The LOC (Local Organizing Committee of WYD Korea) proposes five figures of holiness as guides for young people, within a horizon that the Agustinian Recollect Youth are already beginning to traverse, with their sights set on Cebu and Seoul 2027.
World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 takes a new step in its spiritual preparation with the official announcement of its patron saints, figures who will accompany young people worldwide as models of faith, dedication, and mission.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has presented five witnesses who, from different contexts and vocations, embody the central values of this WYD: truth, love, and peace.
Five Faces of Holiness for Today’s Youth
The patrons of WYD Seoul 2027 are Saint John Paul II, Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and his companions, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Saint Josephine Bakhita, and Saint Carlo Acutis.
Each of them offers a concrete path to live the Gospel in today’s realities: from the passion for young people of the Pope who instituted WYD, to the martyrial testimony of the Korean Church; from missionary charity with migrants to hope born of suffering, and evangelization in the digital world.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell has emphasized that these saints “invite young people to respond with generosity and courage to God’s call,” reminding them that holiness is not a distant ideal, but a possible vocation today.
The JAR Prepare: From Cebu to Seoul, the Same Path
Within this universal horizon of the Church, the Agustinian Recollect Youth (JAR) are already living their own itinerary of preparation for WYD with the convocation of WYDJAR 2027 in Cebu (Philippines), from July 28 to August 1.
Under the motto “We Walk with Him”, this gathering will be a true experience of communion, formation, and mission, conceived as an immediate prelude to the great Seoul gathering.
Recent preparatory meetings have finalized a program that combines formation, community life, liturgy, and missionary experience. Each day will include formative moments, group work, and spaces for introspection—the so-called “oases”—to help young people integrate what they have experienced.
Furthermore, special attention is being paid to the international dimension of the gathering, fostering the active participation of delegations in liturgical, cultural, and spiritual animation.
Cebú acogerá la JMJAR 2027: “Caminamos con Él”, antesala del gran encuentro juvenil en Corea
A Pilgrimage That Will Mark the Heart of the Gathering
One of the most significant moments of the WYDJAR will be the pilgrimage to the Basilica del Santo Niño de Cebu, the spiritual center of the Philippines and a place deeply rooted in the faith of the people.
This experience will have a particularly intense character: it will begin in the early morning, around 3:30 AM, to facilitate a true pilgrimage atmosphere, avoid traffic and heat, and encourage inner recollection.
A Process That Begins Now
The preparation for WYDJAR is not limited to the days of the gathering. An enrollment and accompaniment process has already been planned, which includes prior formation, virtual meetings, and materials for all young people, including those who cannot travel.
The participation of young people aged 16 and over is expected, with a previous journey in the JAR itinerary, thus emphasizing that it is not just about attending an event, but about living a shared process of faith.
Walking with the Saints, Walking Together
The announcement of the patron saints of WYD Seoul 2027 is not just news, but an invitation: to discover that others have walked the path before, that holiness is concrete, close, and possible.
For the young people of the JAR, this announcement is integrated into a broader process: walking together as a charismatic family, allowing themselves to be accompanied by Christ, and learning to accompany others.
From Cebu to Seoul, from the dawn of a pilgrimage to the universal gathering of the Church, the same itinerary is drawn: that of a youth who does not want to stand still, who seeks, who walks… and who does so with Him.
