Day 6 of World Youth Day 7-30-23

Bom Dia!

Today we finally got a chance to sleep in for the first time this pilgrimage so far. However I’m not so sure we all took advantage of that because of the festa last night. We began with mass at 10:30 this morning with the local parishioners of Cortes and the mass was mainly said in Portuguese but of course the homily, the Gospel and a few other parts were said in the different languages of the people staying in Cortes.

While this isn’t our last day with our host families, we said goodbye to them after mass and were given gifts from them (magnets of world youth day) and at least in my experience, it was quite difficult to say bye. Tomorrow we really do say goodbye as we head to Lisbon for the World Youth Day events. The families here in Cortes have been so grateful and wonderful to all of us, making sure that we all have the best experience possible while also encountering Christ along the way. I realized just how much our host families cared about us and I really felt from my own host family a kind of love that comes from Christ himself.

After Mass we did more dancing with some musical entertainment from the Amigos da Concertina and lunch. Then we all went our separate ways with our host families, mine and many other families went to the beach in Nazaré where we got to ride a trolley, see some phenomenal views and more Churches as well.

We are praying for everyone back at home and we thank you all for supporting us throughout our journey.

God Bless,

Liam Mullins

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Day 11 of World Youth Day 8-4-23

BOM DIA! As I begin my day with four espressos and two cough drops, I find our group flag and make my way to the lobby. It is always noisy and full of so much life; what a beautiful foreshadowing of events. Our group makes its way by subway to the beach. Not the kind you swim in tho, but just as majestic. We learn about their culture and Portugal’s spirit of Adventure. I can’t help be feel like I am right where I am suppose to be. The City of Joy lived up to its name, especially when the THEE PAPA FRANCISCO decided to stop by to listen to some confessions. Never have I wanted to have sin in my life, as an excuse to meet the Pope. On the outskirts of the area is an ocean of confessionals and priest scattered across the field. I pondered on how many volunteers it took to make this whole thing happen, and marveled over the joy of their sacrifices. Adjacent to that was the biggest ministry and vocations fair I’d ever seen. Possibilities in Christ everywhere, and the perfect dr...

Bem-vindos! Five Days Away!

We are FIVE days away from setting off to Portugal! World Youth Day is a world wide encounter with the Pope celebrated about every three years in a different country. This event is an opportunity for young adults to personally experience the universality of the Catholic Church, and to share with the whole world the hope of many young people who are committing their lives to Christ. World Youth Day was started by Pope, St. John Paul II and was first held in Rome in 1986. 26 Pilgrims are embarking on this pilgrimage from All Saints University parish. This consists of two priests (Fr. Tom Orlando and Fr. Cesar Martinez), three seminarians (Josue, Patrick, and Saul) and 21 young adults from our community. It may seem like our pilgrimage begins next Tuesday, but as we’ve been telling our pilgrims, it began when we first said “yes” to God’s invitation to encounter him in this radical way. From accepting our Father’s invitation, we then invited all of you to partake in this ...

World Youth Day - Portugal

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