Vanya Montes, 17, was among members of parish pilgrim groups from the archdiocese that attended World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, led by Pope Francis. 

Some of the parishes that sent pilgrims included St. Rita of Cascia in the Bronx; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also in the Bronx; and St. Peter-St. Denis in Yonkers. These were parish groups that traveled separately from the pilgrimage group led by the archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Outreach.      

WYD Lisbon ran from August 1-6. The international gathering of praise and worship, which drew 1.5 million pilgrims from across the globe, included the Way of the Cross, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, reconciliation, and catechesis sessions.         

“It felt so amazing, so many people gathered there; and seeing the pope,” Montes, a parishioner of St. Rita of Cascia, told The Good Newsroom in an August 16 phone interview. “It was all great – to experience it with everyone there and people from my church. We were able to understand and appreciate everything that the Church has for us, getting together to celebrate God’s love, to celebrate the faith.”

She noted that upon returning home she felt she had grown more in her faith. “Way more…We had confession the day before leaving, at St. Rita.” Montes said she’s glad that her parents encouraged her to go on the pilgrimage.  

“It all made me feel peaceful, made me feel at ease,” she added. In addition to WYD Lisbon, the St. Rita of Cascia parish group visited other Catholic sites, including the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. The group also traveled to Spain for a partial trek on El Camino de Santiago, all of which Montes said was spiritually uplifting. 

Montes’s mother, Maria Coyotl, said she is very content that her daughter joined the parish pilgrimage. “This was beautiful – that she went there and was focused on our faith…It was a very spiritual encounter for her – an encounter with God,” Coyotl said. “Our faith has always been very important for us. I felt very happy for her. I see her very content, more interested in Mass, singing the hymns of praise.”

Father Stephen Howe, parochial vicar at St. Peter-St. Denis in Yonkers, was among coordinators of that parish pilgrim group for WYD. Fr. Howe said the pilgrims from St. Peter-St. Denis “were very excited about the trip, seeing people from so many other countries, all united; very peaceful. We also went to Fatima – we went to Fatima twice.” He said the entire six-day event was spiritually uplifting for the young pilgrims, especially the Saturday vigil celebrated by the pope. 

During the Angelus after the August 6 closing Mass, Pope Francis said, “And obrigado (thank you in Portuguese) to all of you, dear young people. God sees your goodness. He alone knows what He has sown in your hearts. You leave here with what God has sown in your hearts; take good care of it. I would like to recommend that you hold fast to the memory of these days, remembering the best moments, so that when times of fatigue and discouragement come, which are inevitable, and perhaps even the temptation to give up or close in on yourselves, you will be able to recall and relive the experiences and graces of these days. Indeed, never forget who you really are: the faithful holy People of God walking in the joy of the Gospel.”

“Finally, the last obrigado that we address is to two special people, to the most important presence in these days. They have been here with us, and they are always with us, never losing sight of our lives; they love us like no one else: Obrigado to you, Lord Jesus; and obrigado to you, Blessed Mary our Mother. Now, let us pray together,” the pope added.