WYD Lisbon 2023: 750 young people and 5 bishops from 15 dioceses in England and Wales. Cake sales and car washes to fund the trip

“It’s an exciting time for young people, which radically transforms their lives. That is why I went to Krakow in 2016 and I am going to Lisbon this year. When you see millions of people like you, all together, then you realise that you are not alone on your faith journey, that the Church is much bigger than your parish, and that you can truly meet Jesus”, said Beth Przybylska, 28, talking about her experience at World Youth Day. This year, I will be accompanying 750 young people, aged 16 to 35, and five bishops from 15 of the 22 dioceses of England and Wales, that is, Hallam, Salford, Plymouth, Leeds, Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Brentwood, Southwark, Hexham and Newcastle, Arundel and Brighton, Middlesborough, Portsmouth, East Anglia, Westminster, and Clifton. Beth works for CYMFed, a federation that brings together 58 Catholic youth organisations in England and Wales. “Groups from the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and from Jesus Youth, an international Catholic movement, will also be travelling to Lisbon”, Beth explained. “For two years now, the dioceses have been inviting young people and preparing them. Some pay for them, while others encourage them to find the money” for the trip, either “by finding a sponsor or by selling cakes and washing cars. Some dioceses have decided to take their young people to Lisbon a week before the start of WYD, so that they can stay with local families and better understand the culture of the country”.
Silvia Guzzetti