Ireland Begins Preparations for World Youth Day Seoul 2027
‘Take courage! I have overcome the world’
Preparations are beginning in Ireland for the next World Youth Day, as young people and youth ministry leaders look ahead to Seoul, South Korea, for the 17th international celebration of young people and faith.
World Youth Day Seoul 2027 will take place from 3 to 8 August 2027, with Days in the Dioceses taking place across Korea from 29 July to 2 August. It will be only the second time that World Youth Day has been held in Asia, following the gathering in Manila in 1995. The Seoul celebration will also be the first World Youth Day to take place in a country where Christians are a minority.Established by Pope St John Paul II, World Youth Day was first celebrated in Rome in 1986. Since then, it has become an international pilgrimage bringing together young people from across the world for prayer, catechesis, celebration, fellowship and an encounter with Christ. The organisers describe WYD as an expression of the universal Church and an opportunity for young people to deepen their faith, discern their vocation and take an active role in the life of the Church.
The Seoul gathering will have the theme: ‘Take courage! I have overcome the world’ from the Gospel of John. The organisers are placing particular emphasis on truth, love and peace, with young people invited to reflect on the dignity of the human person and the challenges facing the world today.
The Korean organisers expect hundreds of thousands of young people to take part. Alongside the main celebrations in Seoul, pilgrims will spend time in local dioceses, experiencing Korean Catholic communities and culture before travelling to the capital.
With less than a year to go, the invitation to World Youth Day is therefore already beginning: not simply to travel to Seoul, but to prepare through prayer, community and a renewed openness to encounter Christ alongside young people from across the world.
If interested in joining the Meath Diocesan group for this gathering of young Catholics (aged 19-35) with Pope Leo (27th July - 10th August) email: meathyouth@gmail.com.
Only a limited number of seats available; full costs €2,250. You are welcome to an info Get2gether on Sunday 4th October at 3pm in St. Anne’s Resource Centre on the grounds of St. Mary’s Church, Navan, Co. Meath. C15 W0YX.
