The U.S. bishops have launched a Facebook app and a website to serve
as a “virtual pilgrimage” to World Youth Day 2011 for those who are
staying home.
Users can create an avatar and use it to participate
in the “pilgrimage” coinciding with the August 16-21 worldwide youth
gathering. A Google map also provides visuals of pilgrims’ worldwide
origins and shows them on a detailed map of Madrid.
A Facebook fan
page for the “Virtual World Youth Day” lets users create their avatar,
view live video from Madrid, follow key twitter feeds and blogs and
upload photos and videos.
Those in Madrid can contribute to the
page from the event. U.S. bishops’ staff in Madrid will post content
from there as well.
A team of young adults and young adult leaders
attending the event will post to the page and blog on behalf of the U.S.
bishops’ conference’s Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church.
About 900 people have already created avatars and joined the pilgrimage.
The non-Facebook website is at http://www.virtualworldyouthday.org while the Facebook fan page is at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virtual-World-Youth-Day/155152027881863.