We Are On Our Way!

60 days left until World Youth Day! We are on our way! The rush in the air is getting better and better with just two months to go! With the work and team continuing to grow, there is more hustle and bustle not only at the headquarters, but all over Portugal. The challenges are greater and the need for trust and surrender is getting more undeniable! Now I bring you up to date with May's mission highlights!

This month our team continues to focus on ensuring that all countries, including the poor and persecuted, will be represented in WYD Lisbon 2023. Visa applications have begun and there are those who have already been successfully approved. Our visa team has been helpful in ensuring that the process of instruction of visas are clear for the pilgrims who need to apply. Many delegations have already finalized their registration and booked their flights. There is still a long way to go, but with everyone's help, the goal of bringing one pilgrim from every country in the world to WYD Lisbon 2023 is getting closer.

World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 still needs volunteers! We need you! Since its first edition in 1986, WYD has been built with the collaboration of thousands of volunteers. One of the greatest marvels of this encounter with the Pope is the gift of self of so many young people who, free of charge, give others the opportunity to participate in a unique experience. Register as a volunteer for WYD Lisbon 2023 here!

On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, I had the opportunity to participate in the celebrations in the Fatima Sanctuary. There was the procession with the WYD symbols, blessing of the candles and rosary, followed by a candlelight procession, celebration of the Word and a silent procession. It was amazing how solemn it was, even with the thousands of people who were there. I went together with some of my fellow volunteers and I was most touched with how they took care of me. They made sure I was right beside them, not get lost in the crowd, and even gave me a height boost to see Our Lady during the procession. Praise the Lord for thoughtful friends!

The Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Archbishop Manuel Clemente, and the President of the WYD Lisbon 2023 Foundation, Archbishop Américo Aguiar, welcomed Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, to the WYD headquarters on May 13. The visit to the headquarters took place in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio in Portugal, Archbishop Ivo Scapolo. "The pastoral and spiritual dimension is important so that young people participating in WYD may also find this perspective of the future, (...) in which young people should also be the engines and soul of this change that we all hope for." - Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

On May 22, the official announcement of the Pope's visit to Portugal was made, and this can only give us even more strength for this final stretch of our way. According to a statement released by the Holy See, Pope Francis will be in Portugal from August 2 to 6 on the occasion of World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, in what will be the longest visit of a Pope to Portugal.

Young people around the world have been proposed of three Rise Up Encounters in preparation for WYD! At the headquarters, we are following this challenge and thus joining the youth from around the world! It made no sense to ask others, without also doing it where WYD is thought, dreamed and made concrete everyday: the local organizing committee. We had the first encounter on Integral Ecology last April 27 and the second encounter on Social Friendship last May 25. Today, the details for the third encounter has been released, with the theme "Great Announcement of God's Love", following the example of Mary.

Fifty days after Easter, we celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost. On May 27, Saturday, we had a Pentecost meeting which brought together volunteers of the local organizing committee, and diocesan, vicarial and parish organizing committees of the host dioceses. It was another great initiative in the journey of preparation for WYD Lisbon 2023. It was an occasion of encounter, celebration, reflection and prayer, where the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt, encouraging everyone for the arrival of the great meeting with the Pope this August in Lisbon.

On May 31, we celebrated the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which reminds us of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. This story was chosen by Pope Francis for the theme of WYD Lisbon 2023, "Mary arose and departed in haste" (Lk 1:39). On this special day, the local organizing committee prayed together at the Convento do Grilo, home of the new volunteers nearby the headquarters, to bless the facilities and ask the blessed mother for her protection. We proceeded with Mass in Igreja Paroquial de São Bartolomeu do Beato and a community lunch at the headquarters. With our days now filled with intense work, it was a great opportunity to spend time together in prayer and celebration.

To mark this day, Bishop Américo Aguiar, WYD Lisbon 2023 Foundation president, left a message for all young people: "Today we celebrate the Visitation of Our Lady to her cousin Elizabeth, a visit that inspires us to be missionary disciples, able to bring the words of Jesus to all young people. Those from far and those close by. Those who will soon arrive in Lisbon and many others who have already arrived and are working in preparation for WYD Lisbon 2023. Those who do not know the voice of God and those who try to live it with truth. Everyone! May Mary, our Mother and intercessor, help us to do all that her Son asks of us and may we be able to take this WYD Lisbon 2023 ever further. Our Lady of the Visitation, pray for us!"

Visuals from World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 local organizing committee.