Check this page more updates on important information for Pilgrims regarding WYD.
General Itinerary (UPDATED 12/11/2007)
July 10 - Depart U.S. from San Francisco for Sydney
July 11 – Arrive in Sydney/Travel to Brisbane
July 11-14 – Pre-WYD experience in Brisbane (Includes St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary)
July 14-15 – Travel to Sydney for WYD
July 15-20 – World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI and hundreds of thousands of young faithful from around the world
July 20 – Travel to Cobar, New South Wales
July 21-25 – In Cobar for Days in the Diocese & Outback experience
July 26 – Depart from Sydney to San Francisco (Arrive same day)
Preferred Housing
Our preference for the Days in the Diocese and World Youth Day experiences is lodging with host families. This would give us the chance to experience how the Catholic faith is lived out in another part of the world. For the preWYD experience, we will stay in a moderate hostel.
Costs (UPDATED 9/29/07)
We are doing all we can to offer this great opportunity for under $3,500 per participant. Costs will include most meals, transportation, lodging, and admission to most attractions. The only additional costs would be entertainment and souvenirs. At this point, we have estimated high in every category. Here is a rough estimate of our costs (Based on 20 participants) so far:
| Airfare | $ 1790.00 |
| WYD Registration | $ 320.00 |
| Ground Transportation | $ 275.00 |
| Pre-WYD Tour | $ 700.00 |
| Administrative Costs | $ 50.00 |
| Chaperone Expenses | $ 345.00 |
| Total: | $ 3,480.00 |
Registration and Payments (UPDATED 12/11/07)
Realizing that a lot can change in a year, we have broken down the payment schedule to make it easier for you to plan for your participation.
- Present-October 12: $800.00 deposit (50% refundable if cancelled by December 14)
- December 14, 2007: Additional $990.00 due. Personal donations will be factored into this amount. * Final day for registrations. **No refunds will be given at this point. You may sell your trip to another student if there is interest.)
- February 4, 2008: 1/2 of remaining balance due. Newly acquired personal and general donations will be factored into this amount.
- April 4, 2008: All remaining balances will be due. Additional fundraising will be factored into this amount.
Fundraising
At this point, the only fundraising plans we have is a simple online giving form that friends and family can visit from our website. This will be our most significant effort. When people fill out the form, they will be able to designate their gift in honor of you. The development office warns that participants or their parents or guardians should not claim their online gifts as tax deductions.
Later, those who give online will be given a password that allows them to see our Virtual Pilgrim pages where they can see our journal entries, pictures, and video clips while we are in Australia. This is a cool way to involve others in our pilgrimage. They can also interact with us by leaving prayers and messages on our personal pilgrim pages.
We can certainly consider other fundraising options, but these must be student initiated and executed. Total trip costs are estimated around $60,000 to $100,000. Bake sales will not get us to Sydney! If you want to start looking into further fundraising options now, contact me.
Keep in Touch!
Because of the timing of all this, it is vital that you keep in touch with me over the summer. Also, I strongly encourage you to register at the WYD ’08 website for their ePilgrim monthly message. These offer great introductions to the meaning of pilgrimage and let you know all the exciting things we can expect from WYD.
Pilgrim Preparations
We will begin formal pilgrimage preparations upon our return from Christmas break. We have lots to do to prepare for this intense physical and spiritual journey. It is important that we get to know each other and ourselves a little better before travel to the other side of the planet!
