摘要：Since its inception over twenty years ago World Youth Day (WYD) has become a significant social phenomenon. It is one of the largest, reoccurring international gatherings of young people in the world today. This paper investigates the attraction and impact of WYD for a particular sub group , called here type A pilgrims, characterized as a relatively select group who have traveled a considerable distance to attend. Forty one WYD participants were interviewed and it was argued that they experienced a strong sense of the other at WYD. This is where participants move from their conventional world to another place that is different not just in terms of landscape but also in terms of a new ordering of social and other relationships. Beliefs and practices that were marginal in their conventional world were made more plausible at WYD by social validation, strong affective association, more direct engagement of the metaphysical aspects of Catholicism and a new greater awareness of the cognitive basis of belief.
