What is World Youth Day?

The Origin of World Youth Day

Many people have called World Youth Day (WYD) “the most beautiful invention of Saint John Paul II.” Yet the Pope once attributed its origin not to himself,
but to the young people of the world, affirming that the young people were the ones who invented WYD.
So how did this incredible journey begin? Let’s take a closer look.

From 1983 to 1984, the Church observed an extraordinary Jubilee Year to mark the 1,950th anniversary of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
As part of the Jubilee celebrations, Saint John Paul II proposed a special gathering of young people on Palm Sunday.
The plan was modest—maybe 60,000 attendees. But the response was overwhelming: over 250,000 young people showed up, filling Rome with joy and faith.

Then, in 1985, the United Nations proclaimed the “International Year of Youth.” In response, the Holy Father once again invited young people to Rome on Palm Sunday to show the Church’s special concern for the new generation.
This time, over 300,000 young people responded.
They spent time in prayer in churches across the city, attended catechesis sessions, and ultimately gathered with the Pope for Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

After these two events, people wondered: Why was there such a strong response? What were the young people seeking? Saint John Paul II thought that the young people wanted to meet each other to share their experiences and listen to words of faith. He believed they were looking to the future and felt a strong desire to firmly establish and renew their commitments. It was with this in mind that he established World Youth Day in 1985, asking each local Church to commemorate it accordingly. This local celebration was, for many years, celebrated on Palm Sunday. Saint John Paul II said his choice of the date reflected the desire of the young people.

"The response is given by all of you who have been coming to Rome on pilgrimage for many years precisely to celebrate this day [...]. Does this not mean perhaps that you yourselves are searching for Christ at the heart of his mystery? You are seeking it in the fullness of the truth which is Christ himself in the history of humankind."
(Palm Sunday Mass Homily, 3rd World Youth Day, March 27, 1988)

World Youth Day is celebrated yearly in each diocese, but there is also an international gathering.
At the beginning, the international gathering was held every other year.
The first diocesan WYD was held in 1986, with the first international WYD (and second WYD) being held the next year, in 1987 in Buenos Aires. In 1988, the third WYD was commemorated in dioceses around the world, and in 1989 young people from around the world gathered in Santiago de Compostela for WYD. Today, the diocesan World Youth Day is celebrated every year in individual dioceses.
Then, once every three to four years, young people from around the world gather to celebrate it with the Pope.