POMETTO: The WYD journey mirrors the journey of faith

The crowd waits for Pope Francis' arrival to lead the World Youth Day prayer vigil with young people at Tejo Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 5, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

This past summer, I was blessed to lead the Archdiocesan trip to World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon. One of the young adult pilgrims said, “The journey of WYD mirrors the journey of my life with Christ.” With that in mind, this is the story of our Houston pilgrims and the closing Vigil of WYD mirrors well the journey of faith that each of us walk.

In our WYD planning meetings, I tried to explain the vigil to all the pilgrims. I told them to bring their sleeping bags and pillows since we would walk anywhere from five to 20 miles and sleep under the stars on the last night with 1 million other pilgrims. As I shared, I could see their eyes glaze over as they tried to imagine what it would be like. I knew there was only so much I could do to prepare them — they just had to live it.

On Saturday morning of WYD, our 100 young adult pilgrims, all wearing their red Archdiocesan WYD T-shirts, gathered outside our hotel, ready with sleeping bags, tarps and backpacks. Thankfully, our hotel was very close to the vigil site. No more than 10 minutes after we began our walk, we arrived at one of the food pick-up spots. As we walked by, the WYD volunteers handed us a 10-pound bag full of food and 1.5 liters of water. That bag of food was meant to be our lunch, dinner and breakfast during the next 24 hours.

As we got closer to the main entrance, the crowd intensified. There were 1.5 million pilgrims all heading to the same location. The large, two-lane highway was packed shoulder to shoulder with people. As soon as we entered the crowd, I quickly lost sight of the big group. The eight to 10 pilgrims still close to me grabbed each other’s backpacks so we wouldn’t get separated.

Like cattle, we moved along with the crowd, made it through the entrance gate, and kept moving toward our section of C14. When we arrived, we found the spot that would be our home for the night. Instead of grass, the ground was covered with dust, rocks and weeds. The pilgrims started filling in spaces by laying out their tarps and sleeping bags.

Through the afternoon’s 100-degree heat, the Houston pilgrims stayed still and sheltered from the sun under hats, umbrellas and mini tents. However, as the sun began to set, people came out from hiding. The camp became a beautiful cacophony of friends talking, pilgrims singing and laughing.

As the sun disappeared, Pope Francis arrived and began the evening prayer vigil. Using Mary at the Visitation as an example, he encouraged all the young people to be missionaries of joy. Mary went to visit Elizabeth “without anyone asking it of her. Mary’s gesture … was done because she loves, and the one who loves is joyful. … Joy is missionary. Joy is not for oneself; it is to carry to another.”

After his address, Pope Francis opened a time of Eucharistic Adoration. When it began, the entire site of 1.5 million pilgrims came to perfect silence. All the pilgrims knew that Jesus was now in their midst and turned their hearts to prayer. Everything was still and peaceful in the presence of our God.

This journey of WYD mirrors our own faith journeys. When we begin our journey of faith, we often don’t know exactly what to expect. The only way to learn is by diving in and beginning. Along the journey, God always provides what we need — even including a 10-pound bag of food. And despite the many challenges and difficulties, God remains present to us and calls us to intimate moments of silence in prayer. 

Angie Pometto serves as the director of the Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry.