WORLD YOUTH DAY - LISBON 2023

World Youth Day is an opportunity for young people from all over the world to gather and experience the Catholic Church’s universal community and to deepen their own personal faith. It runs every 3 or 4 years, changing locations across the globe. This year, 1.5 million young people were recorded to have attended this experience. Grace Doherty, Anna Whiting and Gerry Vytilingam were privileged with the opportunity to attend World Youth Day Week 2023 with a group of over 530 people from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, where they represented Holy Family Parish North-East Mallee. 

I was fortunate enough to take part in a pre-World Youth Day pilgrimage through Italy before arriving in Portugal for World Youth Day Week. My group named, ‘The Italian Way’ consisted of forty-six pilgrims who travelled across Rome, the Vatican and Assisi to various sites of historical and spiritual significance. From this group, I was privileged to be led by a small group of seven young adults from the western suburbs of Melbourne. Having never been to Italy before, I was really excited to experience all the country had to offer! 

On our final full day in Rome, our group was surprised by a private audience with the Pope. What that means is that we were in the same room as Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church and had an allocated time to meet with him. What was incredibly special was sharing this experience with my pilgrimage group. There was something really profound about everyone being in the audience room together and the collective effervescence we felt as Pope Francis walked in. Something changed in the air. It’s similar to how it feels to see a bride walking into a wedding ceremony– you see this glowing figure in white walking down the aisle. People are overwhelmed by joy, tears, laughter and disbelief. Even those who weren’t as religious felt overcome with emotion. 

Myself and other members of the audience (most of whom were also educators in Catholic education) had the opportunity to ask the Pope a question. He speaks mostly in Italian, so a translator had to communicate all that I said in Italian, and then translate the Pope’s response into English. Whilst Rome’s churches are very glamorous and ornate, the presence of Pope Francis reminded me of the grounded church that I knew. He was someone who listened intently, didn’t over-spiritualise the practicals of life and most definitely was aware of the issues of our time. He spoke of the misuse of social media, the challenges of being a teacher and the importance of stewarding our environment. Many of those in my small group would say that was the highlight of their pilgrimage experience! 

Later on, my group travelled to Assisi, which is the place where St. Francis and St. Clare lived. The story of St Francis (in short), was that he was someone who wanted to change society and challenge the church at a time in history when people were obsessed with money, wealth and social status. A highlight of Assisi was walking through the beautiful green gardens of Francis’ monastery, and praying at the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels which holds the Portiuncula (where Francis established the brotherhood) and the room where he passed away. People call Assisi the most peaceful city on earth, and not just because of its religious affiliation. It holds meetings about global peace-building efforts for the UN and other international organisations. After Assisi, we travelled back to Rome and headed to Fatima, to meet the other Victorians in our group. 

Gerry Vitilingam

Faith in Action Leader

On July 28th, Anna and I took off for Portugal, stopping over in Malaysia and Turkey before landing in Madrid, Spain. We took a 6-hour bus ride through the Spanish countryside, before arriving in Portugal.

We were lucky enough to make the trip to Fatima, a holy site where Mary appeared to three peasant children as a lady in white, one night every month, for six months. Fatima was a very spiritual experience. We had Mass with the rest of the pilgrims from Victoria, and later we prayed the rosary with pilgrims from all over the world, who had come to see the place that Mary had been. 

We were shocked to see people walking on their knees, praying the rosary as they got closer and closer to where Mary appeared. Their faith and devotion were evident in their faces, and the spiritual energy that imbued the place was overwhelming. After the rosary, we were able to walk a candlelight vigil along the same path people had walked on their knees, a solemn and spiritual journey.

After Fatima, we travelled to Lisbon for the beginning of ‘World Youth Day Week.’ Each day during World Youth Day week has a series of different activities and events. These range from big events apart which feature the Pope, festivals, and catechesis (which are sessions on topics on the Catholic faith). 

On Tuesday afternoon, we attended the ‘Australian Gathering’ on Tuesday, where there were over 3000+ Australian pilgrims. That evening, we attended the Opening Mass where we got to experience the energy of World Youth Day on an international level. People shouted chants from their countries and waved as they went past. Our Australian crew would often echo an “Aussie Aussie Aussie”, and others would join in with us. This was our first taste of the vibrant and exciting energy of World Youth Day that was present at every event, and even in the streets of Portugal.

The next day we headed to the Papal welcome, where we were lucky enough to see the Pope as he drove past. As the leader of the church, his welcome was roaring, and many people were screaming with excitement. When he spoke, we had to crowd around a radio to try and catch translations through the static.

This experience has left me wanting to learn more about what it means to me to be a Catholic, especially after witnessing the extent of the Catholic Church around the world.

Grace Doherty

Year 11 Student

On the Friday of World Youth Day Week, we experienced the Stations of the Cross. We usually have the Stations of the Cross at school every year before the end of Term One, but this time we saw it on an international scale, which was designed by the Portuguese people. It was amazing to watch the personal sharings of the volunteers and to see the dancing and acting of the performers. 

The final sleepout involved walking 15 kilometres to the location of the final sleepout and camping out with over 1.5 million other people. We spent most of the night hanging over the fences talking to pilgrims from all over the world. People from Poland, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Croatia, Israel and more. We woke up in the morning to a beautiful sunrise and music from a priest who was a DJ. We had our final mass with the Pope, who announced that the next World Youth Day was in South Korea in 2027. After a huge 24 hours, we headed back to the hotel, to swim and to rest. 

We flew back to Melbourne a couple of days later, and said farewell to our small group and new friends, hoping to see them again soon. We may not have known them very well at the beginning of the trip, if at all, but after 10 days of discussions and opening up to each other, it feels like we have known each other forever, and we already miss them a lot.

We hope that through our pilgrimage we are able to bring back a sense of faith to our community and inspire others to go on similar journeys. Gerry, Grace and I are so grateful for the opportunity that has been given to us and would like to thank everyone who helped us get to Portugal. The Catholic Diocese of Ballarat Foundation for sponsoring us financially, the parish of Holy Family North-East Mallee for fundraising for us through the Pentecost Party, and Mrs. Haeusler and Father James for supporting us in our journeys. We would also like to thank our families and friends for helping us make it to Portugal.

Anna Whiting

Year 11 Student

To anyone who is thinking of attending World Youth Day in the future, we’d encourage you to speak to Gerry or Father James, and begin saving up!  World Youth Day is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you should take advantage of it, even if you don’t think you are religious enough. It is for everyone. The Church welcomes everyone. In the words of Pope Francis’s mantra during one of his addresses at World Youth Day, “todos, todos, todos,” meaning “everyone, everyone, everyone.” Everyone is welcome!