.- World Youth Day Madrid 2011 registration is now available through the U.S. Catholic bishops’ World Youth Day website. The event will gather young people from around the world with Pope Benedict XVI to pray, learn, celebrate, and strengthen one another in faith.
The site includes links to important information about the August 16-21 event. Content will be added as additional information becomes available, a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says.
Entry to main WYD events is free, but participants have options regarding meals, accommodations and transportation to Madrid. They also pay according to a fee scale set for each country.
Sister Eileen McCann, CSJ, coordinator for Youth and Young Adult Ministry at the USCCB, encouraged early registration, saying it allows organizers to plan for accommodations, meals and participation in activities.
“In addition to the Vigil and Mass with the Pope during the weekend, there are numerous catechetical and other cultural activities throughout the week,” she added. “Many groups also stay at parishes, school gymnasiums, or with local families.”
The WYD 2011 theme is “Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith.” Organizers estimate that nearly 600,000 young people from outside of Spain will participate in the events, with about 25,000 of them from the United States.
Pope Benedict officially opened the registration process on July 1, becoming the first to register for the event.
The U.S. bishops’ World Youth Day site is http://www.wydusa.org.
