UNTITLED

UNEDITED SAMPLE NEWS ARTICLE
By Jonah Aileen Oliva Reyes
IV - Enrico Fermi


SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—The Roman Catholic Church celebrates its 12th World Youth Day from Tuesday 15 to Sunday July 20, 2008. The World Youth Day brings together millions of Catholic or non-Catholic youth from all around the globe to gather for the purpose of rejoicing faith and securing camaraderie among the young people dominating our present generation. Also, it celebrates the mark of the first visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Sydney, Australia.

WYD08 serves as a provocation of the Pope to the youth to support the WYD08’s current theme; “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses”. (Acts 1:8) with the song “Receive the Power” to capture the hearts of young people to feel God’s love and spiritual fulfilment.

WYD08 LOGO
The WYD08’S logo focuses on the promise made by Christ to establish fire and flames upon the Earth by the power of the Holy Spirit which encourages people from different parts of the globe to witness it. The cross hoisted in triumph, symbolizes Christ and the life of witness which the Holy Spirit enables, thus having it centred on the logo. It is the passion of the heart of Christ, poured out into the world from the Cross, which consumes the young people of Sydney, of Australia and of the world. Its white colour implies the radiant light Jesus gives to the world.

The flames of the logo represent the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in tongues of fire. They evoke the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The colours of red, orange and yellow flowing throughout symbolise the Trinity and Unity of God. Also, it symbolizes the Autralian outback.

The blue of the logo represents the oceans that surround Australia, the waters of Baptism, the sea of humanity and Mary, full of grace.
Its shape, similar to the opera house signifies Sydney as its host for the year 2008.
WYD HISTORY

WYD started in 1984, instigated by Pope John Paul II to assemble the world’s youth with no religious discrimination and judgment in an international event. It is celebrated after every two or three years, held on the Pope’s chosen country for a week of fun-filled activities and programs demonstrating God’s love and spirituality. It feebly started with only 300, 000 teens from different countries in 1984 and heightened as the years went by resulting to a huge number of 4,000,000 when it was held here in the Philippines on 1995 and a number of 450,000 teens celebrating in Sydney, Austraila for its 12th celebration on 2008. The first theme was the “Holy Year of Redemption” held in Rome, Italy with Pope John Paul II as the head Pope.

The WYD08 will last for a week starting with the opening ceremony highlighting the pilgrims’ vigil site in the morning and Stations of the Cross in the afternoon on its first day. It normally ends with a final mass led by the Pope Benedict XVI and his final message to the youth who attended the international event IN Australia.

The Catholic Church will hold its next World Youth Day in the Spanish capital Madrid in 2011, as His Highness Pope Benedict XVI said on Sunday as he closed the festival in Sydney at a giant open-air mass. The announcement sparked jubilation among the estimated 5,000 Spanish pilgrims who travelled to Australia for the event. It will be the second time Spain has hosted the largest Christian gathering on earth after it staged the event in 1989 in the city of Santiago de Compostela. The event was last held in the German city of Cologne in 2005.