It is surreal that World Youth Day is only 3 1/2 months away!
While we have been preparing to embark on this journey of a lifetime, we have been keeping you in our prayers. We wanted to share with you how to prepare best.
The goal of this email is fivefold. In this email, we will cover the following:
Mary's Corner: Explore the relationship between Saint Anthony and Mary, especially as you prepare to visit Portugal, which loves them so very much!
Pilgrim's Path: Address current pilgrim needs and questions.
Portugal Highlight: Discover the Easter season in Portugal– with all of the tasty treats and fun festivities!
WYD Highlight: Explore the various events and opportunities offered to pilgrims at WYD.
Recommendation Station: Food for your mind, body & spirit as we continue our preparations!
Without further ado...let's dive in!
St. Anthony of Lisbon (whom you might know as St. Anthony of Padua!), the Evangelical Doctor, Wonder-Worker, and Hammer of Heretics, is renowned for his personal holiness. His love for the Lord flowed from his profound love for Mary. Heroically he followed St. Francis, whose tender love for the poor, humble Virgin was comparable only to that of Christ Himself. St. Anthony praised and glorified Mary from the pulpit, where in his preaching, he moved thousands to love the sweet name of Mary. Furthermore, he imitated her so much that he became an extension of Mary on earth!
Mary seemed to follow St. Anthony everywhere! He was born in Lisbon on the feast of the Assumption, August 15th, 1195 A. D., and baptized in the Church of St. Mary in Lisbon. At the age of 15 he completed his studies at the Cathedral School of St. Mary. When dying, he longed to be taken to the St. Mary, Mother of God Friary in Padua. After receiving last rites, he spoke his favorite hymn, "O gloriosa Domina..." (O glorious Lady). He lived and died with the Virgin Mary on his lips and in his heart.
His devotion to Mary was palpable and incredible in many ways. Join us in praying his favorite hymn, “O gloriosa Domina” (O Glorious Lady) and connect with St. Anthony and Our Lady.
O Glorious Lady, throned on high
Above the star-illumined sky;
There to ordain’d, thy bosom lent
To thy Creator nourishment.
Through thy sweet Offspring we receive
The bliss once lost through hapless Eve;
And heaven- to mortals open lies
Now thou art Portal of the skies.
Thou art the Door of heavens high King,
Light’s Gateway fair and glistering;
Life through a Virgin is restored;
Ye ransomed nations, praise the Lord.
All honor, laud and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Amen
Now, we invite you to meditate on the words and message of the hymn by prayerfully considering the following questions. Take a few moments to slow down and quiet yourself.
In what ways can I serve Jesus the way His Mother did?
How might I show my love to Our Lady like St. Anthony?
As I prepare for this pilgrimage, how can I be more open to God's Will, like both Mary and St. Anthony were?
In what ways has Mary shown up in my life?
Payments
The final deadline for all payments was April 1st, 2023.
If you do not have your payments in now, you are at risk of having your trip completely canceled.
Contact us ASAP at wyd@versoministries.com or (574) 383-9396.
Next Pilgrim Webinar
Join us on April 25th at 8:30PM for our fourth webinar of our World Youth Day Webinar Series: “How to Be your Best Spiritual Self for World Youth Day”
Pilgrimages are not just physical, but also so spiritual. When on World Youth Day, you will experience so many beautiful spiritual moments. Opening Mass, morning catechesis, the Way of the Cross, and a candlelight vigil with Pope Francis we are sure will be some of the most incredible spiritual moments of your life. How can you prepare? Join us on this webinar to discuss how you can help prepare your heart and soul to embark on this journey.
Questions on what to pack? We have a blog for that! Check out this blog for more details on what and how to pack for WYD. Our webinar on June 27 will be covering all things packing, so mark your calendars now.
Have More Questions?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page on our website for any other questions you may have. If you are unable to find the answer to your question, please contact us at wyd@versoministries.com or (574) 383-9396.
If you need some assistance with your payments or specific logistics not answered yet by us:
For payment questions, contact Ted at (574) 383-9396 (x113)
For other pilgrim support. contact Jenna at (574) 383-9396 (x106)
Easter in Portugal
Happy Easter season! He has risen!
We hope that you had an amazing Easter, feeling close to the Lord and connecting with him in his resurrection.
There are many traditions that Portugal has during the Easter season– and most of them are related to food (of course!). Generally speaking, families gather together for a celebration during lunch time and enjoy some quality time together. Easter is the perfect excuse to fill your belly with delicious chocolate almonds, which are very traditional in Portugal. These are much like their version of jelly beans.
Furthermore, in some villages, there is a special celebration on Easter Sunday that happens in specific churches. After that, a procession goes along the streets, greeting the people that are standing by, waiting for their blessings.
In some of these processions, a specific group of people goes into particular homes to bless them and their families. In Portuguese, that group is called “Compasso” and, besides blessing each home, people also kiss a figurine of Jesus or the Crucifix to thank them for their blessings.
The Welcome Ceremony
During the welcome/opening ceremony, Pope Francis will begin with a speech of remarks that will help prepare you and all other youth for the entire World Youth Day.
Pope Francis will guide the youth through the motto this year which is, “Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39) The biblical phrase (a quote from the Gospel of St. Luke) opens the account of the Visitation (Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth), a biblical episode following the Annunciation (the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, and the theme of the last WYD, in Panama).
You will be able to greet people from other parts of the world, get excited for the rest of your journey, and begin opening your heart to the experience of World Youth Day!
You can read Pope Francis’ opening ceremony remarks in 2019 here!
Eating in Portugal
You probably are more familiar Italian, German, or French food than Portuguese food. But it's just a well-kept secret! Even if Portuguese food doesn’t have the same high profile as other European cuisines, it's delicious! Menus usually rely on a traditional repertoire of grilled fish and meat, hearty stews and casseroles, and bacalhau, a salted cod that has whole restaurants dedicated to it! All are often served with the same trio of accompaniments – rice, potatoes and salad. We think it is some of the best food you can get in Europe!
What will you be eating in your time in Portugal?
Breakfast will be provided at your hotels, so you can expect typical European breakfast foods like meats, cheeses, and cereals. Keep your eye out for some Portuguese specialities, like pastel de nata! For most lunches and dinners, you will have WYD food vouchers to be used in a variety of local restaurants and possibly supermarkets. You might find your new favorite food!
The Rosary is beloved to the people of Portugal.
Long before Our Lady appeared to the shepherd children of Fatima, a Dominican monastery (only 14 miles away from Fatima) had committed to praying the rosary around the clock! In 1388, monks at the monastery of Batalha committed to praying the prayer. That ended in 1834 when all religious orders were forced to leave Portugal after a civil war.
In 1917, Our Lady asked the children of Fatima to pray the rosary and spread devotion to this powerful prayer.
One of the children, Lucia, wrote that we should say the rosary every day "in order to put ourselves in contact with God, to thank Him for His benefits and ask for the graces we need. It is the prayer which places us in familiar contact with God, like the son who goes to his father to thank him for the gifts he has received, to talk to him about special concerns, to receive his guidance, his help, his support and his blessing.”
You can read more about Portugal's Marian devotion here. You may be visiting some of the places mentioned!
While preparing for your time on World Youth Day, it may be helpful to begin saying a Rosary every day. Do you not know how to say a full rosary? Click here for a guide!
In order to prepare best for the unexpected on World Youth day, we suggest you begin practicing gratitude by recognizing small gifts each day.
Starting a practice of writing down what you are grateful for each day may be very helpful.
When preparing for sleep each night try asking yourself the following questions:
What is something small that I am grateful for today?
Who am I grateful for today?
What is something unexpected that I can be grateful for today?
What was a place where I saw Jesus being generous today?
Gratitude is so powerful! When getting in the practice of gratitude, you will feel more prepared for World Youth Day. Why? Things can happen, unexpected things occur, and some things are less than perfect (although we try to make it perfect). Seeing the good in smaller things every day will help you see the good in these things, too!
We hope you've found this WYD Pilgrim email helpful! We are here as a resource and help along the way, as well as fellow pilgrims. Please don't hesitate to reach out at any point!
If you would like to view past newsletters or want to see other helpful pilgrim materials and resources from Verso, you can check them out by visiting our Pilgrim Resource Page.
Also, remember to check out our Instagram for updates on all things WYD!
And don't forget to register for our next webinar of the series!
We look forward to continuing this adventure together. Be assured of our prayers for each of you each day!
