From July 30 to August 8, Sr. Maria Josefa and Sr. M. John Paul journeyed to Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day. The Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Young Adult Group invited us to journey with the young people. We numbered 107 pilgrims, including teenagers, young adults, married couples, a young woman preparing to become a consecrated virgin, about twenty seminarians, five priests, and the two of us Sisters. We flew into Madrid, Spain and boarded a bus to make the 9-hour drive to Lisbon. Providence would have it that we drove through Spain on the feast of St. Ignatius, and we also drove quite close to Avila! Once in Lisbon, we visited sights related to St. Anthony of Padua and made the memorable pilgrimage to Fatima to see the apparition sights of Our Lady. There were catechesis sessions each day for the young people which were divided into language groups. We went to some of these sessions and visited various sights open to the pilgrims. On Wednesday afternoon, both of us Sisters and some of the seminarians and priests attempted to participate in Vespers with the Pope, which was held for priests and religious. Although we were unable to be admitted, we were able to stand right behind the barrier as Pope Francis drove along the side of the road towards the monastery. He made eye contact with us, raised his eyebrows, and gave us a big smile. It was beautiful to encounter many Portuguese natives along the way who were visibly touched by our presence. One particular Portuguese young woman heard us singing and praying outside of our hotel one night. We invited her to join us in praise and worship. She not only joined us that night but also came back on two subsequent nights to pray with us and ask us questions about the faith. We learned that she was not baptized. She was visibly thirsting for Jesus, and she looked so peaceful and joyful as we spoke to her about the faith. While in Portugal, we felt St. Francis Xavier’s intercession in a special way. Portugal remembers the explorers who left from its shores to discover and evangelize new lands. St. Francis Xavier is one of thirty-three explorers featured on Lisbon’s Monument of Explorers. Not far from the Monument of Explorers was the Tower of Belem, which was built at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The Tower of Belem was the sight from which many explorers left and was the last sight of land. We thought about how this was probably the last sight St. Francis Xavier saw as he left Portugal for the Indies. We prayed that we may be filled with a zeal for souls, just as he was. We were blessed to participate in the welcoming ceremony for the Holy Father and the Vigil. It was estimated that there were 1.5-2 million people present for the Vigil and closing Mass! It was a great blessing to be present for such an event, and, even more, to learn what it means to be a pilgrim on this earth journeying to our heavenly home.
Below: Sr. M. John Paul struck up a conversation with a young couple in Lisbon who declared that they'd just gotten married...on July 2nd! "That was my wedding day, too!" was Sister's response for she professed her perpetual vows on the very same day. Wouldn't you know the couple just happened to be of all things - Polish! The nationality of Sister's most beloved patron, JPII.
