The feast of the nations, payer meetings, concerts, turist excursions and also one exhibition. They gave the base of their creativity, Italian dioceses to organize better welcome for the youth foreigners from 10 to 13 of August: the days with the sign of fraternity and hospitality before the participants at the Romans celebrations of the XV WYD.

 The Prayer is the first place

The general denominator for all the programmes in the dioceses is the prayer; a prayer which will accompany all the significant steps of the permanence of our guests. The prayer, is almost always guided by the bishops, but with interesting alterations according to the place. In some cases, this is connected with the pilgrimages, as that of the dioceses of Florence to Monte Senario, of Gorizia to San Canzian d’Isonzo and Acquila, of Ischia to the pinewood Nenzi Benzi, of La Spezia to the sanctuary of Mirtetto (Luni) of Loreto to Montorso (with the aim of a new centre  for youth pastoral), of Nolato the Paleocristian Cathedral of Cimitile, of Orvieto-Todi to the sanctuary of Collevalenza and to the birthplaces of Jacopone da Todi, of Palermo to the sanctuary of Santa Rosalia (with midnight adoration at the grotto) and of Venezia to the sanctuary of the perpetual health. For many a young people, not only those accomadated in the dioceses of Piedmont, a strong spiritual moment will be represented by the visit to the Holy Shroud, while the diocese of Loreto, who will invite its guests to a prayer in the abby of Fiastra and the prayer of the Rosary along the Holy Stairs. In all the dioces there will the Mass celebrated by the bishop who is the heart of the spiritual proposals: a celebration which will have a clearly have an international taste and in the case of the dioces of Nola, where this taste will be transmitted beyond the Alps: (that is from the French transimittent, Antenne deux)

Feasts and performances of the people

The names change according to the various places, but all deal with the feasts of the people the true and proper multietnical meetings which teach the value of fraternity .

A few examples: The group Mondogiovani2000 proposes a feasts in Piazza Garibaldi while at Agrigento the evening will be called giovaninfesta  and at Cefalů festagiovani.  Ravenna does things at large levels at Pala De Andrč, one of their perforformances inspired by Jesus christ the Superstar. Internazional feasts also in Pisa (preceeded by the lauch of the paraschiutists with the flag of the World Youth Day), in Reggio Calabria (in the so called Amfiteatro della Pace), in Siena (palasport), in Trento, in Montepulciano (at the Cathedral), in Venezia and in Vercelli (Palasport). Day Event, a name of English feeling, at the end, of the dioces of Orvieto and Assisi, there will be an encounter for which the organizers look forword to about 15.000 youth.

Evenings in Music

Not all the dioceses have done as that of Tivoli, has given birth to a specific music group called Onda d’urto for the WYD, but the major part of the dioceses have not neglected music as an important factor for evangelisation and aggregation. Among the initiatives we must remember: the concert of the Sacred Music of the Greek Orthodox which the choir of the island of Corfi offeres in the diocese of  Crotone. The evenings of medieval music proposed in the dioceses of Foligno and of Orvieto-Todi, the exhibition of a group from Koeln(Colonia) in Pisa, the concert in Piazza Fiera in Trento a mixture of a multiethnic music thought out by the diocese of Pavia.

…it is also an exhibition

There is no imitation for the exhibition which the diocese of Tivoli has prepared in these days in the church of the charity of St. Peter. Thought out by the institutes of religious lives of the diocese, exposition called mostra 2000 – Semi di speranza, mean to make understand the pilgrims and the young guests, an idea, simple but often taken for granted: that the church- of Tivoli in this case, I made of he living members than the building. An effective viaticum to the WYD, which will translate the same idea through the faces and the joy of the participants.

In a research for artistic and historic properties

In a place like that of Italy, which owes a lot to its turistic vitality,  even the diocese could not but do their part. The turistic initiatives which the youth propose to their coetanieans are too numerous to not to reassume in a few lines: Its enough to remember the visits to the artistic and historic properties programmed for the three days of their stay. Seeing the season, we must remember, there will be also the  sea to dominate the scene. An instructive example is that of Ischia, where the youth, French, Canedian and Argentinian guests will be able to enjoy three days of beach.