Before you head off on an amazing journey, why not gather all the awesome World Youth Day adventurers from your local community? Whether you’re from a parish, campus, movement, or diocese, let’s come together for a Pilgrim Blessing.
This can happen after our usual liturgy or even have a special Mass! Let’s show our unity and support by inviting young people who are travelling to Portugal as well as those who will be celebrating locally. Let’s remember to include families and other adults from our amazing community because we’re all in this together. Together, we’ll send off our young explorers with the blessings of our local church on this incredible pilgrimage!
LEADER:
Over the past few months, these incredible pilgrims have been getting ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
They’ve been eagerly preparing to meet the Holy Father and join the global Church at World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal.
And let’s not forget our amazing group of young people who will be celebrating World Youth Day right here in Canada, standing in solidarity with our fellow pilgrims abroad. They’ve put in a lot of effort and dedication, growing in their faith with humble spirits.
So, without further ado, I kindly invite all the pilgrims who are about to embark on this remarkable journey to step forward and be recognized. Let’s give them a big round of applause and show our support!
If possible, read names slowly and have them stand before the assembly.
PRESIDER:
All-powerful God, you always show mercy toward those who love you, and you are never far away from those who seek you. Remain with your servants as they travel on this holy pilgrimage and guide their way in accordance
with your will. Shelter them with your protection by day, give them the light of your grace by night, and, as their companion on the journey, bring them safely to their destination. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The LEADER of the group comes forward to introduce the pilgrims.
ASSEMBLY: Amen
PRESIDER:
Together, let us pray in solidarity with pilgrims and communities around our country with the special World Youth Day Prayer for Canada.
Dear pilgrims, As you embark on your sacred pilgrimage to Lisbon, the city of World Youth Day, we invoke the presence of God our Father, who journeys with us in faith. May His grace and courage accompany you as you step
forward, trusting in His providence and embracing the road ahead with hope. May you embrace the journey with open hearts and a readiness to serve.
In the footsteps of Mary, who arose and went with haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth in charity and missionary zeal, may you also be women and men of active compassion, attentive to the needs and concerns of others, recognizing and witnessing the love of the living Christ.
As you stand up and go forth, may your pilgrimage be a transformative experience, igniting the flame of missionary spirit within you, calling you to be courageous messengers. Remember the words of Pope Francis, who
challenges young people to be fearless missionaries: “Where does Jesus send us? There are no borders, no limits:
he sends us everywhere. The Gospel is for everyone, not just for some.”
May Mary’s FIAT resonate in all of us, guiding our steps and inspiring us to respond to God’s call with urgency and
generosity. May our encounters with fellow pilgrims from around the world deepen our understanding of unity, peace and fraternal friendship as we embrace our one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
LITANY OF SAINTS
PRESIDER:
Let us express our bond with the Church, everywhere and always, by asking theses women and men who have
gone before us in the faith, and who are the patron saints of WYD, to intercede for all our intentions.
A YOUNG PERSON:
St. John Paul II ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. John Bosco ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Vincent ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Anthony ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Bartholomew of the Martyrs ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. John de Brito ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed Joanna of Portugal ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed John Fernandes ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed Marcel Callo ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed Chiara Badano ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
Blessed Carlo Acutis ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Brother André ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Marguerite Bourgeois ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
St. Canadian Martyrs ASSEMBLY: pray for us.
BLESSING
PRESIDER:
Almighty God,
you never cease to show your goodness to those who love you, and you let yourself be found by those who seek you; turn your face towards your servants who set out to meet you
and direct their path according to your will:
be for them a shade in the heat of the day,
a light in the darkness of night, a relief in weariness.
Give your daughters and sons the joy of meeting you through all those they meet along the way,
so that they may reach the end of their journey,
accompanied by your gaze of tenderness.
Through Jesus, the Christ, our Lord.
ASSEMBLY: Amen.
PRESIDER:
Brothers and sisters, may the Holy Spirit accompany you as you participate in the joyful celebrations and prayerful moments of World Youth Day.
And as you return home, may the blessings you have received in Lisbon transform your lives and empower you to share the love and joy of Christ with all whom you encounter, so that you may live your ordinary life in an extraordinary way, filled with joyful hope trusting in the everlasting love of God our Father.
Above all, let us never forget the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ before he ascended to heaven: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
ASSEMBLY: Amen
God Bless 🙏💕
Be Inspired! 
Leave a comment