Panama 15 January 2018
Provincial, Religious Congregations
Dear brothers,
We are one year before one of the most extraordinary opportunities that the Catholic Church offers to the youth from different places in the five continents of the world. World Youth Day is a unique event that has borne uncountable vocational fruits for religious life, priesthood, marriage, and citizens committed in the construction of the Kingdom of God on earth, Jose’ Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, Archbishop of Panama, underwrites this joined by the central American Episcopal Conference, inviting you to share with us this great experience.
Designed by His Holiness, Pope Francis, chose Panama to be the hosting country of the next World Youth Day which will occur from 22 to 27 January 2019, whose theme is “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”.
Before World Youth Day are the “Days in Dioceses”: they will take place from 16 to 20 January 2019 in 22 dioceses of Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica. The dioceses are joyfully preparing everything in order to receive you and to give you all love and hot welcoming characteristic of Latin American people.
This World Youth Day has some peculiarities that offer a very special dynamic:
– We are the first diocese on the continent, established more than 5oo years ago. The Gospel arrived here through the hands of the Virgin Mary, under the avocation of Santa Maria la Antigua and from then on it was spread throughout the whole continent.
– It is a World Youth Day that brings with it a Marian dimension, taking place in a continent where the devotion to the Mother of God is enrooted within its people.
– It is a Church that reflects the vivacity of a new evangelization, cultured in its people and in the changes performed by the Second Vatican Council.
– It will be the opportunity that the Pope will have to tell the world about the commitment that the Church acknowledges in order to evangelize the youthful world, right after the encounter of the Synod of Bishops about the Youth in October 2018.
– 12 catechesis centered on the theology of Pope Francis about the youth were prepared. The Pope has constantly affirmed that the young people are the protagonists of the transformations that the Church and the current society require. The catecheses were set in four parts: Youth, Ecology, Church and the Poor and Martyrs, and Mary: woman and mission.
The magazines of the catechesis were elaborated in order to be used during 2018. Those who are interested in obtaining them may write to the email address pastoral@)panamazoro.pa or call to (+507) 282-6580 and (+507) 282-6579, Panama City.
We really wish that the major quantity of young people from all over the world may take part in WYD Panama 2019, and we are sure that with your decided support, motivating all the brothers and sisters and their respective congregations, that will be possible. Therefore, we formally invite you to organize the delegation of your congregations so that, united by the youth of the whole world, we may encounter in our country.
In order to have more details about World Youth Day and to know how to join it, contact the members of the Direction of International Relations of the Local Organizing Committee of WYD Panama 2019, writing to: internacional@panama2019.pa.
You may also access the web page: www.panama2019.pa, where you may find all the official information about WYD. As well as the social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube #PANAMA2019.
May the Lord encourage you to join your efforts for our youth, who is waiting for opportunities to develop and offer their gifts to an “outgoing church”, willing to leave its comfort zone, unafraid of being bruised.
JOSE DOMINGO ULLOAMENDIETA, O.S.A.
METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP OF PANAMA
See the related communications below:
Bulletin January 2018 PDF:Bolletin – January 2018
Pilgrim Package PDF:PILGRIM-PACKAGE
Register-Press Release PDF: REGISTER – PRESS RELEASE
