Sydney will send its largest ever contingent to World Youth Day 2023, with around 1000 pilgrims arriving in Portugal this month.
Representing almost a third of all Australians attending, the group of 1000 students, teachers, parishioners, priests, and seminarians will converge on Lisbon later this month.
In a series of firsts, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP will be joined by both Sydney Auxiliary Bishops, Daniel Meagher and Richard Umbers.
Before arriving in Lisbon, Archbishop Fisher will lead a group of 300 pilgrims on the Footsteps of Jesus pilgrimage via the Holy Land, Bishop Umbers will take 350 pilgrims on the Saints of Italy pilgrimage through Italy and Bishop Meagher will lead a group on the World Youth Day direct pilgrimage via Madrid and Avila.
At the conclusion of the week in Lisbon, groups will travel to various sites for a post-World Youth Day retreat, with the majority heading to Fatima.
Archbishop Fisher told nearly 400 pilgrims at a Fidelis formation event that they “will come back to Sydney, to your lives, families, friends, education and work, hopefully as saints-in-the-making, truer believers in God, better lovers of your neighbours, on fire with the Holy Spirit.”
The final gathering for all Sydney pilgrims will be a Commissioning Mass celebrated by Archbishop Fisher at 10.30am on Sunday 16 July at St Mary’s Cathedral, with all welcome.
It is expected that most pilgrims will attend the Mass before heading to Lisbon with the first group set to depart on 21 July.