World Youth Day 2011

Diocese of Charlottetown

Date and Information Sheet

This page is very important. Please keep it in a safe place where you know where it is. Some of the dates and places may change. It is also accessible at www.dioceseofcharlottetown.com.

Formation sessions

Large Group Formation

Date                        Start                          End                                 Place

May 28, 2009             Saturday 1:00pm          Saturday 5:15pm             Our Lady of the Assumption, Stratford 

Sept 18/19, 2009        Friday 6:30pm              Saturday 5:15pm             Our Lady of the Assumption, Stratford

May 7/8, 2010            Friday 6:30pm              Saturday 5:15pm             Our Lady of the Assumption, Stratford

Sept 17/18, 2010        Friday 6:30pm              Saturday 5:15pm             Our Lady of the Assumption, Stratford

May 6/7, 2011            Friday 6:30pm              Saturday 5:15pm             Our Lady of the Assumption, Stratford

June 25, 2011            Saturday 1:00pm          Saturday 5:15pm             Our Lady of the Assumption, Stratford

October 2, 2011         Sunday TBD                Mass, lunch, follow-up      TBD

Small Group Formations

Please note that these sessions will be a combination of large group afternoon sessions and smaller group sessions held in each one of the four deaneries of West Prince, East Prince, Queens and Kings. Generally you will attend Mass as a group at the designated parish and the formation session begin immediately following Mass.

December 12, 2009

February 13, 2010

December 2010

February 2011

Payment Schedule

The Diocese has a contractual obligation with the tour company. Payments must be received at the Pastoral Centre by the dates below or you could lose your space and forfeit previous deposits. At this point we do not have a final price but expect it to be in the $3200-3800 range. The dates on refundability may change depending on the final contract with the tour company. Participants are expected to contribute a minimum of $800 of personal money. Fundraising in a parish should be coordinated under the guidance of the pastor, the parish pastoral council and the property and finance committee. Your payment includes: air and ground travel and transfers, accomodation, most meals and WYD registration.

Payment deadline       Amount        Amount of payment non-refundable

By May 23, 2009                $250                This amount is refundable until Sept 30, 2009 and non-refundable after this date.

December 12, 2009            $750                 $250 more becomes non-refundable by Jan 31, 2010.

May formation, 2010           $750                Refundable until Sept 30, 2010

Sept. formation, 2010          $750               All deposits are non-refundable but may be transferrable

Dec. Formation, 2010          $750               Non-refundable but may be transferrable

Mar 31, 2011                   Final Payment  Amount will be determined according to final pricing. Non-refundable, non-transferrable, may be eligible for cancellation insurance after this date.(this amount will be adjusted according to final pricing)

Initial $250 deposit is refundable until September 30, 2009. No money is refundable after September formation unless the space can be resold. 

Other important information

Prayer, Reflection, Journaling

This is a faith experience. The pilgrimage will be a wonderful experience if you make sure that you ask God to accompany you. You will meet interesting people, hear all kinds of languages, sing, pray, play etc. Please remember as you prepare, to include time to talk to God and know that when you do that the Spirit of the pilgrimage will come alive. You are provided with a journal and it is a good way to touch base with your own preparation. Remember too that you will share this pilgrimage with family, friends, and members of your parish community and as you ask them to include you in their prayers you can keep them in yours.

Pilgrimage or trip?

A tourist carries a map and a pilgrim asks for direction.... World Youth Day is a combination of adventure and exploration of different languages and cultures. World Youth Day pilgrims share that sense of excitement that comes with this but with a difference: WYD pilgrims first make room for Jesus Christ, in our hearts, heads, and lives. We share this with those around us through, song, prayer, dance, laughter, theater, reflection, and in so many other ways.

WYD is described as happening in three stages: Formation, Pilgrimage (in two parts), and Follow-up. The formation begins with your application and continues on until time of departure. The pilgrimage starts with the Days in the Diocese where we will be hosted by Spanish families in a diocese in Spain and continues on with main WYD days in Madrid which end with a vigil and Papal Mass. The follow-up begins upon our return to PEI when we share our experiences with family, friends, and parish. We incorporate some time to visit local attractions although this is included where the WYD schedule permits.

Passports:

You will need a passport. Applications are available at all Canada Post outlets. If you do not have a valid passport or if it expires prior to August 2011 please apply promptly. We absolutely cannot finalize details without your passport. We require a photocopy of your valid passport.

Medical Insurance

Past World Youth Days have included some health insurance as part of the registration price. We do not know if this will apply to Spain. However you may have private health insurance as well. Please try and confirm this over the next few months as we will be asking for this information in September, 2009.

Physical preparation and meals

The summers were extremely hot in Madrid. You will need to be physically prepared for this experience or your body will shut down. This means that you will need to eat regular meals and drink plenty of water. You also need to be prepared to walk approximately 10-15 km/day. If you have special dietary needs you should let us know immediately.

Fund-raising and your reserved space.

We would prefer to be more flexible on the deadlines but unfortunately the Diocese has a contractual agreement with the tour operator, Tour Design. Also depending on the final number of people in our group it is not possible for us to try and track down those who do have their funds submitted by the deadlines. We are giving you the deadlines with as much anticipation as possible. Please have it in on time. The tour company has the right to sell off the space reserved if we do not send your money in on time. Once the space is gone we will not be able to get it back as there is already an extensive waiting list. Tour Design also provides extensive support for our group while we are in Spain.

Patience is a virtue....

We are starting early because we want you to get to know others in the group and to give you plenty of time to prepare and as well as to raise money. But as with any event of this size there are things that will come up. We ask for you understanding, cooperation and patience.