LISBON, PORTUGAL – More than 1.5 million young Catholics celebrated World Youth Day with Pope Francis this month, including 16 Diocese of Gary pilgrims led by Bishop Robert J. McClory and another 29 led by Father Jaime Perea, pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Lake Station.
“The Portuguese people have a rich Catholic faith and theirs is a historically overwhelmingly Catholic country,” said Bishop McClory. “(But) in recent years, they have experienced the growing trend towards secularization. To be able to so visibly lift up Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith for World Youth Day in this country was a true privilege. From Our Lady of Fatima to St. Anthony, we were able to help remind the people of the importance of their religious roots and they were eager to share those roots with us.”
The Diocese of Gary pilgrims began their WYD journey with an overnight visit to Fatina, where they walked the Stations of the Cross to the home village of the three children to whom the Blessed Mother appeared, attended Mass at the Church of the Apparitions and participated in a candlelight procession. They also made a stop in Santarem, a city best known for the Eucharistic Miracle of the bleeding host.
“Praying in the sanctuary of Fatima was definitely my most spiritual experience,” said Marlene Garcia, a pilgrim from Hammond. “Listening to so many languages and seeing Catholics from all around the world come together to worship the same God and Mother Mary was such a blessing.”
Bishop McClory agreed. “We spent a couple of beautiful days (in Fatima) drawing closer to Our Lady,” he noted. “One of the great blessings has been to see young people from all over the world come together to share our faith … drawing close to one another and sharing stories and graces.”
Pilgrim Aubrey Lundquist from St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center in Valparaiso appreciated spending time with the bishop. “Experiencing WYD with Bishop McClory made the experience so much more meaningful. His presence made me feel heard, respected and appreciated as a youth in the church. His kindness and wisdom became very evident,” she explained.
Bishop McClory counted as his most memorable experience at WYD a tender moment during the closing Mass. “There were two altar servers who appeared to have Down’s Syndrome and after they assisted with (presentation of the gifts) and came down the stairs from having greeted the Holy Father, one of the young men was smiling widely and wiping away tears,” the bishop explained. “It was so moving to see his joy at that moment. There were 1.5 million people present, and everyone had their own experience of that Mass, but for me, the joy of the Lord visible on this young man’s face encapsulated the joy that was so widespread throughout the week.”
The bishop also acknowledged the WYD contributions of the Diocese of Gary pilgrims organized by diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry consultant Vicky Hathaway. “I enjoyed helping to lead and preach at two catechetical sessions,” he noted. “I led an English-language session of about 250 young people from Uganda, Tanzania, Australia and Kuwait, and Chinese Catholics from California, Namibia and Portugal. (On Aug. 3) we had more than 500 Indian, Australian, Indonesian, Canadian, American and Filipino pilgrims led by a team from the Diocese of Gary.
“The sessions were beautiful and young people were able to share their own thoughts on the theme of the day. At these and other sessions including pilgrims from the U.S., our Gary young adult leaders did an amazing job serving and sharing the faith,” he added.
Hathaway called the Rise Up catechetical sessions a joyful experience. “They were really beautiful and made me so proud of our pilgrims. For three mornings, our pilgrims led more than 600 others from around the world in prayer and reflection. Seeing the impact our pilgrims had was really special.
Paul Jarzembowski, associate director for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a Diocese of Gary native, was also impressed by the Northwest Indiana youth and adults participation at World Youth Day, “not just as pilgrims, but as leaders of pilgrims, as young protagonists, as active parts of the program. What they (engaged in) touched the lives of not only pilgrims from the U.S., but from all over the world,” he said.
World Youth Day began in 1986 as an initiative of St. John Paul II to bring young people together (every 2-4 years) to encounter Christ and the universal Catholic Church, and encourage youth worldwide to use their God-given gifts to bring Christ to their communities.
Pope Francis joined the WYD pilgrims on Aug. 3 for a Welcome Ceremony in the Lisbon city center, presided at a Way of the Cross on Aug. 4 and a prayer vigil on Aug. 5, and celebrated the WYD Closing Mass on Aug. 6.
“(It is) important for the pope to host WYD because it brings together Catholics from all over the world and unifies us,” said Shane Stanek from Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake. “Unity is extremely important when it comes to anything.”
Gabe Stanek, also from Holy Name, seconded his fellow pilgrim. “WYD is an important experience because it brings people together from all around the world … it expands horizons and breaks language barriers, especially with everyone speaking different languages (but) there for the same thing.”
Hathaway called WYD “a time when the global Church recognizes the gifts of young people, young people who are not the future of the Church, but who are the Church now. Young people are using their gifts to help their communities, care for the poor, speak up for the environment and teach others about the faith. For the Church to celebrate young people is such a confidence boost.”
Bishop McClory called WYD “a truly remarkable event in the life of the Church. Pope Francis publicly thanked St. John Paul II for initiating World Youth Day, and the applause resounded among all the pilgrims,” noted Bishop McClory. “They truly appreciated this great gift. Young people desire authenticity and deep experiences of the faith. WYD provides that on a global scale. I plan to go to the next WYD in Seoul, South Korea in 2027 and I invite our young adults to begin prayerfully discerning (their participation) as well.”