The Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced Thursday that nearly 100 people, including clergy, will receive a blessing from the archbishop Sunday, ahead of a trip to Lisbon for World Youth Day and a chance to see the pope.
Nearly 100 teens and young adults, as well as adults, will embark on a “once-in-a-life time pilgrimage, where they’ll join a quarter of a million Catholics and possibly meet the Pope Francis to celebrate World Youth Day — the first time after the pandemic — the first week of August.
Archbishop José Gomez will prepare a send-off blessing Sunday during the 10 a.m. mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
“In these troubling times when our human family, already tested by the trauma of the pandemic, is racked by the tragedy of war, Mary shows to all of us, and especially to you, young people like herself, the path of proximity and encounter,” Pope Francis said in a message to young people.
“I hope and I firmly believe that the experience many of you will have in Lisbon (this) August will present a new beginning for you, the young, and — with you — for humanity as a whole.”
Pope John Paul II first established World Youth Day in December 1985, with the first officials celebration held in 1986. It became one of the Catholic church’s biggest event, but also one the world’s largest gathering of young people.
The day offers a “transformative pilgrimage experience,” targeting those ages 16 to 35 and offering an opportunity for those who make the pilgrimage to deepen their faith.
One of the highlights of World Youth Day includes an Aug. 3 meeting between the pope and college students of the Catholic Portuguese University, followed by a meeting with young members of the pontifical organization, Scholas Ocurrentes.
Then on Aug. 5, young people will spend time with the pope at an evening prayer vigil at Parque do Tejo (Tejo Park) after he leads a rosary prayer with sick young people during a one-day visit to the Chapel of Apparitions of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima — in the town of Fatima.
Events associated with World Youth Day will conclude with a morning mass on Aug. 6 at Tejo Park.