Latin Mass Society to sponsor young Catholics at WYD Madrid

The Latin Mass Society will be sponsoring a group of young people to attend World Youth Day in Madrid. (16-21 August) in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI.

Previous WYDs have been attended by Juventutem, the worldwide youth movement for young people (age 16 to 35) who are attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. At WYD in Madrid, Juventutem will again be present and the Latin Mass Society (LMS) is subsidising the cost for young Catholics in England and Wales attending with them.

At WYD 2011, Juventutem will take part in all the official events, but will also have its own chapel and daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form plus its own catechesis classes.

There will also be an optional retreat in the week before WYD (9 to 15 August). This will take place at a former convent for Discalced Carmelites at Amorebieta-Etxano near Bilbao in northern Spain. There will be Traditional Mass, Lauds, Rosary and Compline, plus spiritual conferences as well as recreational activities, such as visits to the cities of Burgos and Bilbao, wine tasting in Rioja for older participants, one-day walking pilgrimages through the local countryside and more.

The Latin Mass Society will sponsor young Catholics from England and Wales who attend either WYD Madrid only with Juventutem or the Retreat and WYD with them. This is a limited offer on the basis of first come, first served, and it is not necessary to be a member of the LMS.

The LMS will cover half the cost of attending with Juventutem (which includes accommodation, food, and travel within Spain) plus half the cost of budget air travel to Spain to join the Juventutem group. Likely Juventutem cost for WYD only is €250.00 (airfare not included); for the Retreat and WYD €400.00 (airfare not included). The cost to applicants with the LMS subsidy will work out at £95.00 for WYD only and £170.00 for the Retreat and WYD combined.

This LMS sponsorship will make it affordable for many more young people to attend WYD with Juventutem. The LMS is providing this sponsorship as a service to the Church.

To apply for LMS subsidy, youngsters should first register with Juventutem and then register for sponsorship with the LMS by filling in an application form or by phoning the LMS office on 020 7404 7284.

Michael Lord, General Manager of the LMS said: “Throughout 2011, the LMS is rolling out new initiatives and activities aimed at making those attached to the Extraordinary Form into one of the most vibrant groupings in the Church in England and Wales. I am very excited by this sponsorship scheme, particularly the fact that it is available to young people throughout England and Wales, many of whom may only recently have discovered the Traditional Form of the Mass”.

Fuller information about Juventutem (including contact details), World Youth Day and the LMS can be found at this link: www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/juventutem-at-world-youth-day-2011

Follow this link to download an application form: www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/wyd-2011-application-form