Important Information 

for attending the Jubilee of Families

• On Saturday morning the 14^th, the Eucharistic Celebrations of the different linguistic groups in the various Basilicas and Churches, will start at 9:30 am and will end at approximately 11:00 am. Italian pilgrims are advised to gather at the Basilica S. Giovanni in Laterano, offering greater capacity given the forecasted number of attendance.

• The admittance to Saint Peter’s Square for the meeting on Saturday afternoon of the 14^th , is forecasted to begin at 2:00 pm. The program will start at 4:00 pm with information on the unfolding of the evening livened by some animation (songs, presentations, etc.), in preparation for the beginning of Worldvision and the eventual arrival of the Holy Father.

• The Holy Eucharist of Sunday morning, October 15, presided by His Holiness John Paul II, will start at 9:30 am. The admittance to Saint Peter’s Square will be commence starting from 7:00 am.

• The Way of the Cross for the Families will be held on Thursday, October 12 at 7:00 pm in Saint Peter’s Square.

• The tickets for the participation to the meeting of Saturday the 14^th in the afternoon and for the Holy Mass of Sunday October 15, are free of charge. Those who did not reserve tickets, will be able to take them directly at he Offices of the Jubilee of Families, that will be open starting from October 9, at 9:00 am to 1:30 pm and from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm, at Via della Conciliazione 1, near Saint Peter’s Square.

• Tickets are not necessary for the participation to the Way of the Cross of the Families on Thursday October 12 and to the Eucharistic Celebrations in the respective Basilicas on Saturday morning the 14^th.

• For security reasons, it is absolutely forbidden to bring blunt objects in Saint Peter’s Square: glass bottles, cans, wooden, plastic or metal seats, wooden posts for banners or posters, etc…

• It is advisable to bring hats and water or drinks in cartons.

• The disabled with their assistants or aids, will be directed by the Volunteers of the Jubilee towards the area reserved for them in Saint Peter’s Square.

• To permit a more ordered exit towards the public transport system as well as to the buses’ parking lots, you are asked to follow carefully the instructions given that will be transmitted from the stage at the conclusion of the events in Saint Peter’s Square, and to follow them carefully.

• To avoid regretful inconveniences, it is recommended that the bus drivers respect the rules set by the Comune di Roma (Rome’s City Hall) for transit in the zones of limited traffic, in the parking, and in the loading/unloading areas.

• During the events of October 14-15, the Sala Situazioni del Comune di Roma ("Strategic Centre" of the City Hall) will be functioning around the clock; it will be able to respond to any unforeseen event regarding health problems, logistics, and transport or security matters. In case of necessity, you may phone at the following number: 06-57.02.41.

• The responsibles for the larger groups may be contacted by the Central Committee of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, requesting information of organizational or logistical nature (arrival schedule, means of transportation, board and lodging facilities and parking areas, etc). You are asked to provide maximum collaboration, so as to make of the entire organisation as good a success as possible.

• There will not be the sale of the backpack for the Jubilee of Families. But during the events, a certain amount of useful material for the gathering will be distributed free of charge (carton seats for standing room areas, candles, scarves (foulards), etc).

• All participants are courteously requested not to leave in the meeting places on the evening of the 14^th the carton seats or other material, so as to permit a more rapid cleaning of the Square, but on the contrary to conserve the material for the subsequent participation to the Holy Eucharist, the following Sunday on October 15^th.

• The texts of the Eucharistic Celebrations of the 14^th at the various Basilicas and on the morning of the 15^th in Saint Peter’s Square will be made available to the participants prior to the onset of the liturgies.

• All participants, Italians and Foreign Visitors are invited to carry with them a portable FM radio with ear-phones, to listen in Saint Peter’s Square the simultaneous translation of the event of the 14^th in the afternoon. The predicted radio frequencies for the various languages are the following:

• 90.7 MHz German
• 93.3 MHz English
• 96.3 MHz Spanish
• 103.8 MHz French
• 105.0 MHz Italian
• 105.9 MHz Portuguese

• It is advised that each person carry with him/herself an card containing one’s written identification to be used in case one gets lost: phone number and address of the living quarters while in Rome; the cellular phone number of a head of the group or of the bus driver.

• For the non-Italians, it is advised to carry also the phone number of the Consulate in Rome of the country of origin.

• It is mandatory never to lose sight of the children especially in crowded places. In case one child gets lost or is found, it is necessary to contact the police without delay, also with the help of the Volunteers of the Jubilee if need be.

• Each participant to the Jubilee of the Families must carry with him/herself a document of identification valid and recognized in Italy.

• It is recommended to be careful in crowded places (subway – bus etc.) for the likelihood of pickpockets. It is preferable not to hold documents and money in the handbags.

• This information and all eventual ulterior useful notices will be made available over the Internet www.vatican.va, that we invite you to consult and to pass on the information prior to the onset of the Jubilee of Families.

• It is advised to distribute copies of this information also to all the singular participants of the organized groups.