U.S. Groups Form Third Largest Going To World Youth Day In Rio

WASHINGTON—Groups from the UnitedStates comprise the third largest national delegation of pilgrims going to the28th World Youth Day, this year slated for July 23-28 in Rio de Janeiro.

Thecurrent number of U.S. registrants is currently over 7,000, said PaulJarzembowski, program coordinator for youth and youth ministry of the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops. About 40 U.S. bishops also are expected toparticipate in the event.

Thelist of bishops who plan to attend includes Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York;Cardinal Seán O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. of Boston; Cardinal Theodore McCarrick ,archbishop emeritus of Washington; Cardinal William Levada, prefect emeritus ofthe Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Archbishop Samuel Aquila ofDenver; Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. of Philadelphia; ArchbishopGustavo García-Sillar, M.Sp.S. of San Antonio; and Archbishop Jerome Listeckiof Milwaukee.

Amonggroups who plan to attend are those from the Salesians of Don Bosco USA, JesuitHigh School in Tampa, Florida, the Vietnamese Lasallian Youth, theNeocatecumenal Way, the Institute of the Incarnate Word, and the (arch)dioceses of New York; Newark; Boston; Portland in Oregon: Rockville Center, NewYork; Honolulu, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Brooklyn, New York; Fresno, California;San Bernardino, California; Lincoln, Nebraska; Venice, Florida; San Antonio;and Washington. Other parish and youth and young adult groups from across theUnited States also are slated to attend.

PopeJohn Paul II initiated World Youth Day in 1986 as a way to reach out to youngCatholics. It is celebrated in the Diocese of Rome every Palm Sunday. Internationally it is celebrated in differentcities around the world every two or three years. The last international WorldYouth Day was celebrated in Madrid in August 2011. In 1993, it was celebrated in Denver. Other international World Youth Days have beenheld in Buenos Aires (1987); Santiago de Compostela, Spain (1989); Czestochowa,Poland (1991); Manila, Philippines (1995); Paris (1997); Rome (2000); Toronto (2002);Cologne (2005); and Sydney (2008).

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Editors: Informationon media accreditation can be found at https://rio2013.com/en/press/registration

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Keywords: Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, Cardinal TimothyDolan, Cardinal Seán O'Malley, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, World Youth Day,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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