo per family (only $120 per family but if you get a lot of families…) Kept spreadsheets to monitor monthly payments.

Sponsor a mile program – Measure the distance the group will travel and have people sponsor a certain amount of the distance. They get the group to bring all their contacts/Christmas lists and send out the appeal. It takes the pressure off fundraising outside the parish. – Kansas City KS

Sponsor a pilgrim – Ask people to donate money for a specific pilgrim. Take prayer requests in the sponsor envelopes and pray for these petitions throughout their pilgrimage. – Lake Arrowhead CA

Concert – Invite local bands that will donate their performance. (They profit from T-Shirt/CD sales) Charge $10 for entrance and sell concessions. All proceeds go to group. – Brentwood CA

Fundraising

Sponsor a Pound – Parish sponsored their pastor their to lose weight… pledge certain amount per pound lost in a given period. This can be run a few times prior to WYD depending on time.

Buy Stock in the group. Group brings their investors back a gift.

Flamingo your Yard – Buy a bunch of flamingos from Oriental Trading Co. or other… Cost is $25 to have the Youth Group flamingo someone’s yard. The person flamingo-ed can get rid of the flamingos by flamingo-ing someone else or paying to have them removed ($10-$15) People can by insurance to protect them from being Flamingo-ed. – Lexington KY

Host a Vender Sales night/day – Invite vendor’s to bring their good to this event. Charge $25 to set up a table and group gets a percentage of sales.

Trivia Night – Teams of 8 competing against each other. Charge $80 to enter and have discounts for families. Prizes for 1st-3rd places would include gift cards or vouchers, that could be relatively small.

Pie and Ice Cream Social – Have local store donate Ice Cream and the youth group families make pies. Recruit local talent to perform and charge $5+ for a slice of pie and ice cream.

Car washes: “I found having car washes once a week is the best way to go if you want to raise a lot of money fast. One time when my daughter was a cheerleader, their squad raised $800 in 8 hours. If you go this route, remember to promote. And as Donald Trump always say location, location, location.” Fincher, Los Banos CA

Host a 10K, 5K, and family 1K fun run in benefit of the youth group’s pilgrimage. Pick a day, set the entrance fees, get in contact with the local civic authorities, notify vendors, and promote, promote!

Sponsor-a-Pound! Donors pledge a certain dollar amount per pound that an individual can lose. Then, the sponsored person can use World Youth Day training walks to help lose excess weight. San Diego, CA

Fundraising