Fr Henriques began his talk by screening an excerpt from a video program made at the World Youth Day in Rome during the Jubilee Year. He used this to explain the genesis of the current push for evangelisation in the Church which began at the behest of Pope John Paul in 1984 and the first World Youth Day...

"In the year 1982, the Charismatic Renewal organised a World Youth gathering in Rome. At that gathering there were about ten to twelve thousand young people who gathered and it was a great revival in a sense of every place they visited - the restaurants, where they had their meals; the pensiones, the boarding places where they lived. The people said: 'these youth have made our faith come alive'."

"So the leaders, who belonged to different Movements, delegated one of two of their committee to go and speak to the Holy Father. They said, 'we have discovered the great potential of our youth during this great gathering. Why do we not have a gathering of the youth of the world - of all movements, of all parishes, of all dioceses? Let them come to Rome and express their faith because youth can be a great evangelising force in the Church'."

"And our Holy Father, the Pope ... I want to say something to you about him … people say a lot of things about the Pope - what does he know about the world - what does he know? If you ever have a chance to visit him you will find he says little and listens to you all the time. He throws in a question and then listens to all you have to say. He might throw in another question just to probe and get you to clarify what you are saying but, he's a tremendous listener."

"So he picked up this suggestion and decided to have a World Youth Day. And that's how the World Youth Days have continued right from 1984 until this year."

Fr Henriques urged on young people the importance of prayer...

"What is prayer really? Prayer is a relationship with God. Everyone has the gift of prayer. No one can say, 'I cannot pray'. You will not pray if you do not want the gift."

"When someone says to me, 'I cannot pray', but I ask them 'but do you WANT to pray? If you want to pray, you can pray.' You may not pray the way others pray but you can pray the way you should pray because God gives everyone the gift to relate to Him. So each one's prayer will be different. But the commitment to prayer is a commitment to Jesus - to want to meet him; to want to talk to him; to want to have him in your life so that you can share Him with others."

"So the theme for the World Youth Day this year is 'we want to see Jesus'. So begin with prayer, and then with the word of God. And then there are other ways, but begin with prayer."

He spoke to leaders of the importance of ensuring continuity of leadership in youth groups...

"With the youth groups that I used to form I would always have a tier system. I would have the older people, who I would call youth coordinators, well-versed in the faith, who have a deep love for the Lord. And they would help the youth leaders play their role - guide them; lead them. The youth leaders would assist the understudies whom they were training to take their place. And then you have the rest of the youth, who are not in the [leadership] structures but who participate in the various programs that we organise in faith for the young people. In this way you ensure a continuity in the youth groups that you form."

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