Abstract
The organization of numerous religious mass events of international, or even global, reach is a phenomenon of the early 21st century. It is sometimes termed “eventization of faith”. This article presents a multifaceted analysis of the initial stage of the World Youth Day in 2016, which took place in the Archdiocese of Łódź (Poland). While multiple scholarly publications have been written about World Youth Day (WYD) itself, its first part of preparatory nature, the so-called “Days in Dioceses”, has not been studied yet. The authors of this paper used a wide array of research methods, such as participant observation, questionnaire (official statistics concerning 10,000 pilgrims), pilot survey (258 respondents), and analysis of media reports (over 100 films and 30 articles). The analysis of the organizational method of such a major religious event leads to a conclusion that it is a complex logistic undertaking, which requires professional preparation and implementation by a team of specialists in different fields as well as an army of deeply involved volunteers and public services employees. Over 10.2 thousand young pilgrims (mostly at the age of 15–29) participated in the youth meeting in the Archdiocese of Łódź; apart from spiritual motives (strengthening faith, meeting Pope Francis, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II) they exhibited strong social (willingness to be in the community of believers, making new friends), recreational and tourist (visiting Poland) needs as well. In view of the hermetic and low-budget character of World Youth Day, its impact on the economy of the region was deemed negligible. Above all, the event played a promotional and image-building part, which perhaps in the years to come will result in an increase in visits of foreign tourists to Łódź.
Highlights
World Youth Day is a mass religious event open to the followers of other religions, non-believers or those searching for faith
John Paul II) they exhibited strong social, recreational and tourist needs as well
World Youth Day (WYD) is a meeting of young Catholics, an event initiated by Pope John Paul
Summary
World Youth Day is a mass religious event open to the followers of other religions, non-believers or those searching for faith. Gonzalez et al (2019), while the latest WYD, held in Krakow, was widely discussed by Polish researchers in individual articles and detailed reports (Jackowski et al 2016; Kozak and Peziński 2016; Nowotny 2016; Bogacz-Wojtanowska et al 2016; Borkowski 2017; Seweryn 2018) It is uncommon, to find publications on the initial stage of World Youth Day—the Days in the Dioceses—which has an influence on the promotion of individual regions of the host country. A pilot survey conducted at the end of 2016 (after the pilgrims returned home)—an invitation was mailed to over 1500 people; the questionnaire posted on the internet was filled in by 258 respondents (121 Poles and 137 foreigners from 11 countries); the questionnaire (in five languages: Polish, English, French, Italian and Spanish) contained 35 questions, e.g., reasons for participating in WYD, sources of information about Lodz, the character of their stay, ways of spending free time, opinions and assessment, as well as personal data; An analysis of media reports concerning the Days in the Dioceses which appeared on 15–25 July. The material presented in the article is only a fraction of the results of research conducted by the authors as a part of a broader study of tourism in the Lodz region
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