austraLasia #1747

2008 World Youth Day to be bigger than the 2000 Sydney Olympics

MELBOURNE: 5th February 2007 --  The ongoing meeting of Provincials from East Asia-Oceania has featured a detailed overview of preparations for the July 2008 World Youth Day, along with the various preparations for a 'Salesian moment' as aprt of the event.  Fr Bernie Graham, the Salesian Youth Ministry Delegate and contact person for the WYD preparations in Salesian terms, stressed that there is a single official channel for everything to do with the WYD preparations, headed up by Bishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, and his organising committee.  Indications so far are that the Sydney 2008 event will be larger than the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
    Preparations are in hand through the official channels for an SYM opportunity - precise date and times still depend on allocation by the central organising committee, but a request has been made for a five hour programme giving appropriate space and time to contributing SYM groups.  The Koeln experience, where there was a tendency for participants to get 'lost' in adjoining streets (it was akin to a street party) has been taken into account this time. All information on the Salesian event will be available through the AUL province website www.donbosco.asn.au/auxilium/ . Fr Bernie indicated that the larger number of Salesian participants, the better the chances will be of gaining a more prominent slot in the main events, hence it is important for intending participants from other parts of the Salesian world to (1) identify themselves to the Salesian organizing group, again using the website as guidance and (2) making moves now to gain access.  While the Australian Government is obviously facilitating entry, there are still conditions in a difficult post 9/11 world.  Best to enter as a tourist, not for other motives.  It will also be useful, in the overall procedures for registering for the WYD officially, to indicate 'Salesian' belonging - that way allocation of persons to main areas will ensure that Salesian identified groups are similarly located.
    This was but one item of sharing amongst provincials on 4th February.  Others will need to wait for another austraLasia.
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