The Local Organising Committee for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 has named five patron saints for the international gathering, scheduled to take place in the South Korean capital from August 3 to 8, 2027.
The saints – St John Paul II, St Andrew Kim Taegon and his companion martyrs, St Frances Xavier Cabrini, St Josephine Bakhita and St Carlo Acutis – were chosen to reflect the event’s spiritual themes of truth, love and peace, and to serve as models of faith for young Catholics worldwide. Organisers announced the patrons ahead of the Seoul gathering, which is due to take place from August 3 to 8, 2027.
St John Paul II (1920-2005), who founded World Youth Day in the 1980s, is included for his pastoral focus on young people, the family and the defence of human dignity. St Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-1846), the first native Korean Catholic priest, together with his companion martyrs of the early Korean Church, offers a powerful witness of courage and fidelity under persecution; he was executed at the age of 25 after a brief ministry and was among the 103 Korean Martyrs canonised by St John Paul II in Seoul in 1984.
St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), the first US citizen to be canonised, was a missionary who founded 67 institutions for migrants, orphans and the poor, crossing the Atlantic more than 30 times. St Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947), born in Sudan and enslaved before becoming a Canossian sister in Italy, is remembered as a symbol of hope and forgiveness forged through suffering. St Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), the Italian teenager known for his exemplary life and devotion to the Eucharist, is presented as a model of holiness and evangelisation in the digital age.
The announcement was made on April 26, 2026, following an 18-month selection process that began at the end of 2024. It included a nationwide survey of young people, youth ministers and formators in South Korea, after which the Local Organising Committee made the final choice.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, said the patron saints play a fundamental role in World Youth Day preparations. “May the witness of these patron saints inspire young people throughout the world, especially in contexts marked by difficulty and persecution,” he said.
Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, president of the Local Organising Committee, noted that the five saints represent different continents and historical periods.
“Each one of them offers a concrete path for living the faith amid the realities that young people face today,” he said. He expressed hope that participants would form a deep spiritual bond with the saints during the journey of preparation.
As is traditional for World Youth Days, young volunteers have spent time studying the lives and spirituality of the patrons. They have prepared special prayers and symbols for each saint to help pilgrims connect with their witness.
The committee has launched an interactive online feature titled “Meet Your Patron Saint!”, modelled on personality quizzes, to help young people discover which of the five figures most resonates with their own experiences and aspirations. Further formation materials and content will be released through the official World Youth Day Seoul 2027 website and social media channels in the coming months.
The event in Seoul will mark the first World Youth Day held in Asia since the gathering in Manila in 1995.
