(ANS - Krakow) - "Don Bosco", the Salesian Bulletin in Poland, was chosen as official partner of the 31^st World Youth Day to be held in Krakow, 26 to 31 July 2016. From this month on, it will publish reports on the preparations for this great event, showing the active commitment of the Polish Salesians. Below is the first part of an interview with Fr Adam Parszywka, SDB, who was appointed Director of the Department of Communication of the Organizing Committee of World Youth Day 2016.

by Grażyna Starzak

There are about seven months to go to the great event - World Youth Day 2016.  Registration began in August. How many subscribers are there so far, all eager to participate in this great Christian Youth Festival?

Interest is huge. By October about 2000 groups had registered, with a total of 436,913 people, from 138 countries, including faraway exotic place like the West Indies, Guyana, Belize and Martinique. The largest groups are from the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, and of course Poland. Groups are sent by the Bishops' Conferences, religious congregations, various communities and diocesan centres. It is expected that a total of about 2.5 million people will attend.

Usually there are some young people who decide at the last moment to come to World Youth Day. Have you considered that possibility?

Yes, we know that. Young people are spontaneous by nature. This is beautiful, but it creates a problem for the organizers. We urge people to register beforehand, but we know that young people like to decide at the last moment, so we have to be ready to accommodate additional guests, mainly young Europeans.

How is the preparation going? What challenges do the organizers have to face?

There are many challenges, such as, for example, the infrastructure. Krakow is a relatively small city for an event of this size. Road capacity is limited. The biggest problem, then, will be getting people to the site where the meetings will be held. This is a big challenge for us. And not only for us as organizers, but for all the people of Krakow, of the Malopolska region and the whole of Poland, because the participants will spend the whole week in the various dioceses. For the major events, the organizers are very keen that as many people as possible be accommodated in Krakow itself. So we renew our appeal to the residents to open the doors of their homes to participants. I want to assure them that the young people are not looking for great comfort. I know this from personal experience.

During World Youth Day in Rio in 2013 I slept with other young Polish people in a school, on the floor, with a small mat. The spirit at the world gatherings of young Christians is so good that nothing can ruin it. I assure people that hosting these young people is a great experience which leaves wonderful memories. It is a time when you make contacts and form friendships. I participated in World Youth Day 2000 in Rome, and still have many wonderful friends in Italy.

Published 10/12/2015