St. John's News
St. John’s Students Journey to Australia for FAMVIN and World Youth Day 2008
August 27, 2008
“World Youth Day is a chance for young Catholic men and women to
come together to celebrate their faith,” said His Eminence George
Cardinal Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, at the World Youth Day 2008
(WYD) celebration hosted in Sydney, Australia. For two weeks,
students and campus ministers from the St. John’s University Queens
and Staten Island campuses joined thousands of young people from
all over the world to participate in World Youth Day 2008. World
Youth Day is considered to be one of this year’s “largest
mobilizations of young people in the world” as it attracted 223,000
people from over 170 nations.
Photo Gallery
Student
Reflections
From July 15-20, St. John’s students and campus ministers joined
the 126-person delegation representing the Diocese of Brooklyn at
the WYD. Before their arrival in Sydney for World Youth Day, the
group participated in FAMVIN 2008 – the international Vincentian
Family Gathering - hosted by St. Stanislaus’ College in Bathurst,
Australia. From July 9-13, the delegation, joined by other members
of the Vincentian family from around the world, celebrated and
shared their Vincentian charism – the belief in living out the
Catholic faith through the preaching of the gospel to the poor
through words and actions.
Once they arrived in Sydney for World Youth Day, the group
participated in a variety of WYD events all in celebration of this
year’s theme set forth by Pope Benedict XVI: “You will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my
witnesses.” Acts 1:8
The pilgrimage to Australia was an opportunity for the group to
meet young adults from around the world, explore the “land down
under,” pray with the Holy Father and other leaders of the Catholic
Church and reflect on how the Holy Spirit is present in their
lives.
For more information about World Youth Day or other Campus
Ministry Events, please visit the Office of Campus Ministry:
Queens Campus
(718) 990-6255
campusministry@stjohns.edu
Staten Island Campus
(718) 390-4475
SICampusMinistry@aol.com
Manhattan Campus
(212) 277-5129
dorrj@stjohns.edu