SYDNEY - The Philippine Consul General to Sydney Maria Theresa Lazaro reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs on a series of meetings with several members of the Filipino clergy to discuss preparations for Filipino visiting pilgrims who are expected to arrive in Sydney to participate in the upcoming World Youth Day (WYD) 2008 Celebration to be held in various venues throughout the City of Sydney from 15-20 July 2008.

Consul General Lazaro met with the Filipino Chaplain of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Fr. Menardo Mercene, to discuss the ongoing preparations in anticipation of the arrival of Filipino pilgrims and clergy.

The Consul General also met with the Reverend Bishop Joel Baylon, Chair of the Episcopal Commission on the Youth (ECY), during her recent working visit to the Philippines.

“The meetings that I had with Fr. Mercene in Sydney and Bishop Baylon in Manila were very productive undertakings since they presented opportunities by which we could best work out our coordination efforts that would best assist the visiting Filipino pilgrims from the Philippines before and during the event. With five months to go, the Consulate has been receiving queries from Filipinos regarding the event and that we have thought it best to assist them by directly linking with key Filipino members of the clergy both in the Philippines and Australia as well as the World Youth Day organizers so that the Filipino pilgrims would be up-to-date with the latest developments in the preparations.” Consul General Lazaro said.

The ECY is the arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that coordinates the World Youth Day preparations for Filipino pilgrims in the Philippines.

According to the latest figures provided by the WYD organizers, there are now an estimated 187 groups with 6,560 expected Filipino participants who have registered for the event. Of these, more than 900 pilgrims coming from the Philippines have been confirmed to date.

Philippine Consulate-General Advisory

The Consulate continues to advise pilgrims and participants from the Philippines to regularly monitor the WYD Website for updates and instructions. The WYD website is www.wyd2008.org. There is an accompanying registration fee to participate in the event which does not include that person’s airfare to and from Sydney.

The visiting Filipino pilgrim is also advised to take note of the limitations of their selected registration packages, particularly their health insurance coverage. Filipino pilgrims who may intend to stay for a period beyond the coverage of their health insurance are strongly advised to carefully consider getting additional travel and health insurance to cover unforeseen personal circumstances. The WYD website advises that the health cover “is for emergency medical treatment and repatriation to home country. It will cover the package period plus the three days immediately before and after the package period provided that the travel from/to the home country is direct to/from Sydney.”

The visiting Filipino pilgrim should also be aware that the WYD Sydney is being held in July, when it is considered to be the depth of the winter season in Australia. Although Sydney’s winters are usually mild, dry and generally snow-free, the pilgrim should be nonetheless prepared to anticipate temperatures ranging from 18 degrees Celsius in the morning and 8 degrees in the evening and the usual wind chills that may bring the temperature further down. Those intending to reside in the inland suburbs would find the temperatures even cooler.

The visiting Filipino pilgrim should also consider the fact that the cost of goods, services and transport around and outside of Sydney are high and must be taken into account when planning one’s budgetary requirements for attending the event and other tourism-related activities.

WYD 2008 Highlights

The highlight of the WYD 2008 celebrations will begin on 15 July 2008 with an Opening Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell.

Catechesis (teaching) sessions and Youth Festival events will be held for the next two days; to be followed by the Stations of the Cross re-enactment throughout the City; the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI and an evening Vigil, culminating in a Mass on 20 July 2008. The Closing Mass will be held at the Randwick Racecourse.

The WYD organizers expect an estimated 500,000 participants attending at least one event during the World Youth Day week. This includes 125,000 overseas pilgrims. A media contingent of 3,000-5,000 is also expected to cover the event. This is the 10th International World Youth Day celebration since it was held in 1986 by the late Pope John Paul II.

Detailed Information

Further information on the World Youth Day 2008 arrangements could be obtained from the following:
Registration and general inquiries: World Youth Day 2008 E-mail: gle@wyd2008.org; Home-stay arrangements and Filipino community WYD-related events in Sydney: Rev. Fr. Menardo “Nards” Mercene, Chaplain, Filipino Chaplaincy of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Tel. no.(612) 9604-5512; and WYD-related information in the Philippines: Most Rev. Bishop Joel Baylon, Chair, Episcopal Commission on the Youth, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, email - ecy@info.com.ph
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