It is a year to celebrate youth.
Father Tom Puslecki of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Innisfail is in Poland this week joining Catholics from around the world to celebrate 2016 World Youth Day with Pope Francis.
The event is held every three years and brings Catholics together in a celebration of faith and youth. This year it runs from July 25 to 31 in Krakow, Poland.
“This is the second time for the event in Poland. The first time was in 1991 in Czestochowa with Pope John Paul II,” said Puslecki.
World Youth Day officially kicks off with an opening day mass on July 26, followed by the arrival of Pope Francis on July 27 and a Welcoming Ceremony and special mass commemorating the 1,050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland.
World Youth Day began with Pope John Paul II and is a worldwide event that has celebrated youth for more than three decades.
“He was always open to youth and for the children. He was always saying that they are our future and future of the church,” said Puslecki, noting more than 200 youth and staff from the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, which Innisfail belongs to, will be attending the international event.
“From our archdiocese there are about 270 youth, four priests and one bishop going to Poland. From the Red Deer area there are four youth going.”
Many participants will arrive several days prior to the event to ready themselves spiritually, said Puslecki.
“We are going to prepare ourselves a week before the main event in small dioceses,” he said, referring to a week-long “Days in the Dioceses” where participants prepare themselves across the country. One of them is in Puslecki's hometown.
“I am so excited that 270 Canadians are going to see my hometown (Wloclaw), a thousand-year-old city,” he said. “It's a beautiful city; I grew up there.
“About 15,000 youth from all over the world are going to my city for preparation week,” he added. “For one week we are going to visit together, work together, pray together and we will have a Festival of Mercy,” explained Puslecki.
The 2016 World Youth Day takes place this year during the Year of Mercy, he noted, pointing to the theme for the event. “Pope Francis is calling this event ‘Blessed Are the Merciful.'”
In keeping with this theme, Puslecki and others, including youth, will visit such places as hospitals and homeless shelters to show mercy to others in need.
“After one week together we will all go to Krakow for the main event with the Pope,” he said, noting a time of prayer, sharing of faith and listening to the Pope's message during the World Day of Youth.
“People are really excited that the Pope is coming for this event.”
Puslecki said he hopes the youth participating from the Archdiocese of Edmonton learn from the event and return filled with hope and a positive outlook for their future.
“I will be so happy that they would bring something back from this (event),” said Puslecki. “When youth worship God together they do not feel alone. They can see that this is a group of people who believe in God and they are not shy to talk about Him.”
Puslecki said that 2016 World Youth Day is a great example to show the world that the Catholic Church is alive and has a promising future ahead.
“How many times has the world tried to tell us that the church is dying,” said Puslecki. “It's not true. There are a lot of young people in the church and their numbers are constantly growing.”
Father Tom Puslecki
"When youth worship God together they do not feel alone. They can see that this is a group of people who believe in God and they are not shy to talk about Him."
