ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Five “Patron Saints” for World Youth Day “Seoul 2027”

Sunday, 26 April 2026 world youth day youth saints holiness

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF

2026-04-26
Five “Patron Saints” for World Youth Day “Seoul 2027”

2026-04-15
WYD 2027: From barbed wire, the "Cross of Peace" - a symbol of reconciliation between North and South Korea

2026-02-13
1500th Mass for Korean Reconciliation; Faithful from South and North North Pray in spiritual communion

2026-02-07
Seoul WYD Organizing Committee: “Full support for the participation of young people from distant lands”

2026-01-27
Civil and religious organizations: No to the construction of two new nuclear power plants

2026-01-16
Korean Ambassador to the Holy See, Hyung Sik Shin: "We extend a hand of reconciliation to North Korea"

Seoul (Fides News Agency) - Saint John Paul II (1920–2005), Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846) and companions, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917), Saint Josephine Bakhita (1869–1947), and Saint Carlo Acutis (1991–2006): these are the Patron Saints chosen to accompany young people at World Youth Day, which will be held in Seoul in August 2027. This was announced by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) at the end of a selection and discernment process that began at the end of 2024.
Inspired by the spiritual themes of the event—truth, love, and peace—a group of young people prepared a prayer and a representative symbol to highlight the characteristic traits of each saint.

“These Patron Saints span continents and generations, and each of them offers a concrete path for living the faith in the realities that young people face today,” emphasized Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, President of the Local Organizing Committee for World Youth Day Seoul 2027. “I hope that young people will discover in these saints examples for their own lives and, through the journey of preparation for World Youth Day, establish a deep spiritual bond with them,” the Korean Archbishop stated.

Youth, family, and human dignity were at the heart of Pope John Paul II, who established World Youth Day. Faith and courage distinguished the first Korean priest martyr, Andrew Kim; the love of Frances Cabrini helped and saved migrants and the poor; hope and freedom transformed suffering in the case of Josephine Bakhita; In the time of Carlo Acutis, Christian hope was also proclaimed through digital media, even before social networks.
The announcement of the Patron Saints chosen for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 is accompanied by the launch of an interactive app entitled “Discover Your Patron Saint!” “Designed in the style of personality tests and interactive quizzes that are very popular among young people today,” explains the statement released by the Local Organizing Committee. This initiative joins a series of meetings, programs, and events organized throughout Korea to involve young people in the preparations for World Youth Day. (PR) (Fides News Agency, 26/4/2026)