World Youth Day
August 1-6, 2023
Lisbon Portugal

 

At the closing mass of World Youth Day 2019, Panama, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, officially announced the location of the next World Youth Day. That site would be Lisbon, Portugal. The original 2022 dates had to be changed due to the pandemic and the new dates of August 1-6, 2023 have now been announced.

With the rich Catholic heritage of Portugal and the return to the summer, this next World Youth Day has the potential of being a great success! Faith Journeys, would be proud to serve as your ministry partner in planning and attending this great event with your youth.

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Catholic Heritage in Portugal

Braga

One of the oldest Christian cities in Europe. Burial site of the first king of Portugal, Afonso, site of Our Lady of Sameiro (the second-most visited shrine in Portugal) and Bom Jesus do Monte (Good Jesus of the Mountain) where pilgrims can meditate on the Stations of the Cross while climbing stairs to the top of the mountain.

Coimbra

Portugal’s second city and its medieval capital and the home of the Convent of Santa Clara, where Sr. Lucia dos Santos of Fatima lived the last 57 years of her life. Attached to the convent is a small museum that traces the life of Sr. Lucia and the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Fatima.

Fatima

Considered the most significant Marian apparition of the 20th century, Our Lady appeared monthly to three shepherd children in a field, just outside Fatima, between May and October of 1917. Pilgrims can visit the site of the apparitions, Cova da Iria, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima and The Church of the Holy Trinity, among many other beautiful sites, chapels and churches.

Lisbon

The capitol and largest city in Portugal and the birthplace of St. Anthony of Padua. The religious and historical sites of this ancient city including Pombal square, Liberty Avenue, Rossio Square, Belem Tower and the cities beautiful Romanesque Cathedral.

Porto

Located on the banks of the Douro River, in Northwestern of the country, Porto is the second largest city in Portugal. With the Gothic Porto Cathedral, the Church of St. Francis, the stunning Sao Bento Train Stations, cobbled streets and lovely bridges, Porto is a wonderful place to visit (or to spend a few days on pilgrimage).

Santarem

This small town in the central part of the country is the site of a great Eucharistic Miracle. Today, the city still contains a castle, a 14th-century fountain a medieval tower, and several historic churches.

World Youth Day Pilgrimage to Lisbon

 

Day One:
  • Our journey begins as we depart the USA on an overnight flight to Lisbon, Portugal
Day Two:
  • Arrival into Lisbon and meet our Faith Journeys representative who will assist us to the awaiting motorcoach and transfer into the city. Half-day guided tour of the city that is rich in art, architecture, spirit, and home to many saints. Visit St. Anthony’s Church, known in Portugal as a marriage saint, because legend has him as a conciliator of couples. Check-in to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day Three: World Youth Day Opening Mass
  • Morning at leisure (or guided tour if it did not happen on day of arrival). Afternoon and evening participation in the opening of the World Youth Day in Lisbon.

 

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World Youth Day Pilgrimage to Lisbon
Sintra, Roca Cape, Cascais & Estoril, Lisbon, Santarem & Fatima

 

Day One:
  • Our journey begins as we depart the USA on an overnight flight to Lisbon, Portugal
Day Two:
  • Arrival into Lisbon and meet our Faith Journeys representative who will assist us to the awaiting motorcoach and transfer into the city. Half-day guided tour of the city that is rich in art, architecture, spirit, and home to many saints. Visit St. Anthony’s Church, known in Portugal as a marriage saint, because legend has him as a conciliator of couples. Check-in to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day Three
  • Full-day, guided tour to begin by visiting the charming village of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit Pena Palace, and the historic center to walk through the medieval streets. Continue to Roca Cape, the most westerly point of continental Europe, for a view across the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll proceed to Cascais and Estoril to see the stunning beaches and gardens. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight
View the Full Itinerary
World Youth Day Pilgrimage to Lisbon
Madrid/Toledo/El Escorial/Avila/Santiago de Compostela/Fatima/Lisbon

 

Day One:
  • Our journey begins as we depart the USA on an overnight flight to Madrid, Spain
Day Two:
  • Arrival into Madrid and meet our Faith Journeys Tour Manager who will assist us to the awaiting motorcoach and transfer to the city. Although we will find Madrid a modern city, we can’t help but be captivated by its rich history, art and spirit. After arriving at our hotel, a little rest and relaxation might be in order. Or, for the more adventurous and energetic, suggested sights and walking trails can be provided upon request.
Day Three
  • Some contend that the original name of Madrid was “Ursaria” (“land of bears”) due to the high number of these animals found in the adjacent forests, which, together with the strawberry tree (madroño), have been emblems of the city from ancient times. We begin our day by visiting many of its remarkable landmarks including the Prado Museum which hosts one of the finest art collections in the world including important Spanish and Flemish paintings, classical statues purchased from Italy, medieval religious treasures and even some Romanesque frescoes. We will also explore Buen Retiro Park, founded in 1631, and the immense Royal Palace of Madrid. Afternoon at leisure with dinner under your own arrangements before returning to the hotel for overnight.
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World Youth Day Pilgrimage to Lisbon
Lourdes/Loyola/Leon/Santiago de Compostela/Fatima/Lisbon

 

Day One:
  • Our journey begins as we depart the USA on an overnight flight to Toulouse, France
Day Two:
  • Arrival into Toulouse, France and meet our Faith Journeys Tour Manager who will assist us to the awaiting motorcoach and transfer to the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains to picturesque Lourdes, site of the largest Catholic pilgrimage destination in France. It is here that St. Bernadette, to whom Our Lady appeared in 1858 near the Grotto of Massabielle, was born. Check-in to the hotel for dinner and overnight. The more adventurous can attend the evening Torchlight Procession at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Day Three
  • When Bernadette Soubirous was 14-years of age and out gathering firewood with her sister and a friend at the grotto of Massabielle outside Lourdes, she had an experience that completely changed her life and the town of Lourdes where she had lived. It was on this day in 1858 that Bernadette claimed she had the first of 18 visions of what she termed “a small young lady” (ua petita damisela) standing in a niche in the rock. The contents of Bernadette’s reported visions were simple and mostly focused on the need for prayer and penance. We begin this morning with Mass after which we will walk in the footsteps of Bernadette as we visit the Grotto of Massabielle, the site of St. Bernadette’s visions of the Virgin Mary (The Blessed Virgin is said to have pointed out a previously undiscovered spring in the grotto and instructed Bernadette to drink from it. The spring water from the grotto is believed to possess healing properties, and the Roman Catholic Church occasionally officially recognizes miraculous healings.), the home in which St. Bernadette and her family lived at the time the girl saw visions of the Virgin Mary, the parish church, and other holy shrines and sites related to these miraculous visions. We are welcome to participate in the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessing of the Sick (depending on seasonal schedules) in the late afternoon, and will return to the Sanctuary for the Rosary and Torchlight Procession (beginning at about 8:30 p.m. depending on seasonal schedules) after dinner. After the day’s rich events, we return to our hotel for a second night’s stay in Lourdes.
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Contact Us

Contact us directly if you have any questions regarding a pilgrimage through the online form or at:

info@myfaithjourneys.com

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