Be part of my journey
To the World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal
Activities: Faith Formation, Youth Encounters, Missions, Pilgrimage
What is World Youth Day
The World Youth Day (WYD) was instituted by John Paul II, in 1985, and from that moment on it has been understood as a moment of gathering and sharing for millions of people around the world. The first edition was in 1986, in Rome, and these are the cities where it has already taken place: Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), Rome (2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005), Sidney (2008), Madrid (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016) and Panamá (2019).
Please refer to the official WYD Lisbon 2023 website for more details: https://www.lisboa2023.org/en
WYD Lisbon 2023 Theme: "Mary arose and went with haste." Luke 1:39
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Buy My Book
In this ebook, I humbly share my life-changing stories on the mission field. Over 70 mission days. 5 years. 7 stories. I created this ebook as a fundraising project for my pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Currently, I am affiliated with Pure Heart Philippines. And I also volunteer for the apostolates of the Community of Saint John – Cebu.
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Why do I like to join the World Youth Day?
I only really learned more about World Youth Day when I joined Pure Heart Philippines, a lay missionary group that shares the Theology of the Body teaching of St. Pope John Paul 2.
WYD Stories
In 2018, the first time I encountered the group, they were all talking about and preparing for the WYD 2019 (held in Panama). I met some of the delegates and talked to them. They said that it’s a global gathering of youth that focuses on faith formation, cultural exposure, and youth encounters. A couple of months later, they came back with life-changing experiences and stories of the people they encountered. I could never forget their narratives of 24-hour long road trips, surviving on bread for many days, racing after trams, and walking long miles while praying. The story I can’t forget was about the pilgrims from Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, who, as they said, were crying and narrating their harrowing experiences as Catholics in a Muslim country.
I must admit. At 32, I’m no longer as young and youthful as before. I’m starting to feel body aches, here and there. But these stories fueled my desire to encounter fellow missionaries and Catholics from around the world.
My Memorable Mission Moments
Having served as a lay missionary for 4 years now, I have encountered youths during our local missions. I have listened to their narratives. The youths’ stories of poverty, deliverance, simple joys, faith, and encounters with Christ fill my heart with hope that there are still a lot of great things to fight for, despite struggles and sadness. Surprisingly, although I set out to motivate them at first, I was the one being inspired.
They might be annoying sometimes, but deep inside they really just need love, guidance, and purpose. Their young minds are easy targets of the devil, especially when they grow up in dysfunctional families and difficult environments. They need support and prayers in the same way that I do.
A Little About JP2
St. Pope John Paul 2’s life was marked with suffering and challenges. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, he was employed as a laborer hauling wheelbarrows loaded with crushed limestone. Olga, her older sister, died in infancy. Edmund, his older brother, died during his service to people stricken with scarlet fever. And when he was just 12 years old, his mother died of kidney failure. With only his good and religious father to take care of him, the young JP2 learned to cling to our dear Blessed Virgin Mother for consolation. His relationship with Mary was so strong that he carried it with him into his papacy. “Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)” was his motto, which he engraved in his coat of arms.
St. JP2 and Mama Mary’s Shrine in Fatima, Portugal
One of the things I’m most excited about joining this year’s WYD is the possibility of visiting Our Lady’s Shrine in Fatima. The apparition of Mother Mary to three young peasant children (Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia; ages 10, 9, and 7) in Fatima, Portugal in 1917 is the most popular and well-documented of all her other apparitions. The three kids were entrusted with three secrets, which they kept for a long time. In 1941, 2 of the 3 secrets were revealed as requested by the Bishop of Leira at that time. 57 years after, in 2000, St. JP2 read and revealed the 3rd secret and immediately thought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He also wrote a prayer called an Act of Entrustment.
Why JP2 and His TOB and WYD Matter to Me
Jesus loves children. Mother Mary loves kids. And as a missionary focusing on youth formations, I am called to love and nurture children, too, despite being a child (in spirit) myself. Through the Theology of Body teaching of St. JP2, I was able to grow in mind, body, and spirit, as well as make the journey from my head to my heart. And by joining the WYD, I am entrusting myself to the Holy Spirit so that I can grow even further and become a better server and model for the youth.
Itinerary
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
And please pray for me, too.