Diane ChybowskiVOLUNTEER IN PROFILEVolunteers are an essential part of the DID08 Workforce. Diane Chybowski is one of the first volunteers to join Team DID08 Operations team and she tells us why she wants to be a part of DID08. Why did you become a volunteer for DID08?I have the time to do more volunteering now that I'm "semi retired" and after reading a book "The Secret of Living is Giving" I decided to have this as part of my philosophy of life and be part of a special event like WYD. It is my opportunity to contribute to an event while staying in Melbourne through DID08. What do you hope to achieve as a volunteer for DID08?I hope to have a sense of being part of a world event here in Australia and a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to guide me on this journey. What are you looking forward to most about World Youth Day 2008?I am really looking forward to seeing thousands of young people fired up about God and it will be exciting to see how our country will be blessed because of this. I am also looking forward to meeting the young people from various countries. If you would like to join the team as a long term volunteer, please contact us via our website |
     
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Welcome from the CEODear Friends, Our mission is to serve and inspire young people, both local and international, on pilgrimage to Melbourne's Days in the Dioceses and World Youth Day Sydney. Young people are yearning for moments of mass celebration to allow them to experience friendship and unity with other people of the same age but also to make a special connection with God. World Youth Day and the Days in the Dioceses experience are part of this beautiful inner and outer journey for young people. What a privilege and responsibility we have here in Melbourne to prepare our parishes and schools and most importantly our hearts to warmly receive the thousands of young people who will be with us in Melbourne next July! In the next few weeks many of you will be involved in Pilgrim Training sessions to ensure we provide well organised hospitality and solid formation that enriches the quality of the experience we will offer our young pilgrims. Thank you for your generosity in this task and I hope to see many of you at these training sessions - as we continue the pilgrimage towards WYD! Parish ProfileAt St Peter Chanel Parish of Deer Park.
Early in 2007, St Peter Chanel Parish started working with the parish social committee. By involving the parish social committee in regular fundraising meetings, the message that WYD is for the whole of the parish, not just young people in the youth group (whom are all a wonderful source of wisdom and practical support!) gave greater momentum for the team to enlist this support. The parish's first fundraising effort, a raffle, coincided with the DID08 ‘One Year to Go' celebrations. A prominent WYD display was created in the church foyer including a thermometer that measured the fundraising target, a weeks-to-go countdown, photos or parishioners from previous WYDs, contact details of the parish WYD contacts, and a place where interested parishioners could leave their own contact details for further information. The Parish has many plans in the coming months, including a fundraising supper night and carnival in early 2008. This will involve the engagement of various parish groups who will be participating in WYD, involved in the Journey of the WYD Cross and Icon, linking with parish families hosting overseas pilgrims and signing up to be DID08 Volunteers. The pilgrim journey is not anonymous, but shared, vibrant and inclusive. It is important to foster the spirit of pilgrimage and friendship within our pilgrim group, giving them the opportunity to meet in the months before WYD08 and DID08. The parish continues to pray together to guide and give our parish leaders the strength to work towards WYD08 and DID08. Please visit the website below to see the great work St Peter Chanel Parish are doing in Deer Park: |
International UpdateG'day from Europe again,
From Prague it was onto England to meeting with representatives from the English and Welsh Dioceses. Adam Berry and Helen Bardy gathered together a group in their Westminster offices and together with Australian representatives Br Mark O'Connor (CEO WYD Melbourne) and Steve Elder (Director of Catholic Education Office Melbourne) we spoke about the preparations to receive thousands of international pilgrims into our Melbourne homes and parishes. Leaving England I caught a flight from Luton airport to Nantes' on the West coast of France. The following day it was on to Dijon followed by a train to visit the Brothers in Taize'. Later that evening I was walking through Nantes' and came across a beautiful big church where I could hear beautiful singing and music. I had a wonderful opportunity to sit and talk to them and in my bad French/English/Sign language, I explained that I was from Australia and travelling the world visiting various countries. I then of course invited them to Melbourne's Days in the Dioceses and then onto Sydney for the WYD celebrations. They were very excited to hear about our preparations and to meet me - a real life Australian who wasn't riding a Kangaroo!
Europe has been a great experience as I leave with the motivation to work hard when I get back home to Australia and contribute towards offering the best Days in the Dioceses experience possible for the many pilgrims throughout Europe who are busily saving their money to make the trip to Australia. I'll send the next update the US and South America... until then I'll put on my trackies and bed socks and pray for an emergency exit seat as I travel to the US for more exciting adventures. See you later! |
JCI is coming to a Parish near you!Special thanks to all parishes who put in an expression of Interest to be selected as a Journey of the Cross and Icon Key Hosting Parish when it arrives in Melbourne on 26 April 2008. We received a great number of parishes expressing interest, which has given JCI Melbourne the basis for drafting a route around the diocese. Once, this route has been agreed and signed off by the WYD office, JCI Melbourne will be in contact with all selected Key Hosting Parishes. The initial discussions will focus on including as many interested people in the planning of local Key Host Events as possible and involving as many other neighboring parishes as possible in the local area. Thanks for your support and we look forward to announcing the successful Hosting Parishes shortly. Stay tuned! JCI Melbourne |
Loreto Agora Gathering - 500,000 Youth come together in Italy
500,000 youth were brought in from all sides of the country by car, bus and train to gather in Loreto in a vast 200 acre field to greet the Pope and the Australian representatives as they took part in a celebration of togetherness, faith and exploration. The Australian delegation visiting Italy were introduced to the massive crowd with rapturous applause when Bishop Anthony Fisher from WYD Sydney addressed the young people in italian. When the Australians acknowledged the crowd there was a roar from the mass of Italians which created an overwhelming atmosphere of expectation for what they will expect to experience in Sydney in July 2008. The Pope sent a message of trust to the Italian youth at the gathering, encouraging them to have trust in the faith. The Pope also did not dismiss the fact that it is challenging for the youth of today to remain in touch with their faith but he urged them to remain resilient and steadfast in their love of God. The Agora Gathering is part of a 3 year youth engagement program initiated by the Italian Bishops Conference to bring youth back to the church. The first initiative was the Agora Gathering bringing together 500,000 young people, the second is taking them on pilgrimage to Australia and the third initiative experiencing World Youth Day in Sydney. The gathering were treated to an exciting and dynamic cultural and entertainment display before the Mass which showcased the performance of Andrea Bocelli, an impressive light show, a Rock band and concert, followed by an overnight vigil in anticipation for the Papal Mass. In less than 300 days we will be greeting many international groups including large delegations of Italians to Melbourne. 2008 will be an exciting time for local youth of Melbourne to showcase what our city has to offer the Italians and international pilgrims from all over the world! |
Pilgrim Services - What's New?Calling all Performers!! Apply now to take part in the WYD08 Youth Festival to be held in Sydney during WYD.
The WYD08 Youth Festival is a celebration of vibrant faith. Pilgrims from around the world will get a chance to present and be involved in cultural activities that bring about a sharing of faith using cultural forms. Youth Festival events include: concerts, performing and dramatic arts, visual art exhibitions, workshops, forums and debate, guest speakers, film screenings, street performances, community and national gatherings. The Festival will occur in the afternoons and evenings of WYD week 15 - 20 July 2008. All over Sydney there will be entertainment from all over the world showcasing our vast artistic and cultural talents. Applications are open to professional artists and or recreational performers. To be considered for the Youth Festival as a performer or presenter you must complete the Youth Festival application form on the WYD website. Due to the level of interest in the festival, the WYD Festival Planner will select a short list of successful applicants. Applications close on 26 October 2007 |
Training Corner
Many of the sessions are filling fast – so please ensure you RSVP to info@did08.com as soon as possible. For training session times and details see our Pilgrim TEAM Training brochure We look forward to seeing you at the training and helping you with your community's preparations for Days in the Dioceses and World Youth Day 2008! |
the community is blessed with a vibrant parish that supports the youth group's World Youth Day preparations. A team of three young adult leaders from the youth group are leading the parish's organisation. The Parish priests have been a wonderful support to the young people leading the journey to DID08 and WYD. Our parish community prays for WYD08 and DID08 in every Mass to allow our pilgrims to go on a spiritual journey towards Christ. 
After leaving Italy and saying goodbye to Pope Benedict, half a million Italian youth and the rest of the Australian delegation boarded the plane for Prague in the Czech Republic. It was exciting to be visiting such a beautiful city and I was pleased to be met at the airport by Helena Parikova and Father.Vit Zatloukal from their youth ministry team. It was great to talk to them and help answer questions for their pilgrimage to Australia. I also took the opportunity to explore the beautiful city when Helena invited me to join a tour with some of her friends.... the hospitality was outstanding and sampling some of the beer and food was even better! 
Onto France which was a flying trip where we met the Brothers from the Taize' community who joined us along with representatives from dioceses all over France. Our French ‘Super Woman,' Sophie Winckel met us and is spreading the good word and assisting French pilgrims to plan their journey south for Melbourne's Days in the Dioceses. 
Australia is all the rave in Italy... it was evident at the gathering in Loreto last month when Italians embraced Australians with gusto who were in Loreto to attend the Agora Gathering and attend Mass with the Pope. 
If you are making the pilgrimage to Sydney, we encourage you to "get with the spirit" and become involved as a presenter, performer or spectator at the Youth Festival. 
Get in quick to secure your place at the Pilgrim TEAM Training in October and November 2007! This will be the last opportunity in 2007 for World Youth Day Key Contacts and Coordinators to receive the latest information and resources to help parish and school communities prepare for Days in the Dioceses and World Youth Day 2008.