Nationwide Pilgrimage of WYD Seoul 2027 Symbols begins

Following their return to Korea in December 2025, the World Youth Day (WYD) Symbols now enter the next stage of their journey: a nationwide pilgrimage across the country. Throughout 2025, the WYD Cross and Icon of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani, traveled on an international pilgrimage spanning nine countries, including Rome for the Jubilee for Youth—carrying the prayers and hopes of young people from place to place.

Symbols will visit the 15 Korean dioceses

On January 20, the Archdiocese of Seoul held a blessing ceremony at Myeongdong Cathedral for 15 WYD logo sculptures—one for each diocese in Korea—each bearing the name of its respective diocese. The ceremony formally signaled the start of the domestic pilgrimage of the WYD Seoul 2027 Symbols.

Archbishop Chung: Koreans prepare for a  "festival of youth that will warmly welcome young people from all over the world"

Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul presided over the rite and highlighted the sculpture’s significance as a visible sign of shared mission and communion.

“The sculpture bearing the name of each diocese will remind everyone preparing for this event of their calling and the graces they have received,” Archbishop Chung said. He encouraged the faithful to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the preparations for “a festival of youth that will warmly welcome young people from all over the world,” and he prayed that all who behold the sculpture may be helped to grow ever more in the likeness of the Son.

The national pilgrimage of the symbols will take place from 21 January until June 2027

The WYD Cross and Marian Icon will begin their nationwide pilgrimage on January 21 in the Diocese of Wonju. The Symbols will visit 15 dioceses across Korea before returning to the Archdiocese of Seoul in June 2027.

In keeping with WYD’s enduring commitment to care for creation and ecological responsibility, the sculptures were produced using honeycomb board—a paper-based material that is fully recyclable. The design was created by youth volunteer Jung-hoon Cho. While dimensions vary slightly by diocese, each sculpture measures approximately 1,500 mm in width and 800 mm in height. The 15 sculptures will be sent to dioceses nationwide, serving as a sign of communion and unity within the Church in Korea and supporting a variety of diocesan and parish events during the pilgrimage.


Let us accompany with our prayers the pilgrimage of the symbols and all the young people from Korea and around the world who are travelling, stage by stage, on the journey of preparation for World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027.

All information can be found on the official website: https://wydseoul.org/en