SP in the World Youth Day (WYD)

Organized for the first time in Rome in 1986, the World Youth Day (WYD) is a celebration of the Catholic youth that promotes the values of justice, charity, union and fraternity among peoples and nations. It takes place at the diocesan level on Palm Sunday, and every two, three or four years, the Pope chooses a city as its international venue where pilgrims from all corners of the world gather together. To close the event, the Holy Father celebrates a massive homily, attended by people from all walks of life.

For this year’s meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, the chosen theme is “Mary arose and departed without delay” (Luke 1:39), a passage describing the precise moment after the Annunciation. As Pope Francis clarifies:

What kinds of “haste” do you have, dear young people? What leads you to feel a need to get up and go, lest you end up standing still? Many people – in the wake of realities like the pandemic, war, forced migration, poverty, violence, and climate disasters – are asking themselves: Why is this happening to me? […] The haste of the young woman of Nazareth is the haste of those who have received extraordinary gifts from the Lord and feel compelled to share them, to let the immense grace that they have experienced be poured out upon others.[1]

As in previous editions to which the Sisters of Providence have attended punctually, this year sister Jude Merline, SP, has traveled to Portugal to represent our Congregation, along with other enthusiastic young people from Haiti.

More than a one-time event, the WYD is an occasion for pilgrimage, a personal appointment with God, an opportunity to learn and encounter oneself and others, and an occasion that will become engraved in the memories of the participants.

Providence of God, we thank you for all.

IPC Communications Office

[1] Cf. https://www.lisboa2023.org/es/mensaje-del-papa