World Youth Day is one year away and coordinators are busy organizing the event and inviting youth to participate in the international gathering. It will take place July 27 – Aug. 8, 2023, in Rome and Lisbon, and it is estimated that more than one million Catholic youth will attend.
The theme of the 2023 World Youth Day is to “Arise and Go.” World Youth Day is about answering the Lord's call to go back to action and to move oneself and others towards him.
“It is so timely as we begin to shed the reclusive habits of the pandemic,” said Jayce Palmer, director of Young Adult and Campus Evangelization and Discipleship of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
“The main goal of World Youth Day is to grow even closer to Christ in relationship with over a million other young Catholics. World Youth Day is the largest gathering of young-adult Catholics in the world. It is a moment where the youth of the Church can come together and celebrate what the Lord has done in our lives. The pope comes and addresses the young Church as well. We will be taking adults aged 18-35 and children 16 and over accompanied by a parent or legal guardian,” said Palmer.
Palmer added what makes the 2023 World Youth Day unique is, with the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, they will be not just going to Lisbon for World Youth Day, but also spending time in Rome and Fatima before and after Lisbon. This particular World Youth Day will be larger since it had been cancelled for the last few years. The group will be accompanied by three young priests, Father Alex Kroll, Father Jerome Krug and Father John Paul Lewis.
Pilgrims will get to experience tours of Christian Rome and the treasures of the Vatican. They will enjoy the full World Youth Day experience, including Mass and stations of the cross with Pope Francis, and all-night adoration with millions of people. Then pilgrims will have a chance to visit and worship in Fatima for a day.
“The potential impact of a trip like this is nothing short of life-changing for a young person's faith journey. The experience of going on pilgrimage and leaving the distractions and labors of everyday life to be with the Lord is truly amazing. Not only that, but pilgrims will also get to do this with millions of others from around the world and be lifted up by their brothers and sisters in Christ. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Palmer.
Palmer expressed that the safety of the children is their primary concern and coordinators are taking the utmost security measures during the pilgrimage.
“We will organize our group into small groups of 10 with one person in charge of keeping their small group together and keeping them together with the larger group. In addition, we will have two, or more, adults who are responsible for checking in regularly with the small group leaders to ensure that their small group is accounted for and where they should be,” said Palmer.
“Minors attending must attend with a parent or guardian, and this is partly to ensure that the minor has a safe and secure environment, but also to grow the relationship between the parent and minor.”
Communication is one of the most difficult aspects of a large trip like this, and Palmer said it would be wonderful to take everyone to World Youth Day, but to do that they must be very coordinated in the way they promote the event and ensure everyone knows about it.
In addition, Palmer is very happy to announce the winner of the World Youth Day contest: Tracy Kinely of Saint Thomas More Catholic Church in Norman. She hand-painted and designed the winning poster.
The rose and stars represent the 13 patrons of World Youth Day 2023; three women, roses, and 10 men, stars. The depiction of the visitation is tied to the World Youth Day theme from Luke 1:39. The landmarks on the right side represent the destinations. On the left side is the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother, from which Our Lady of Guadalupe has gone in haste to lead to World Youth Day. Lastly, Elizabeth while greeting Mary, points onward to Christ just as her son, John the Baptist, does in countless depictions and reality, in preparation for Christ.