More than 130 people from the Diocese of Arlington, including both teens and chaperones, are traveling to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023. St. John Paul II established World Youth Day in 1986 because he had a great devotion to the well-being of young people and wanted them to know Christ more deeply. Now many of those children who grew up hearing St. John Paul II’s call to action are leading the next generation to Lisbon. I ask you to join me in prayer for our pilgrims.
Pope Francis often speaks of seeing a hope for a stronger, more vibrant and energetic Church in young people. They are the hope of our future and of what is possible. Pope Francis has said that in the young, “roads open up that lead us to a better, fairer, less cruel and more humane world.” I pray that this pilgrimage to Lisbon is a springboard in the lives of Catholic youth from throughout the Diocese of Arlington, helping them to encounter Jesus Christ and experience God’s voice in their lives. May this time inspire them with the courage to follow the Lord’s call to evangelize a world in deep need of the Gospel message.
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Read Bishop Burbidge’s column on World Youth Day here.
