All eyes will turn to South Korea in August 2027, when the World Youth Day takes place in Seoul. Just over a year from the anticipated week, young people in Ireland are being invited to prepare and join this celebration of faith.
South Korean Andrew Kim has been living in Ireland since 2022 and is a volunteer in the Local Organizing Committee, an organisation established to prepare for WYD Seoul 2027 by ensuring the smooth participation of all WYD attendees, including volunteers and pilgrims, and is preparing programmes for WYD Seoul 2027.
At the moment, he is focused on assisting Irish pilgrims who wish to attend the event. “Now we’ve less than a year and a half left,” Mr Kim said, it’s time to organise things to make sure everything happens effortlessly. “If anyone needs any help for the World Youth Day, I can give some advice and help for travelling to Korea.”
He said that there is “a growing community of young Korean Catholics in Ireland who are eager to participate in, prepare for, and contribute to the WYD journey.”
“I want to share an invitation to the Irish youth [to participate in the WYD Seoul 2027], it’s not only an opportunity to travel to the Far East,” he said, but also an opportunity to share the Gospel. “We have the power to spread our faith as young people.”
The WYD Seoul 2027 also opens an opportunity to see how a Christian community lives and thrives within a non-Christian cultural context, in contrast to the previous WYD, which took place in majority-Christian countries.
Mr Kim is “aware it’s a big expense travelling to Korea”; however, he believes this is “a rare opportunity.” Particularly for Irish people, due to the “deep impact” Irish missionaries had on Korean history.
History
“In Korean Catholic history, the Irish missionaries’ work is quite important and big”, he said. “Irish and Korean Catholic Churches share deep missionary and spiritual connections. Through prayer, cultural exchange, service, and mutual support, this is a significant opportunity for Irish and Korean Catholic communities to walk together toward WYD.”
When asked about the role of the youth in the Church today, Mr Kim said that as “young people, we have the power to spread it [the Gospel], as Carlo Acutis did. There are a lot of ways to spread our faith,” he explained. By telling one’s personal faith story, by gathering together in the church or group meeting. “That’s the role, the biggest role in the church,” to spread the faith.
If you have any questions or need help organising your trip to WYD, email Mr Kim at sby05034@gmail.com.
