The “Days in the Dioceses” (DND), or Pre-Journey, is the gathering of young people from all over the world before the World Youth Day (WYD). In the upcoming edition in Portugal, the Pre-Journey will take place from July 26 to 31, 2023.
“Young people will have an ecclesial experience of sharing faith, being Church in the host communities in the days leading up to WYD Lisbon,” stated the Journey’s Organizing Committee. The great differential of the pre-WYD is leaving traces and seeds in those who certainly will not attend WYD, in a personal way, and marking the future of the people who will remain.
Dioceses hosting the young people
These days before World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 will be held in 17 dioceses in mainland Portugal and islands: Algarve; Angra; Aveiro; Beja; Braga; Bragança-Miranda; Coimbra; Évora; Funchal; Guarda; Lamego; Leiria-Fátima; Portalegre-Castelo Branco; Porto; Viana do Castelo; Vila Real and Viseu.
“The dioceses will offer a religious and cultural identity through a creative proposal of their reality. Youth movements, as part of the Church and diocesan dynamics, are also called to be present and contribute to this experience of welcome and sharing,” points out the statement.
The Pre-Journey time is a path of preparation for the pilgrims and host communities for the experience of World Youth Day in Lisbon, which takes place from August 1 to 6, 2023, and will allow young people from all over the world to meet with the Pope.
These days in the dioceses are unique moments of WYD, where young people live an experience that goes beyond the global dynamics and universality of the Church, but is an experience with the people and culture in which the event is hosted. Young people have the opportunity to embody the missionary spirit par excellence of the Church, while during the days of the Journey, they experience communion with other young Catholics; in the pre-WYD, they engage with emerging realities of evangelization, the pains, and traditions of the local people, and meet other young people who represent the youthful face of the Church.
Shalom in Braga
The Archdiocese of Braga, the oldest in Portugal, assumes the responsibility of showing the young pilgrims the face of the Church that persists over time and transforms the history of the people. As the Braga Church, it is preparing activities to get to know the city’s history and the influence of the Church in it, showcasing magnificent shrines to the young people, as well as the warm hospitality of Portuguese families, rich in northern cultural wealth.
The Catholic Community Shalom has been present in Braga for 15 years, managing a Church dedicated to Saint James the Less. Initially invited to work within the conciliar seminary to care for the emeritus bishop at the time, it became 100% apostolic in 2018 when the Church of Saint James was designated as the Center of Evangelization. Currently, the Community is recognized throughout the Archdiocese and by the clergy through evangelizing actions like the ‘Feast of Mercy’ and ‘New Year’s Eve of Peace,’ and it is also involved in various fronts of the local Church, serving as a sign of unity and communion with the bishop.
Learn more about Braga
According to the young coordinator of the Braga Mission, Marcelo Braga, “young people who are in Braga for the Pre-WYD will experience a unique welcome from the people of the north; they will be enchanted by the beauty of the city and the Christian atmosphere it conveys – a land of saints, bishops, and a city with the youngest population in the country,” he affirms.
Service
Shalom at WYD 2023
Date: August 1 to 6
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
More information:
Simão/ Youth Assistance: +55 85 8114-6942
Email: jmj@comshalom.org
@juventudesh_