Utah youth planning to participate in World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Diocese of Salt Lake City is organizing a delegation to World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, July 29 – Aug. 8.

Originally diocesan officials did not think the trip would be possible because the diocese is currently without a director for its office of Youth and Young Adults Ministry. However, after two local parishioners volunteered to coordinate a WYD trip, Bishop Oscar A. Solis gave his permission for a contingent of young people from Utah to journey to Portugal for the event. He will act as host for the youth from the diocese.

The two parishioners who agreed to coordinate local WYD 2023 efforts are Sofia Palestino, who attends Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and Giancarlo Gazani, a Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner.

Palestino has always dreamed of attending a World Youth Day event but it wasn’t possible when she was growing up in her native Mexico. After she immigrated to the United States and became a parent, she sought out that opportunity for her own children. Her daughter Victoria was one of the delegates from Utah to WYD in 2019 in Panama City, Panama.

“For her it was definitely a life experience — really good, really positive,” said Palestino, who thought her own opportunity to participate in such an event was long past. However, earlier this year she received a prompting that she should help make such a trip happen for young people in the diocese. She began to communicate with diocesan officials and others who might be interested, and they began to meet about the possibility. After a meeting this summer when Gazani volunteered to be a coordinator along with Palestino, her dream became a reality.

“For me it’s really important that these young kids who are now native from Utah and do not know any other experiences of Catholics but what they see here, for them to be able to see other young people worshipping together and praising Our Lord,” she said. “Hopefully these good feelings of attending this event continue to spread to all the youth of Utah.”

Like Palestino’s daughter, Gazani was a youth participant in WYD 2019. There he was able to meet up with old friends from his native Peru, as well as with friends from across the U.S.

‘It was an unforgettable experience being in the midst of all the youth and young adults from around the world,” he said. Although many participants were speaking different languages and could not communicate with each other, “they shared the same faith that we did. Also, it was just absolutely amazing being able to see Pope Francis.”

The pilgrimage “strengthened my faith; it put more life into it,” he said. “It really made me think of our Church here in Utah and the ways we can worship as a Universal Church.”

During next year’s six-day event, the Utah pilgrims will join other participants in WYD events that will include catechesis sessions with bishops from all over the world. They will enjoy a papal Mass and address on Aug. 3 and a Mass with Pope Francis and thousands of bishops and priests from various countries on Aug. 6, World Youth Day. They will also participate in an overnight vigil prior to World Youth Day. In addition, they will visit the tomb of the three shepherds in Fatima where the Virgin Mother appeared in 1917, and the Church of the Holy Miracle in Santarem.

Gazani and Palestino are hoping a large number of youth, ages 18-25, will respond and participate in this opportunity. Faith Journeys, a travel agency that specializes in ministry travel, is organizing the pilgrimage, which will cost $4,595 per person including airfare, (a land-only package is $2,682). Space is limited; those who are interested are being asked to register as soon as possible. A down payment of $500 is required when the registration form is submitted.

Several parishes are planning fundraisers to help their youth participate.

“Faith Journeys has been working to assure reasonable pricing is offered to pilgrims, and to arrange an itinerary that will allow for pilgrims to travel together as safely and as efficiently as possible,” Bishop Solis wrote in a letter included in the pilgrimage’s brochure.

For information, contact Gazani at 385-315-8725 or giancarlo.gazani@gmail.com.