A dead man brought back to life, a persecutor of Christians who later became a follower of Christ, and Mary — what do they all have in common? When they encountered the life-giving power and light of God, they got up from where they were, forever changed. With these symbols, verses, and now a new theme song, we are given the tools to prepare ourselves not only for the exciting events of WYD Lisbon 2023 but for the yes we can give today. The WYD Lisbon 2023 theme song inspires youth from around the world to turn to Our Lady for guidance and embody her haste to spread the Good News of the Lord.“Young man, I tell you, arise!” (Lk 7:14)"Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.” ( Acts 26: 16)."Mary set out and went with haste." (Lk 1:39)
September, 2024 saw two key "signposts" on the pilgrimage to World Youth Day Seoul 2027: the announcement of the theme and revealing of the logo.
Inklings of The Humble Servant Shop began when Diane Tchoi, 27, joined a World Youth Day (WYD) group from St. Agnes Kouying Tsao Parish that was going to Lisbon.
This past August I met hundreds of thousands of your contemporaries from all over the world who converged on Lisbon for World Youth Day.
The recently concluded World Youth Day in Portugal (August 1-6, 2023) included a number of ecumenical and interreligious experiences, opportunities, and lessons that garnered praise and criticism in Catholic and non-Catholic circles alike.
This has truly been a World Youth Day of words. While the main theme prompts us to reflect on the verbs "to arise" and "to go with haste," many other words jumped out at me as well.