The week of WYD08 will officially begin on Tuesday 15 July with the Opening Mass to be celebrated by Cardinal George Pell at Barangaroo – a site near Sydney’s Darling Harbour often referred to as ‘the Hungry Mile.’ 

Immediately following the Opening Mass, the Youth Festival will then kick off with the Opening Concert with other Youth Festival events to then be held throughout the week across the city.

Catechesis and Mass will be celebrated in over 250 locations around Sydney on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the week with Pope Benedict XVI set to arrive at Barangaroo, Darling Harbour on Thursday 17 July at 2.45pm in the ‘Papal Boat-a-cade’.

The Stations of the Cross will be held on Friday 18 July from 3 – 6pm with pilgrims able to follow Christ’s journey to Calvary which will wind its way from St. Mary’s Cathedral to Barangaroo via the Opera House and the Domain.
 
On Saturday 19 July at 5.30am, thousands of pilgrims will then begin a pilgrimage from North Sydney across Sydney Harbour Bridge to Randwick Racecourse where that evening, the Papal Vigil with Pope Benedict will be held from 7 – 9pm. Following the Vigil, pilgrims will then ‘sleep under the stars’ at Randwick – in what has been termed the ‘Southern Cross Precinct’ in readiness for the 9am Papal motorcade arrival at Centennial Park the next morning. 

Following his arrival into Centennial Park, His Holiness will then make his way again into Randwick Racecourse for the Papal Mass which will be on Sunday 20 July at 10am.  At the conclusion of the Mass the next WYD host city will be announced at 12.15pm with the Final Blessing and Angelus to close off the ‘once-in-a-life-time’ week of celebrations.

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For more info on WYD2008 visit www.wyd2008.org

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