Day 4 - Wednesday 2 August 2023

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Wednesday was an incredible day as the World Youth Day festivities officially kicked off!

The day started for our under 18 pilgrims with a guided tour in Lisbon in the morning. Led by our Portuguese support team members Diego and Daniel, the group explored the sights and sounds of downtown Lisbon including exploring iconic landmarks like the Praça do Comércio, getting familiar with the public transport system and meeting the growing number of pilgrims that have descended in Lisbon.

In the afternoon, we joined a special gathering of all 3500 Australian pilgrims at the Park Quinta das Conchas. There were great music by Fr Rob Galea and Gen Bryant and great speakers. Archbishop Peter A Comensoli spoke, inviting us to the next Australian Catholic Youth Festival which will be in Melbourne!

We then made our way to the Colina do Encontro – Parque Eduardo VII for the Opening Mass. It was an incredible gathering as the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon celebrated Mass for hundreds of thousands (maybe even a million!) of young people. It was a spectacular gathering of joy and celebration! We sat among people from nearly every nationality and every country and prayed together. We then returned back to the hotel for dinner.

Keep in touch with our pilgrimage on Facebook and Instagram.

Our Parent/Family Hotline (+44 7360 666 378) is available if parents or guardians urgently need to contact the Pilgrimage Leadership Team from Thursday 27 July to Thursday 10 August 2023.

Please continue to keep our pilgrimage in your prayers as the official World Youth Day festivities continue!

The WYD Team