World Youth Day: The Creation of a Modern Pilgrimage Event for Evangelical Intent

Abstract

World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering of Catholic youth from around the globe. This article focuses on how WYD can be interpreted as a socio-historical event. The ubiquitous use of the word ‘pilgrimage’ with reference to WYD immediately catches the attention; however, the lack of established history or pilgrimage sites calls this appellation into question. As sociological data on WYD are becoming available, theories about the purposes and functions of the event can be devised. Examining WYD's history, what it looks like, and what participants gain from the experience reveals the event's function. This article looks at WYD as a ‘pilgrimage event’, which has the specific outcomes for participants in mind. The lens of secularisation and conventional pilgrimage theory allow us to explain the role of the event within the Catholic community. We argue that WYD is a legacy of Pope John Paul II, a vehicle through which the Catholic Church addresses problems of contemporary Western life, thus providing a new means of evangelism.