Patron saints for World Youth Day 2027 were announced by the the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life and the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day Organizing Committee on Sunday, April 26. Following WYD tradition, the five patrons reflect the diversity of the Church and the needs of young people around the world.
Seoul Archbishop Chung Soon-taick, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, said this about those chosen:
The patron saints span continents and eras, offering concrete paths for young people to live their faith amid today’s challenges. We hope youth discover their examples in their own lives and form deep spiritual bonds as they prepare for the World Youth Day.
The five World Youth Day 2027 patron saints, who were chosen in an 18-month process that began with a nationwide survey of youth and those who work with them and proceeded through committee discussion and Vatican approval, are:
Pope St. John Paul II (1920-2005)
As a young man, John Paul II lived through the Nazi occupation and later the Soviet rule of Poland. Attending an underground seminary, he was ordained in 1946. He participated in the Second Vatican Council and was named pope in 1948. Popular with young people around the world because of his travels to many countries and his devotion to sports, Pope John Paul II founded the first World Youth Day in 1984. He forgave a would-be assassin in a powerful example of mercy and reconciliation, and was canonized in 2014.
His symbol for World Youth Day 2027 is the crozier, the shepherd's staff of a bishop. Pope St. John Paul II carried a distinctive crozier topped with a crucifix.
St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-1846) and Companions
Andrew Kim Taegon was the the first Catholic priest in Korea. Christians were persecuted in Korea under the Joseon Dynasty, and Andrew Kim Taegon was sent to the seminary in Macau when he was just 15. Ordained in Shanghai, he returned to Korea with two bishops and worked to help other Catholic priests enter the country. Just six months later, he was arrested, tortured, and martyred at the age of 26. Andrew Kim Taegon wrote letters of encouragement to Korean Catholics from prison, and laid the foundation for the Church to take root. He was canonized in by Pope John Paul II in 1984 as one of the 103 Korean Martyrs.
His symbol for WYD 2027 is a red stole -- the sign of his priesthood, in the color of martyrdom.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)
Born in Italy, Francesca Cabrini wanted to be a missionary sister from earliest childhood. Her frail health prevented her from joining a religious community, and she finally formed her own: the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She took her religious name from St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary to the Far East. Frances Cabrini wanted to go to China, but she obeyed the request of the pope that she travel to the United States to work with Catholic immigrants. Over the years she founded 67 schools, hospitals, and orphanages, and crossed the Atlantic more than 30 times by steamship. She was canonized in 1946 -- the first U.S. citizen to be named a saint -- and is the patron saint of immigrants.
Her symbol for World Youth Day 2027 is the steamship, symbolizing her zeal for the missions and her willingness to go where God called her.
St. Josephine Bakhita (c. 1869-1947)
As a child in Sudan, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Her captors named her Bakhita, meaning "fortunate," but she endured great suffering and degradation while enslaved. Eventually she was sent to Italy, where she was freed by Catholics. She grew to love the faith and was baptized in 1893, taking the name Josephine. Three years later she entered the Canossian Sisters' convent, and spent the rest of her life carrying out humble tasks that gave her joy. She forgave her captors and became a model of hope for many. Josephine Bakhita was canonized in 2000. She is the patron saint of Sudan, and her feast day is observed as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.
Her symbol for World Youth Day 2027 is broken chains. They stand not only for her freedom from slavery, but also for the freedom and hope to be found in Christ.
St. Carlo Acutis (1991-2006)
Well-known to WYD attendees as "God's Influencer," Carlo Acutis began attending daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration at the age of seven. With prodigious computer skills, the young boy from Italy developed a website documenting Eucharistic miracles from around the world. He wanted to evangelize through digital media. Carlo was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi to serve those in need. At the age of 15, he developed acute leukemia, and offered his suffering for the Church. He was buried in Assisi, and was canonized in 2025.
His symbol for World Youth Day 2027 is the computer, his tool of evangelization. Carlo Acutis is the first saint represented in statues and stained glass holding a laptop.
World Youth Day 2027 will take place August 3-8, 2027, in Seoul, South Korea.
