Cardinal Napier encourages young people to attend Mini World Youth Day

In a message to young Catholics on the Mini World Youth Day website, His Eminence, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier encouraged the youth to participate as fully as possible in the event, which will be hosted at the Durban Exhibition Centre on behalf of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, from 6-10 December 2017.
Cardinal Napier writes, “In choosing the theme for the Mini World Youth Day, we have been guided by the vision that Pope Francis has set for World Youth Day for the next three years, culminating in Panama in January 2019. The Blessed Virgin Mary is at the heart of the themes chosen. As might be expected, it is the Gospel of St Luke that provides light and inspiration for these World Youth Days. For Palm Sunday 2017 the theme was: “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”. That is why we have chosen this verse from Mary’s Magnificat as the theme for our Mini World Youth Day.

“The importance of this occasion for evangelising Youth and Young Adults is underlined by the fact that Pope Francis has also focused the attention of the next Synod of Bishops on young people, by selecting the theme ‘Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment’.

“If you have been blessed with the grace of attending a World Youth Day, then you will know what a wonderfully spiritual privilege it is, a special moment of grace – and you will be first in the queue encouraging your friends and fellow believers to attend the Mini World Youth Day in Durban, where we will celebrate our Christianity together as Southern Africans.”

For more information, please visit http://miniworldyouthday.co.za/