To those who accompany Young People, on the occasion of diocesan WYD Montreal 2025

Dear Priests,
Dear Members of Pastoral Teams,
Dear Collaborators in the Mission,

On November 23, we will celebrate the 40th Diocesan World Youth Day. What a moment of grace for our young people and for all of us who accompany them!A time to bear witness to friendship with ChristThis year's theme calls us to become witnesses:

"You also will bear witness, because you are with me." ― Jn 15:27

In this Jubilee Year, we are invited to walk with our young people as pilgrims of hope. The Holy Father Leo XIV reminds us tenderly: "Christian witness is born of friendship with the Lord, crucified and risen for the salvation of all." Our young people are not called to be mere servants, but friends of Christ. It is from this friendship that the joy of witness springs naturally.

Our Diocesan Celebration
Our week of celebration will run from November 15 to 23 with three highlights:

• November 15 – ADOS Festival for 13-17 year olds
• November 21 – Reunion and Vigil of Christ the King
• November 23 – Celebrations in our parishes

The Vigil of Christ the King (November 21) will be a particularly significant moment. We will bless and send on mission the youth workers and all those preparing for the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul. It will also be an opportunity to bless the catechists, thus celebrating locally the Jubilee of Catechists—those essential companions in the faith life of our young people.

For more details on times and locations: missionjeunessemtl.org/en/wyd-montreal

A Mission of Accompaniment
On November 23, in your parishes, I invite you to give your young people a place of honour. Give them an active role in the liturgy, offer their intentions, and give them a special blessing. Beyond the celebration, find creative ways to show them that they are at home in your community.

Our young people have so much to offer the Church and society. They carry within them dreams, questions, a thirst for meaning and truth. They need us, our caring presence, our listening ear, our contagious faith.

In this Jubilee Year, let us be witnesses of Christ's friendship to them. Let us accompany them with patience and tenderness on their journey. Let us help them discover that they are deeply loved by God and that they have a unique mission in this world.

I am counting on you to warmly welcome all young people—those who are committed and those who are still searching for their path—so that they may encounter the living and loving face of Christ in our communities.

Together, let us make this WYD a moment of grace and hope for our diocesan Church.

With my pastoral blessing,

✠ Christian Lépine
Archbishop of Montreal

Archbishop's Message to Young People: WYD Montreal 2025
 https://missionjeunessemtl.org/en/wyd-montreal/message-of-the-archbishop/