The global community of the Catholic Church lifts up the lives and presence of youth and young adults, in particular at World Youth Days and the annual Global Celebrations of Young People
World Youth Day in Seoul, Korea, will take place August 3-8, 2027. The logo and themes in preparation for WYD 2027 have been released: for 2025-2026: “You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me” (Jn 15:27), and for 2026-2027, including WYD Seoul: “Take courage! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33).
Watch the press conference online announcing this news. Most content is in English.
Visit the WYD Seoul website for more information: https://wydseoul.org/en.
Most Rev. Edward J. Burns, Bishop of Dallas and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Most Rev. Paul Kyung-sang Lee, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul and General Coordinator of the World Youth Day Seoul Local...
The Catholic Church celebrates the young in many ways and on multiple levels, including:
In any instance, these are moments in the life of the Church when young people come together with their peers from every continent or celebrate in solidarity with one another in their local communities for prayer, formation, and celebration around Jesus Christ and the Catholic family worldwide.
As we look toward Seoul 2027, the WYD organizers are inviting the world to pray one billion decades of the rosary with the Blessed Mother to ask her intercession for WYD and to accompany us for the journey. To participate in this movement, pray a rosary for the intentions of WYD and for all young people - and finish with the official prayer for WYD Seoul 2027. Keep a tally of your decades and simply fill out this form to submit to add them to the official count. The Seoul Local Organizing Committee will update the website to reflect your contributions.
More details available online hereThe Global Celebration of Young People, which takes place every year on the Solemnity of Christ the King, is an annual celebration of youth and young adults that is undertaken on the local levels of the Church, such as dioceses, eparchies, parishes, schools, and chaplaincies.
These celebrations both strengthen communities, and, through the use of shared scriptural themes, help prepare the Church for its major international gatherings, the next of which will be World Youth Day in Seoul, Korea, in 2027.
From 2023 to 2025, the Church reflects on the virtue of hope, the underpinning of the 2025 Holy Year celebration (which has as its theme, "Pilgrims of Hope"). From 2025 to 2027, the Church will reflect on courageous witness in anticipation of the 2027 World Youth Day in Korea, the land of courageous witnesses to Jesus Christ. Those themes are:
To learn more about the Global Celebration of Young People and for guides and other resources to assist in planning and organizing events for and themed around young people, please look to our Christ the King Annual page here.
The Holy Father Pope Francis declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Holy Year, a time of rejoicing in which different aspects of the Church's life and different people within the Church are celebrated. Included in this is a celebration of youth and young adults, their role in the Church, and what the Church can learn from them.
The Jubilee of Young People took place from July 28 to August 3, 2025, forming an intermediary celebration between WYD Lisbon in 2023, and WYD Seoul in 2027. Building upon the two-year cycle of Scriptural themes for the Global Celebration of Youth and Young Adults, the theme for the jubilee is "Pilgrims of Hope," focusing on the distinct hope of young people and the unique effect their hope can have on the lives of others.
This jubilee celebration was the culmination of the scriptural themes and discernment that are a part of the celebration of the Global Celebration of Young People. Find more information on the Jubilee of Young People page.
World Youth Day Seoul is the next upcoming international gathering of World Youth Day. Taking place August 3 to 8, 2027, this celebration of faith will be the first WYD to take place on mainland East Asia.
If you would like information regarding the prior World Youth Day Lisbon, please go to the WYD Lisbon 2023 page. Being made at the time of WYD Lisbon, it has information detailing some of the activities in Portugal, primarily highlighting some important events and the activities of the Holy Father, though they do not form a comprehensive list.
Got questions? Please feel free to contact the National World Youth Day USA Office, within the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, with any questions you may have pertaining to international and stateside WYDs, pilgrim preparation, and hosting events. You can also follow the WYDUSA account on Facebook and Twitter, which gives the latest news and updates about upcoming WYD events and initiatives.
Phone: (202) 541-3044 | E-mail: @email
Receive updates by joining our Constant Contact list here!