The Way. The Truth. The Life.

World Youth Day 2023

In 1986, St. John Paul II organized the first official World Youth Day in Rome, Italy. His goal was to create an event for young people to encounter Christ so that they in turn could spread the Gospel throughout the whole world. Since that time, Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis have continued the tradition of World Youth Day, and the event has grown to be one of the largest, most well-known pilgrimage gatherings in the world.

This year, World Youth Day is being held in Lisbon, Portugal and will take place August 1-6, 2023. His Holiness, Pope Francis is scheduled to be in attendance as well as over 400,000 young people from around the world. Our Lord charged His disciples with the task of preaching the Gospel to all nations. As they witness the many cultures and countries represented at World Youth Day, young people can grasp the full reality of Christ’s call as they worship alongside peers from across the globe. 

The theme of this year’s World Youth Day is taken from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 1, Verse 39: “Mary arose and went with haste.” This verse, taken from the story of the Visitation, reveals the selfless love of Our Lady as she put aside her own needs in order to go care for her cousin, Elizabeth. In the same way that Our Blessed Mother hastened to serve Elizabeth, young people today are called to fully embrace the Lord’s call in their life and go out on mission in service of others.  

The events of World Youth Day are both prayerful and full of joy. Pilgrims will have the opportunity to participate in Mass, the welcome ceremony for the Holy Father, the Way of the Cross, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Youth Festival, and more! One of the most beautiful parts of the pilgrimage is having the opportunity to meet other young Catholics from around the world as they all gather to celebrate and worship the source and summit of their life: Jesus Christ. As they are equipped by this powerful experience, young Catholics will have the grace and strength to go out and be missionaries in their daily life to a world that is longing for the message and love of God.

206 Tours has been blessed to bring pilgrims to participate in World Youth Day since 1990. As the event has grown over the years, so has the involvement of 206 Tours as we are organizing many pilgrimage groups to participate in this year’s festivities at Lisbon:

World Youth Day – Lisbon

World Youth Day with Fr. Tim Farrell

World Youth Day – Lisbon with Archdiocese of Philadelphia

World Youth Day Pilgrimage with Jodi Murphy

World Youth Day – Lisbon and Paris

World Youth Day with Our Lady of Peace

World Youth Day – Lisbon and Fatima with St. Leo Catholic Church

World Youth Day – Lisbon and Fatima with Diocese of Trenton and Diocese of Camden

World Youth Day – Lisbon with Toledo and Madrid

World Youth Day – Lisbon, Fatima, and El Camino with the Duke Catholic Center

World Youth Day – Lisbon and Fatima with St. Mary Catholic Faith Community

In addition to experiencing the program of events for World Youth Day, 206 Tours pilgrims will also have the opportunity to visit the birthplace of St. Anthony of Padua in Lisbon. They will also visit Santarem, Portugal to venerate the site of the 13th Century Eucharistic Miracle as well as Fatima, the site of Our Lady’s famous apparitions to the three shepherd children in 1917.

Be sure to follow 206 Tours on social media as we share updates throughout World Youth Day and learn more about all available 206 Tours pilgrimages by viewing the Pilgrimage Directory.