Day 2 of World Youth Day Pilgrimage 7-26-23

2 hour bus ride, 11 hour flight to Madrid, race through customs to barely make the boarding call for our connecting flight to Lisbon and we are finally here! It doesn’t feel real. We’ve prepared for about a year now and through all the fundraising, prayers, and preparation we finally landed today in Lisbon at 4pm.

As one can imagine with traveling with 25 people there will be bumps along the way, but we are quickly learning on this pilgrimage to offer it to the Lord. Instead of complaining when things get rough, we say that’s so POPE, Part Of the Pilgrimage Experience, and sing songs of praise or pray a rosary in all the restless moments. The first day we struggled with delays, not finding our guide at the airport, and then having the wrong drop off location. But by the grace of God we arrived safely to our home for the next week, the parish of Cortes in the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. We were welcomed by our host families with big smiles, Portuguese hugs, kisses, and too many graciously hand cooked courses we could hardly finish.

We then had mass at 10pm that day, exhausted by travel and filled to the brim by dinner, but still seeking the everlasting bread. In a special mass of thanksgiving to our gracious host parish and our safe arrival we prayed for our families, grandparents, the special intentions of all those who helped us get here, and the intentions of our hearts that we are seeking God to enter during this journey.

Already we are encountered with so much love and joy in each person we meet. Whether we can understand their language or not, just like in Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is the only translator we need. And he is very present in every soul here, so I anticipate no heart to not be left unchanged by the time of our return. Praying for you all back home.

-Maira Aguilar

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World Youth Day - Portugal

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