WYD 2023 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

This Sunday, April 12: World Youth Day Seoul 2027 Information Session

Join Us this Sunday, April 12 at St. Paul following the 5pm Youth Mass for an Information Session for Teens and Parents with the SJSP Youth Ministry Team

St. John-St. Paul Collaborative Youth Ministry is going to South Korea next summer for WYD Seoul 2027! Interested in joining? All current high school students and their parents/guardians are invited to this information session to learn more – the session will be held immediately following the 5pm Youth Mass in the Parish Hall at St. Paul (food provided!)

Come learn more about this incredible opportunity to deepen your faith and connect with youth around the world!

Collaborative featured in WCVB report: “How Pope Francis changed the lives of these Massachusetts residents”

On Monday, April 21, following the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, WCVB5 Boston produced a report on local reaction to the news – Catholics across Massachusetts mourn pope, praise groundbreaking papacy.

As part of that report, WCVB reporter Ted Wayman reached out to Kelly Meraw, our Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, for a video segment: How Pope Francis changed the lives of these Massachusetts residents which appeared on the evening news broadcasts.

They spoke in particular about the Holy Father’s special connection with young people, and about our Collaborative’s pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Portugal in 2023.

A Recap of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 – A Truly Life-Changing Journey

Hundreds of you supported our 11 Pilgrims and their chaperones by your prayers and donations as we journeyed these past few weeks to Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day 2023. We were joined by over 1.5 million other pilgrims from all across the globe. The physical embodiment of both the diversity and magnitude of our Church was a witness these teenagers will never forget…

The summit of the experience was a 6+ mile pilgrim walk (in almost 100 degree heat!) to the Vigil and overnight camp out culminating in Mass with the Holy Father. Pope Francis preached these words to the 1.5 million pilgrims: “As young people, you want to change the world and work for justice and peace. You devote all your energy and creativity to this, yet it still seems insufficient. Yet the Church and the world needs you, the young, as much as the earth needs rain.”

WYD Lisbon 2023: The Journey Begins on Friday, July 28!

After more than a year of planning, preparation, and hard work, our pilgrims depart this Friday, July 28! We are so grateful for your generous financial and spiritual support!

Please continue to pray for us as we embark on this journey, and know that we will be praying for you!

Sponsors, check your mail in the coming weeks for a postcard from your pilgrim(s)!

We hope you will follow our journey online – we will be posting daily updates and photos on our WYD 2023 blog…

WYD Lisbon 2023 Update: Itineraries for Pope Francis – and for us!

It’s official! Pope Francis’ itinerary for his apostolic visit to Portugal for World Youth Day has been released!

Our journey begins with an overnight flight on Friday, July 28 from Boston, arriving in Portugal early Saturday. After spending Saturday in Santarém, site of a Eucharistic Miracle, we travel to Fatima where we will celebrate Mass with Cardinal Sean on Sunday. On Monday we head to Lisbon – here’s the preliminary schedule for the week…

WYD 2023 Update: 33 Days to Go!

Last weekend we participated in an event for all pilgrims traveling to WYD Lisbon with the Archdiocese of Boston – a group of more than 200 people. It was an extraordinary opportunity to experience the joy, excitement, and enthusiasm of those preparing to make this pilgrimage with us!

In addition to winning the WYD Trivia Contest led by Chris Donoghue, Evangelization Consultant with the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship, our group demonstrated that they are most likely to break out in song – and dance!

We were moved by the Spirit – literally!

WYD Lisbon 2023 – Getting Ready!

Last weekend our WYD Lisbon students, along with their parents and chaperones gathered for a quick meeting to share trip updates and paperwork, followed by a trip to Level 99 in Natick. A great time was had by all – this is an amazing group of kids!

Next weekend we’re excited to be going to a gathering at St. Mary’s parish in Cambridge for all pilgrims travelling to WYD Lisbon with the Archdiocese of Boston – stay tuned for more updates!

World Youth Day: We’re So Close – Please Help Us Get There!

We offer tremendous thanks to everyone who has responded so generously to our WYD Sponsorship Program! Almost 100 individuals and families have made financial donations in honor of our pilgrims and committed to lending their spiritual support in the form of prayer. As you can imagine, the expense of participating in this pilgrimage is significant, and we recently learned that the original projected cost of $4,000 per pilgrim has risen by $200 per pilgrim…

As we wrap-up our fundraising efforts, please consider sponsoring one (or more!) of our pilgrims by making a financial donation in their honor and lending your spiritual support in the form of prayer…

World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 – Sponsor a Pilgrim!

Since its first edition in Rome in 1986, World Youth Day (WYD) has proven to be a laboratory of faith and an instrument for the evangelization and transformation of the Church. It aims to provide all participants with a universal Church experience, fostering a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Our Collaborative has a long history of sending young pilgrims to WYD. Many of our young people who have attended in the past have described it as a life-changing event in their journey of faith.

This summer, our Collaborative is sending 14 pilgrims – 10 young people and 4 chaperones – to WYD Lisbon 2023. As you can imagine, the expense of participating in this week-long pilgrimage is significant – the total cost is projected to be $4,000 per person – so we are asking for your help to make this possible…

Thank you for Supporting our World Youth Day Raffle!

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our World Youth Day Raffle! We so appreciate your support, and look forward to sharing more about this exciting and life-changing event with you this spring!

Congratulations to our World Youth Day Raffle Winners!

1st Prize: $5,000 – Hugh Kelly
2nd Prize: $2,000 – Joanmarie Lee
3rd Prize: $1,000 – Tamatha Bibbo

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