Students bound for Youth Day
Ten Verdon College students are heading on a four-night road trip to a satellite World Youth celebration, which could be the southernmost in the world.
The programme would include a live-stream of the international ceremony in Krakow, Poland, with the participation of Pope Francis.
Over 250 students from Catholic schools in South Island will be hosted at Marian College and Catholic Cathedral College in Christchurch.
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Polish community in Christchurch are partners of the satellite event.
Ross Buxton, of Verdon College, said the weekend of singing, dancing and prayer was in coordination with the main event in Krakow.
The students attending would be from ten New Zealand schools, he said.
Student Grace Brown said the students fundraised to pay for their trip to Christchurch.
Brown was looking forward to meeting new people.
The weekend for young people would include seminars, cat- echesis and worship.
On Sunday, they plan to livestream the Papal Mass in Krakow and an evening dedicated to Poland.
Buxton said the students would come back more spirit-filled, loving and caring.
The event might be the most southern in the world to celebrate the World Youth Day, Buxton said.
The students left for the drive to Christchurch on Thursday, and planned an overnight stopover in Oamaru.