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Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010
Week of September 9, 2002
Church faces $30M overrun on WYD
By RENATO GANDIA
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton
World Youth Day is $30 million in the red and organizers are pointing at unpaid late registrations as the major reason for the shortfall.
Paul Kilbertus, WYD communications director, told the WCR, "We kept our costs under control, but what happened was we did not get the registrations. We got the attendance, but not the registration number we were hoping for."
Rather than delay the participation of 100,000 to 150,000 people who put in registration requests while WYD was underway, a decision was made to let people in without charging them.
The memorable event attended by 800,000 people during the final liturgy had 187,000 paid participants during its six-day run. The break-even point was 350,000 registered and paid pilgrims.
WYD and the Canadian Catholic Bishops' Conference, which underwrote the event, are committed to paying all suppliers in full. They launched a public appeal in early August to raise funds needed to cover expenses.
Such a huge late increase in the number of participants was experienced both in Paris (1997) and Rome (2000), which had had 200,000 pre-registered pilgrims and ended up having 1.5 million and two million participants, respectively.
Archbishop Anthony Meagher, chair of CCCB's WYD committee said, "We witnessed a miracle of faith during the WYD. It gave us all hope for the future knowing that so many young people are committed to their faith and to working for a better world.
"The Catholic Church in Canada organized WYD as an investment in the youth of the world. We knew that there was likely to be a shortfall. . . . We appeal to anyone who wants to help with this investment."
But Andrew Papenbrock told the WCR he doesn't want to call WYD an investment.
"WYD is a gift. I don't like the word 'investment' in reference to it. We didn't do this as an investment. We did this because it is needed to be done and needed to be done properly and I think it was," said the WYD coordinator for Edmonton Archdiocese.
"We're about the faith and if there's a cost, we need to be willing to pay the cost."- Andrew Papenbrock |
"I did not see Pepsi or Du- Maurier signs (at the WYD) because that's not what we're about.
"We're about the faith and if there's a cost, we need to be willing to pay the cost."
Papenbrock likened WYD to the cost of raising children. "We did it and had a debt, or else we could have not done it and had no debt. I think the choice of WYD with the youth's faith enlivened outweighs being in debt."
WYD CEO Father Thomas Rosica agreed, saying, "Millions of people found inspiration and goodness in the events. For this reason, we turn to the public to assist us with donations to help cover the expenses of this great event that has touched our country and our world."
Expenditures at WYD were $70 million, $10 million less than the $80 million "break-even budget".
Changes were made in several areas to reduce costs. The food service was centralized at Exhibition Place rather than being in several sites around Toronto as initially planned.
The event generated $40 million in revenues, $30 million of which came from registrations, $5 million from government grants, $4 million from corporate and private donations, and $1 million from sponsorships and merchandising.
The tally of expenditures is not finalized yet as WYD is still receiving bills for services rendered.
The dioceses of Canada have all contributed according to their means, amounting to $24 million. The idea is WYD will pay the dioceses back once the money is available, said Kilbertus.
"If we could. But it looks like we will not be able to do that."
WYD Toronto will exist as an organization, until the end of 2002. CCCB will take over the final functions.
Kilbertus said, "We've passed the $100,000 (mid-August). The money is coming in. There are some good responses and we'll see what we can do to help pay off some of the shortfall."
Anyone wishing to help with a donation for which a tax receipt will be issued can do one of the following:
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