Youth Jubilee - A Daily Surprise in 2000
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Youth Jubilee - A Daily Surprise in 2000
Vatican Mobilizes to Welcome Young Pilgrims
VATICAN CITY, 31 AUG 1999 (ZENIT).
Well aware that young visitors to the Eternal City will not be limited to World Youth Day in August, 2000, the Jubilee Steering Committee has announced its plans to welcome young people throughout the Jubilee. Every day, the Vatican will offer special attention to young pilgrims. To guarantee this, a workgroup has been formed for "Young People and Jubilee," which is planning itineraries for youth, according to their interests and tastes.
A Meeting Place
The various activities suggested by the workgroup will take the youth deeper into the meaning of the Jubilee, as well as offer them the possibility to meet with other youth. The organizers hope that this will allow even young people who travel alone to have moments of "spiritual renewal" designed expressly for them.
Each weekday evening at 6:00pm, there will be an "Encounter of Witness and Prayer" at the Church of St. Laurence "in piscibus," a small Romanesque church just off St. Peter's Square. The services will include a Liturgy of the Word, as well as time for witnessing, prayer, silence, and socializing. The church is part of the International Youth Center, created by John Paul II in 1984, to serve young visitors to Rome.
Every Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m., organizers plan a "Pilgrim's Prayer" in St. Peter's Square. It is expected that the Holy Father will make an appearance at the end of each of these meetings.
Eucharistic adoration is being organized in the Church of St. Agnes in Piazza Navona for Thursday nights. The adoration will begin at 9:00 p.m. with Mass, extending until midnight. Priests will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in several languages during the adoration.
For First Fridays, a reconciliation service will be held at 9:00 p.m. in the Basilica of St. Sabina on the Aventine hill. During Advent and Lent, the service will be held every Friday. After a Liturgy of the Word and various meditations, time will be left for individual confessions.
International Youth Mass
Each Saturday afternoon at 5:00 p.m., an International Youth Mass will be held at the Basilica of Ss. Ambrose and Charles. The liturgy will be accompanied by various "signs," such as renewal of Baptismal promises and the lighting of the Easter candle. The collection at these Masses will be used to finance a project of solidarity for needy youth. After the Mass, there will be a reception for the participants to get to know people of other cultures.
The volunteers of the center will also, on request, organize various other activities for their guests, such as visits to the Catacombs to celebrate the memory of the Church's early martyrs or meetings with the youth of a Roman parish.
Volunteer Team
To coordinate all of these activities for youth, the Jubilee Steering Committee has founded a "Youth Service" formed of an international team of volunteers. Their work in the Volunteer Center for Jubilee Reception will start this October.
At the same time, Vatican Radio is organizing a special program entitled "Youth Jubilee Radio," hosted by youth for youth. The program will be broadcast in various languages every day at 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. [emphasis added] ZE99083102
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