Are you a young person who would like a glimpse of heaven?

Members of a group from St. Malachy Parish in Brownsburg grew closer to each other and to Christ during World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2023. The next World Youth Day will be in Seoul, South Korea, in August of 2027. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

Catherine Deleon has an invitation for any young person who wants a glimpse of heaven.

She extends that invitation based upon her experience of leading 12 young people to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2023.

“In Lisbon, we were taught catechesis with many amazing English Catholic influencers—Bishop Robert Barron, Jason Evert, Christ Stefanik. And our pilgrimage group saw Pope Francis more than once. But it wasn’t the famous faces that excited our pilgrims the most,” says Deleon, the director of youth ministry at St. Malachy Parish in Brownsburg.

“Unanimously, amongst the teens and young adults in our St. Malachy group, the most impactful moment of the World Youth Day pilgrimage was the Adoration-based prayer vigil under the starry sky with Pope Francis and Jesus. The music was heavenly, the prayers were heartfelt, and kneeling with 1.5 million fellow pilgrims before Jesus in the largest monstrance they had ever seen took their breath away.

“The silence and reverence in that field packed with millions of faithful filled their souls. It was the closest they had come to heaven on this side of the beatific vision.”

That experience is why Deleon is already excited about World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea, in the summer of 2027. It’s also why she is also encouraging youths and young adults across the archdiocese to register for the August 1-10 pilgrimage that will be led by the archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry and the Office of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry.

The pilgrimage will feature music, a youth festival and opportunities to participate in Mass, adoration and the Stations of the Cross with Pope Leo XIV.

The deadline to register for the pilgrimage is Sept. 30 and requires a $500 deposit for the journey that will cost an estimated $4,845 per person.

“I have noticed that there is a lot of fear of making such a big, expensive commitment,” Deleon says. “Common fears also include that it is far away, and in a country whose culture is very different from our own. These are the moments when we need to have faith. First, God always provides. When it comes to the financial qualms young people have about the trip, have faith in the generosity of God and others who want you to grow in your relationship with him.”

Rachel Gilman has seen how God uses World Youth Day to make a difference in the faith and the lives of young people.

A path of challenge, growth and joy

“The pilgrimage of both preparing for and experiencing World Youth Day has a way of opening our hearts and minds to God’s presence in our lives in a way that doesn’t ordinarily happen day to day when we are often bogged down by daily tasks, work and appointments,” says Gilman, director of youth ministry for the archdiocese.

“World Youth Day will challenge and stretch you, but it will also provide spaces for you to encounter God in ways you could never imagine.”

Deleon and Gilman don’t sugarcoat the challenges of the pilgrimage. They also see the gifts that often come from the challenges.

“A World Youth Day pilgrimage is spiritually and physically challenging,” Deleon says. “However, God works wonders when we have the courage to step out of our comfort zones. Disconnected from social media and daily routines, the teens and young adults in my group were deeply immersed in a bubble of Catholic celebration with approximately 1.5 million other Catholics their age. The joy and fellowship they found in these encounters expanded their spiritual horizons.

“The physical challenges also informed their spiritual experience, as many of our pilgrims worked to exude joy, peace, patience and generosity in crushing crowds, long waits, scorching weather, food shortages and miles-long hikes. I was impressed by how excited and eager they remained throughout these trials.”

Most of all, she saw how the pilgrimage led young people closer to each other and to Christ.

‘God works in transformational ways’

“Each night, our group of pilgrims opened up and vulnerably shared the impact that day’s prayer, talk or pilgrimage site had on them,” Deleon says. “The pilgrims laughed, cried and prayed together. Their World Youth Day experiences pushed them to dive deeper into their relationship with Jesus, which often stirred up big and complex emotions based on the burdens they brought with them on pilgrimage.

“I find it inspiring to see how many young people hunger for Jesus. They were eager to consume Jesus in the Eucharist. The joy on their faces when they received the sacrament, the devastation on their faces when ministers of the sacrament ran out of the Eucharist, and the relief when new Eucharistic ministers found our area and made sure we received, set my own heart on fire for the love of the Eucharist.”

While the pilgrimage offers a possible glimpse of heaven, Gilman also believes the World Youth Day experience expands a young person’s perception of his or her place as part of the body of Christ.

“World Youth Day can help us get outside of the small bubbles of our Indiana towns and cities and truly experience the Church at large,” Gilman says. “At no other event in the world can you encounter so many Catholics from so many countries. The sheer magnitude of worshipping amongst over a million Catholic pilgrims is inspirational and a reminder that the Church is truly alive.

“And God works in transformational ways at World Youth Day. He helps young people fall deeper in love with him and the Church in a way I have never seen at any other Catholic event.”
 

(The pilgrimage is being organized by Verso Ministries. For more information about the pilgrimage and to register for it, go to VersoMinistries.com/archindy-wyd.) †