August 12, 2011: A contingent of 6,000 Canadian Catholics will attend World
Youth Day in Madrid, where they will hold their first ever national celebration at
the global Catholic event. Canadian pilgrims will gather in Madrid on Aug. 16 for
their national celebration at a World Youth Day. Their meeting at Madrid’s Palacio
de Deportes will include a special Morning Prayer, music and testimonies from young
Canadians. Jesuit Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, of Ottawa will preside at the
celebration. Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton will greet the assembly on behalf
of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Graham Shantz, Canadian Ambassador
to Spain, and Francisco Pascual de la Parte, the Spanish Consul General to Canada,
will attend the gathering, according to the Canadian bishops’ conference. Twenty-four
Canadian bishops and nearly 100 priests and 30 seminarians will be part of Canada’s
World Youth Day delegation. Around one million pilgrims are expected to attend the
event from Aug. 16 to 21. The Italian delegation numbers about 90,000 while Spain’s
numbers 83,000. France is sending 50,000 pilgrims, the U.S. is sending 30,000, while
Germany is sending 16,000 and Australia is sending 4,300.