WYD Final Statistics

WYD 08: Final statistics
Final statistics
World Youth Day, Sydney 2008

The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell and Co-ordinating Bishop for World Youth Day, The Right Reverend Anthony Fisher, OP reveal the final World Youth Day statistics.
PILGRIMS & ATTENDANCE
70,000 international pilgrims took part in Days of the Diocese throughout Australia during the week before WYD08
150,000 attended the Opening Mass at Barangaroo and CBD sites
In excess of 400,000 people attended the Final Mass at Southern Cross Precinct
500,000 people came out to welcome His Holiness on Thursday 17 July on the Boat-a-cade, Official Arrival at Barangaroo and Motorcade
223,000 people registered for pilgrim services during WYD08 (110,000 international pilgrims + 113,000 local pilgrims)
Over 170 nations were represented at World Youth Day Sydney 2008
168 international flags took part in the Procession of Flags at the WYD08 Opening Mass
AUDIENCE
WYD08 events were watched live by an estimated international TV audience of 500 million, with TV and internet audiences combined reaching 1 billion
XT3.com, the WYD08 official online social networking site, is expected to attract 225,000 pilgrims as a result of the event
The World Youth Day website received over 500,000 unique users from Saturday 12 July to Sunday 20th July with the biggest spike in hits occurring Thursday 17th July.
WYD08 online streaming received over 250,000 visits during the event period, watching events live all around the world
Top countries watching online streaming included USA, UK, Italy, Canada, Spain and Germany
There were 2,000 accredited media for WYD08
ACTIVITIES
450 Youth Festival events took place during the week from Tuesday to Sunday in over 100 venues
30 large national gatherings took place during WYD08
134 international pilgrims from 58 countries were part of the International Liturgy Group (ILG), as well as a representative from each Australian State and Territory. The ILG undertook the main duties of the liturgies including readings, offertory procession, altar servers, testimonials, flag bearers.
In Terrey Hills, more than 350 cardinals and bishops from overseas enjoyed a lunch hosted by the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
An average of 2,500 pilgrims walked through the Vocations Expo every hour
Catechesis was delivered at 235 locations across Sydney in 29 different languages
The WYD08 Choir consisted of 300 members, the WYD08 Orchestra was an 80 piece orchestra
1,000 priests heard confession during the WYD08 week
JOURNEY OF THE CROSS AND ICON
Once the Journey of the Cross and Icon reached Wollongong for the 15 Day walk, it had travelled nearly 80,000km around Australia
The Cross and Icon visited over 400 Australian communities during the 12 month pilgrimage around Australia
Nearly 400,000 people touched the Cross throughout Australia
The WYD Cross is 3.8m high and 1.75m wide, weighing some 40 kilograms
The WYD Icon is 118cm high and 79cm wide, weighing some 15 kilogram
4,000 pilgrims took part in the final day of the Journey of the Cross and Icon on Monday 14th July when it travelled on a Manly Ferry before being walked through central Sydney
PILGRIM SERVICES
6,000 blankets were donated by Qantas to pilgrims from across Oceania
37 lucky Burmese pilgrims overcame VISA difficulties to finally make it to Sydney for WYD08
At the WYD Big Aussie BBQ, 220,000 slices of bread were consumed – if laid end to end, it would cover the Sydney Harbour Bridge 21 times
100,000 pilgrims slept in 400 schools and parishes
Over 12,000 pilgrims stayed in Sydney Olympic Park throughout the week
40,000 were billeted as part of the WYD08 HomeStay program
PAPAL FACTS
The Pope’s flight to Sydney took 19 hours and 45 minutes
The Pope’s flight home will take 21 hours
From Rome the flight travelled a total distance of 16,500 kilometres
The Pope will fly back to Rome on a Qantas flight, stopping off Darwin for a brief refuelling
The Pope sent six daily inspirational text messages
The Pope met six native Australian animals from Taronga Zoo when in Kenthurst - a wallaby, koala, python, lizard, baby crocodile and an echidna
12 lucky young people lunched with the Pope on Friday 18 July. This included Australians Craig Ashby from Sydney and Teresa Wilson from Melbourne
24 people were confirmed by the Pope at the Final Mass including 14 young Australians and 10 international young people
The Pope lunched with 50 current and retired Australian Bishops in St Mary’s Cathedral House
The Pope kissed four small children during his Motorcades
VOLUNTEERS
8,000 WYD08 volunteers assisted during WYD08
His Holiness held a special event to specifically thank the volunteers at the Domain prior to his departure
CLERGY
There were 4,000 priests and deacons, 420 Bishops, 26 Cardinals and one Pope present at WYD08
500 special WYD08 chasubles for the Bishops and Cardinals were made
4,000 stoles were made for the priests
1.1 million communion hosts were made for the WYD08 Masses
FOOD
25 million food items were ordered for WYD08
3.6 million meals were distributed across approximately 400 venues during the week
215,000 meat pies, 360,000 lamingtons and 100,000 litres of Dairy Farmers Milk were consumed
SERVICES
400,000 people attended the Final Mass at Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park
235,000 faithful attended the night time Vigil at Randwick Racecourse.
Over 200,000 pilgrims camped at Randwick Racecourse overnight in anticipation of the Final Mass
232,000 candles were used during WYD08
100 actors took part in the Stations of the Cross performance
4000 toilets were in use at the Southern Cross Precinct
AMBASSADORS, PATRONS, SPONSORS
World Youth Day Ambassadors were:
Carla Zampatti - leading Australian fashion designer
Jared Crouch - Sydney Swans Footballer
The Delezio Family – Ron, Carolyn, Mitchell and Sophie
Matthew Hayden - Australian Cricketer
Amelia Farrugia - Australian Opera singer
Mark Bresciano - Australian Socceroo
Stephen Moore - Australian Wallaby
Jimmy Little - Indigenous Australian musician
Dr John Herron - Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs
WYD08 Corporate Affilliates included: Qantas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Catholic Church Insurances Limited, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Mercedes-Benz, Telstra, The Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph, Harvest Youth Tours, Arnotts, Tip Top, Coca-Cola Amatil and Accor Hospitality, Captain Cook Cruises BridgeClimb, Taronga Zoo, The Catholic Weekly, Avis, Cadbury, Cerebos Foods, Dairy Farmers, Mrs Mac's, Sanitarium, Schenker, SACL, Safcol, Moore Stephens
There were 10 World Youth Day Patrons including: St Thérèse of Lisieux, St Faustina Kowalska, St Maria Goretti, St Peter Chanel, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Mary MacKillop, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, John Paul II, Our Lady of the Southern Cross

Back from WYD SYD08

The days spent with the young people of the diocese were inspiring. The Church is alive and the Church is young! I will post a reflectionlater when I feel more human after jet-lag. But these are the words of Pope Benedict to the young people on Sunday morning

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
MASS FOR THE XXIII WORLD YOUTH DAY -- CELEBRATION OF CONFIRMATION
RANDWICK RACECOURSE
SYDNEY
20 JULY 2008

Dear Friends,

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" (Acts 1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as we heard in the first reading, the Risen Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent the Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. In the power of that Spirit, Peter and the Apostles went forth to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In every age, and in every language, the Church throughout the world continues to proclaim the marvels of God and to call all nations and peoples to faith, hope and new life in Christ.

In these days I too have come, as the Successor of Saint Peter, to this magnificent land of Australia. I have come to confirm you, my young brothers and sisters, in your faith and to encourage you to open your hearts to the power of Christ's Spirit and the richness of his gifts. I pray that this great assembly, which unites young people "from every nation under heaven" (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the fire of God's love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation of apostles, to bring the world to Christ! "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you". These words of the Risen Lord have a special meaning for those young people who will be confirmed, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, at today's Mass. But they are also addressed to each of us - to all those who have received the Spirit's gift of reconciliation and new life at Baptism, who have welcomed him into their hearts as their helper and guide at Confirmation, and who daily grow in his gifts of grace through the Holy Eucharist. At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord's body and blood, but also to transform our lives, to make us, in his power, "one body, one spirit in Christ".
But what is this "power" of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God's life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. In today's Gospel, Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity (cf. Lk 4:21). He himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, came among us to bring us that Spirit. As the source of our new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit is also, in a very real way, the soul of the Church, the love which binds us to the Lord and one another, and the light which opens our eyes to see all around us the wonders of God's grace.

Here in Australia, this "great south land of the Holy Spirit", all of us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the beauty of nature. Our eyes have been opened to see the world around us as it truly is: "charged", as the poet says, "with the grandeur of God", filled with the glory of his creative love. Here too, in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we have had a vivid experience of the Spirit's presence and power in the life of the Church. We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of our faith in the Risen Lord. The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life! Through the grace of the Church's sacraments, that power also flows deep within us, like an underground river which nourishes our spirit and draws us ever nearer to the source of our true life, which is Christ. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who died a martyr in Rome at the beginning of the second century, has left us a splendid description of the Spirit's power dwelling within us. He spoke of the Spirit as a fountain of living water springing up within his heart and whispering: "Come, come to the Father" (cf. Ad Rom., 6:1-9).

Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God's love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity to God's grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells within us, leading us, through Jesus, in the Church, to our heavenly Father. In the power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his love, and to receive "power from on high", enabling us to be salt and light for our world.

At his Ascension, the Risen Lord told his disciples: "You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Here, in Australia, let us thank the Lord for the gift of faith, which has come down to us like a treasure passed on from generation to generation in the communion of the Church. Here, in Oceania, let us give thanks in a special way for all those heroic missionaries, dedicated priests and religious, Christian parents and grandparents, teachers and catechists who built up the Church in these lands - witnesses like Blessed Mary MacKillop, Saint Peter Chanel, Blessed Peter To Rot, and so many others! The power of the Spirit, revealed in their lives, is still at work in the good they left behind, in the society which they shaped and which is being handed on to you.

Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the "power" which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will you make? The power of the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten and console us. It also points us to the future, to the coming of God's Kingdom. What a magnificent vision of a humanity redeemed and renewed we see in the new age promised by today's Gospel! Saint Luke tells us that Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of all God's promises, the Messiah who fully possesses the Holy Spirit in order to bestow that gift upon all mankind. The outpouring of Christ's Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and deliverance from everything that impoverishes us. It gives the blind new sight; it sets the downtrodden free, and it creates unity in and through diversity (cf. Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2). This power can create a new world: it can "renew the face of the earth" (cf. Ps 104:30)!
Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith's rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God's gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished - not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.

The world needs this renewal! In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair. How many of our contemporaries have built broken and empty cisterns (cf. Jer 2:13) in a desperate search for meaning - the ultimate meaning that only love can give? This is the great and liberating gift which the Gospel brings: it reveals our dignity as men and women created in the image and likeness of God. It reveals humanity's sublime calling, which is to find fulfilment in love. It discloses the truth about man and the truth about life.

The Church also needs this renewal! She needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4)! In today's second reading, the Apostle Paul reminds us that each and every Christian has received a gift meant for building up the Body of Christ. The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young people. She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness. Open your hearts to that power! I address this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say "yes" to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of others!

In a few moments, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmands; they will be "sealed" with the gift of the Spirit and sent forth to be Christ's witnesses. What does it mean to receive the "seal" of the Holy Spirit? It means being indelibly marked, inalterably changed, a new creation. For those who have received this gift, nothing can ever be the same! Being "baptized" in the one Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) means being set on fire with the love of God. Being "given to drink" of the Spirit means being refreshed by the beauty of the Lord's plan for us and for the world, and becoming in turn a source of spiritual refreshment for others. Being "sealed with the Spirit" means not being afraid to stand up for Christ, letting the truth of the Gospel permeate the way we see, think and act, as we work for the triumph of the civilization of love.

As we pray for the confirmands, let us ask that the power of the Holy Spirit will revive the grace of our own Confirmation. May he pour out his gifts in abundance on all present, on this city of Sydney, on this land of Australia and on all its people! May each of us be renewed in the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of wonder and awe in God's presence!

Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may this Twenty-third World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room, from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit, go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him! Amen.

Father Damien to be canonised (N.B. Diffferent Fr Damien!)

The Congregation of the Causes of Saints at the Vatican has voted to canonize Father Damien of Molokai to sainthood.

After the verification of two medical miracles, after decades of investigation into the life and works of Damien De Veuster, the Consisterie at the Vatican has at long last voted to elevate the Martyr of Molokai to its Pantheon of Saints.

The measure now awaits the signature of Pope Benedict XVI.

"People are very excited because they know he was a great person and role model, and that is the most important thing of the sanctification, he finally can be the role model we need," Damien historian Hilde Eynikel told KITV from Belgium.

The search is now on for a relic of Father Damien, which will be presented to the pope at the sanctification.

A relic can be something touched by the saint, worn by the saint, or an actual body part of the saint.

The diocese in Brussels is now looking into the retrieval of such a relic from Damien's tomb in Leuven, Belgium.

Damien's grave in Kalaupapa contains only his right hand, which was re-interred following his beatification in 1995.

The canonization will take place in Rome, possibly at the end of next year, with celebrations in Belgium and Hawaii.

The pope will probably not travel to Hawaii.

Cardinal Daneels of Belgium may be in attendance.

Supporters of the sainthood effort are overjoyed that now the world will know what Hawaii has known for 100 years -- that Father Damien of Molokai is a saint.

He was born Joseph De Veuster in Tremeloo, Belgium, in 1840.

De Veuster's older brother, Pamphile, was set to travel to the "Sandwich Islands," but was too sick to go. Instead, De Veuster traveled to Hawaii in his brother's place.

The Roman Catholic priest arrived in Hawaii in 1864 and took the name Damien. He served the leprosy patients at the Molokai colony at Kalaupapa for 12 years before he succumbed to Hansen's disease at age 49.

His body was exhumed from his Molokai grave in 1936 when his remains were sent to Belgium, for reburial.

In 1995, a relic of his right hand was given back to the Hawaii Diocese and returned to his Molokai grave.