The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 today publishes the official prayer that will accompany young people and the entire Church on the pilgrimage toward the next World Youth Day. The prayer is released on the Feast of Christ the King as a spiritual invitation for the global Church to begin preparing for the 2027 gathering.

A Prayer Rooted in the Theme of WYD Seoul 2027

Drawing from the theme—"Take courage! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)—the official prayer invites young people to trust in the everlasting victory of Christ and to live the Gospel of hope, unity, and mercy amid the challenges of today’s world.

The prayer expresses five key themes:

1. Thanksgiving for God’s universal invitation and the unconditional love that embraces all young people.

2. Entrustment to the Father, who gathers young people into communion and unity.

3. Proclamation of Christ’s enduring victory, a call to courage rooted in the Cross as the true triumph of love and forgiveness.

4. Invocation of the Holy Spirit, the “Flame of Love,” recalling the Korean Church’s origins, the witness of the martyrs, and the Gospel values of peace, love, and truth that emerged from Korea’s unique faith history.

5. A commitment to the synodal journey, affirming WYD as a pilgrimage toward a Church that listens, discerns, and walks together.

The intercession of Our Lady, patroness of Korea, and the patron saints of WYD Seoul 2027 accompany the prayer.

The Synodal Process Behind the Prayer

• The creation of the official prayer began at the initiative of the bishops of the LOC, who sought a process that reflected the synodal identity of the Church. Rather than commissioning a text from theologians alone, the bishops invited the whole People of God to participate in a shared spiritual experience of writing and discernment.

• To realize this vision, the LOC organized a dedicated two-day retreat, prepared over more than two months by LOC volunteers, staff, priests, and foreign young adults living in Seoul. Across weeks of meetings and planning, they developed a spiritual program that included thematic lectures, prayer and Eucharistic adoration, personal and group reflection, and structured writing sessions designed to help participants collectively discern the core elements of the prayer.

• A diverse group of 77 participants—young people from dioceses and religious communities, international youth residing in Korea, priests, religious men and women, and LOC staff—took part in the retreat. Through individual meditation, small-group writing, and a whole-group synthesis session—supported by on-site and digital voting tools—the participants gradually shaped the first unified text of the prayer.

• Following the retreat, the LOC drafting team refined the provisional text and collected additional feedback through online consultations. The revised draft was reviewed by the LOC bishops and submitted to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, which discussed and approved the text with several adjustments during its Autumn General Assembly.

• The prayer was then sent to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life (DLFL). The Dicastery affirmed the synodal approach and encouraged the LOC to ensure a tone that reflected the voice of young people themselves. After incorporating these refinements, the Dicastery formally confirmed the final text.

Reflecting on the broader meaning of WYD and the significance of the newly approved prayer, Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung, Chair of the LOC, noted:

“WYD Seoul 2027 will unfold at a moment when the Church is being called to rediscover authentic synodality—to walk together, to listen, and to discern. Korea, with its history rooted in the search for truth, love, and peace, offers a meaningful place for young people to reflect on the courage we must rekindle within ourselves to pursue these values in solidarity.”

Building on this vision, Fr. Francis Hee-cheon Lee, Director of the LOC Volunteers Directorate, highlighted how the prayer—shaped through collaboration with the Holy See—is meant to serve the journey toward WYD:

“This is a prayer for young people and for everyone who accompanies them—not only for the days of the World Youth Day gathering, but throughout the entire period of preparation. My hope is that, by praying it often, we may open our hearts to the grace God desires to pour upon the Church in Korea, upon our society, the universal Church, and the whole world.”

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, said: 

“I thank LOC Seoul 2027 for the gift of prayer to young people around the world and for choosing to make public the official prayer of WYD Seoul 2027 on the Solemnity of Christ the King. This is, in fact, the day on which all particular Churches celebrate WYD locally each year. I therefore invite young people to join in communion, in their communities and with their bishops, raising together the cry for peace, fraternity, and hope that the world so much needs.”

“May young people experience the power that comes from prayer,” said Dr. Gleison De Paula Souza, Secretary of the Dicastery, “and offer their friends, families, and educators a witness of life in the Gospel.”

The LOC hopes that the prayer will be used widely in the years of preparation—in youth gatherings, parish and diocesan events, before or after Mass, and during meetings and pastoral moments dedicated to walking with young people. By praying together with one voice, communities throughout the world are invited to open themselves to the grace of God and to participate spiritually in the path leading to 2027.