What to read and watch to prepare for World Youth Day
World Youth Day is only a year away! We can already begin to prepare our hearts and minds, though, for this awesome adventure. It's always a good idea to learn about your destination before travelling abroad - and all the more so for this trip, because of the spiritual and historical significance of the places we'll visit. Once the due date for applications is in, we'll have a formation curriculum of books, movies, and even songs that we'll ask our pilgrims to read, watch, and listen to in the months leading up to our departure. We hope these will spark conversations, bond all 100 of us together as a group, and inform us as we journey to the places where the events in these stories occurred.
Many of the books and movies on this list will likely become required reading, so take advantage of the summer months to get a head start and prepare for our trip!
1. Discerning Your Vocation: A Catholic Guide for Young Adults by the Co
mmunity of the Beatitudes
Discernment is more than figuring out if the Lord wants you to be a priest or religious...it's about finding God's will for you, and feeling free to choose it. Discerning Your Vocation is a quick read and a down-to-earth guide that addresses the common anxieties and problems experienced by young people in the midst of discernment. You'll put it down feeling joyful, peaceful, and excited to discover God's plan for your life.
There's no better time to read this book, as we'll be spending time with religous communities, hearing talks on discernment, and traveling with the authors of the book!
2. Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert
Every Catholic should read this book! Using plenty of touching and humerous anecdotes, Evert makes one of the church's most recent saints come alive for his readers. As we travel to JPII's homeland, you'll certainly want to know about how growing up in Poland influenced our former pope, as well as how this saint viewed and responded to the world through his incredible faith. Inspiring, funny, and informative, this is a book you won't be able to put it down...
3. The Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis
A 2013 apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel is not overly intellectual, but rather extremely relevant to each and every member of the Church. In it, the Pope encourages the Church to reprioritize and be revitalized - we proclaim a gospel that brings us joy, and we should act like it!
"The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come."
4. Night by Elie Wiesel
If you didn't read this book in middle school, now's your chance. Night is chilling and beautifully written, telling the story of one Jewish boy's experience of the Holocaust and of living in Auschwitz, arguably the most horrific death camp in all of the Nazi regime. We will be visiting Auschwitz (located in the south of Poland), and all pilgrims should be aware of the horrific events that occurred there and the thousands of lives that were affected by them.
5. The Life of Faustina Kowalska by Sister Sophia Michalenko
A much easier read than St. Faustina's personal diary, The Life of Faustina Kowalska still convenes the extraordinary relevation of Jesus' Divine Mercy with power and beauty. St. Faustina's visions of the Divine Mercy, flowing from Jesus' heart, occurred in Poland when St. John Paul II was a young man. In these visions, Jesus revealed His identity as love, the most important aspect of which is His abounding and limitless mercy.
We will be visiting the convent where St. Faustina had these visions, an experience that will be all the more powerful having dove into the story of how these revelations came to be.
6. Discourses of Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013 in Rio
What better way to prepare for the next World Youth Day with Pope Francis than by seeing what he had to say to the young people of the world at the previous World Youth Day? You can find the complete list of all his speeches at the Vatican Website. Be sure to check out the Welcoming Ceremony by the young people and the Holy Mass for the 28th World Youth Day.
7. The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler is a compelling movie about the response of one Catholic woman to the plight of her Jewish brothers and sisters during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II. Using the forged identity of a nurse, Irena sneaks into the Jewish ghetto, where she attempts to convince Jewish parents to let her smuggle their children to safety. Not only does this movie teach us about the horrific circumstances of the ghettos in Nazi territory, it is a captivating story of bravery, solidarity, and sacrifice. You should watch it even if you're not going to Poland.
8. Receive the Power
Receive the Power was the theme song of World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia.
9. Gift and Mystery by St. John Paul II
St. JP II's personal testimony of his priestly vocation - a perfect read for anyone wanting to learn more about JP II or on their on discernment journey (so, us!).
"The story of my priestly vocation? It is known above all to God. At its deepest level, every vocation to the priesthood is a great mystery; it is a gift which infinitely transcends the individual."
10. Witness to Hope by George Weigel
Some might call this the definitive biography of St. John Paul II - with the Pope's cooperation, Weigel captured part of the life of this fascinating and vastly influential world leader and saint. As we travel to his homeland and experience the gathering of young people that he established, you'll want to know as much as can about our former Holy Father.
Do you know an awesome book or movie that would teach us about discernment, World War II, John Paul the Great, Pope Francis and World Youth Day, or Catholicism in Poland? Comment below!
