Here are the 5 themes for World Youth Day Seoul 2027: the major global gathering of young Catholics

(ZENIT News / Seoul, 04.26.2026).- The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for WYD Seoul 2027 announces the five patron  saints of the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul.

At each World Youth Day, patron saints are chosen as models of faith for young people,  offering guidance through the witness of their lives and spirituality. For WYD Seoul 2027,  the saints were selected in light of the event’s spiritual themes of truth, love and peace.

The five Patron Saints of WYD Seoul 2027 are:

• Saint John Paul II (1920–2005) — founder of World Youth Day, remembered for his  emphasis on young people, the family and the dignity of human life
• Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846) and companions — the first Korean  Catholic priest, a symbol of faith and courage who was martyred at a young age
• Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) — a missionary known for her care for  migrants and the poor
• Saint Josephine Bakhita (1869–1947) — a former slave who became a religious  sister and a witness to hope, freedom and faith transformed through suffering
• Saint Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) — a young saint of the digital age whose life  remains a model of evangelization online

The selection process began in late 2024 and included a nationwide survey of young people,  youth ministers and pastoral workers, followed by a review of candidates and deliberation by  the LOC.

Following the selection, a group of young volunteers dedicated two months to researching the  lives and spirituality of the five Patron Saints. Through prayer, discussion and shared  reflection, they prepared a dedicated prayer and a representative symbol for each saint,  seeking to express the distinctive witness each one offers to young people today.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, said, “The  patron saints play a fundamental role in the preparation for every World Youth Day. They  invite young people, formators, and pastors to reflect on the gift of God’s call, on our  baptismal, priestly, religious, and marital vocations, encouraging us to respond to it with  generosity and courage in following Christ, who has conquered the world, as the theme of the  upcoming WYD reminds us.”

“May the witness of these Patron Saints” Farrell concludes, “inspire young people around the  world, especially in contexts marked by difficulties and persecution, to see that holiness is not  a distant ideal, to fix their gaze on Christ and to respond generously to His call.”

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

The LOC will continue introducing the lives and spirituality of the Patron Saints through the  official WYD Seoul 2027 website and social media channels, while also developing  additional content and programs to help young people engage more closely with their  witness.

Alongside the announcement, the LOC also introduced an interactive feature titled Meet Your  Patron Saint!. Presented in the style of the personality tests and interactive quizzes popular  among young people today, the feature invites users to answer a series of multiple-choice  questions and discover which of the five Patron Saints most closely matches them.

The initiative invites young people to approach the Patron Saints not simply as historical  figures, but as companions whose lives can still speak to the questions and hopes of today.

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