Journey of the WYD Cross and Icon of Our Lady

Through the Cross and Icon, WYD08 comes to you!

The WYD Cross has been carried and prayed with by millions of young people of all the continents of the world since Pope John Paul II entrusted it to the world's youth saying "carry it as a symbol of Christ's love for humanity".

On Palm Sunday 2006, a delegation of seventy Australian young people – representatives of our dioceses, communities and movements – received the WYD Cross, together with the Icon of our Lady. It was handed over by the young people of Cologne, host of the 2005 World Youth Day, at the Papal Mass in St Peter's Square.

The WYD Cross is central to all World Youth Days and its pilgrimage throughout Australia will be a vital part of the preparation for Sydney 2008.

The Cross and Icon will travel through parts of Africa, South-East Asia and Oceania before travelling throughout Australia from July 2007 until the conclusion of the WYD08 week. There will be opportunities for evangelisation, prayer and veneration in a variety of settings, including visits to Australia's iconic places as well as places of historical, cultural and spiritual significance.

The goal of the Journey of the WYD Cross and Icon is to proclaim the Good News of God's love in Christ to the young people of Australia and to prepare them for World Youth Day in Sydney 2008. Together with the Days in the Dioceses program, the Journey of the WYD Cross and Icon allows young Australians to connect with WYD in their own environment.

It is an incredible opportunity for each diocese to engage with its young people.