Melburnians will be among the hundreds of thousands expected to descend on Rome for the Jubilee of Youth next week, from 28 July to 3 August.
Emma Bakker, Youth Discipleship Specialist from Proclaim: The Office for Mission Renewal, is travelling with the group and says the pilgrimage will be an opportunity for the young adults to witness the breadth of the Catholic Church, something she believes is needed to encourage them in their journey.
Coming from Generation Z, the pilgrim group are ‘curious and open minded’, she says. ‘I actually think the biggest barrier these days is that we don’t share our faith with one another—out of fear, out of doubt, out of isolation.
‘So for those that do have faith, having the courage to share it and really be vulnerable in that is good, because I think they’re really hungry for more.’
The group of 12 will be joined by chaplain Fr Jude Johnson, Assistant Priest of St Mary of the Angels in Geelong. All regions of the Archdiocese are represented in the group, says Emma, with pilgrims coming from Dandenong, Tarneit, Richmond and Bacchus Marsh, along with members of the Vietnamese community.
In preparation for the journey, the group have been meeting online to explore the meaning of pilgrimage.
‘We’ve been doing formation around the theme of the pilgrimage but also what a pilgrimage is, and the difference between being a tourist and a pilgrim,’ she explains.
There’s also the practical preparations like what to pack for the European summer and how to manage the large crowds expected for the Jubilee.
The diocesan pilgrimage will begin in Assisi, with the group visiting the Basilica of St Francis and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the body of soon-to-be saint Carlo Acutis is located. They will also visit the Basilica of St Clare and the Church of San Damiano and Hermitage. From Assisi, the group will travel to Rome and join youth from around the world for the Jubilee celebrations.
Who knows how they’re going to encounter God? Maybe through some relic of a saint, or some moment of prayer or reconciliation at Circus Maximus ...
The Jubilee of Youth will begin with the opening Mass in St Peter’s Square on Tuesday 29 July. Organisers say the week will be akin to a mini–World Youth Day, with cultural events and live music alongside experiences of prayer and worship.
A highlight of the Jubilee of Youth will be the prayer vigil to be presided over by Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata, on the outskirts of Rome, where many of the city’s universities are located.
Being on pilgrimage and ‘getting away from the hustle and bustle of life’ will hopefully offer the young adults ‘a place to deepen their faith and experience a transformation in their lives’, Emma says.
‘Who knows how they’re going to encounter God? Maybe through some relic of a saint, or some moment of prayer or reconciliation at Circus Maximus …
‘Or sometimes it could just be in the stillness of sitting down beside the Trevi Fountain or having a conversation with someone,’ she says.
‘I’m expectant and looking forward to see what God is going to do in their lives.’
We’ll be carrying with us the prayers of those back home, particularly the youth of Melbourne.
The pilgrimage group has asked the local community to pray for them as they embark on their pilgrimage to the Jubilee of Youth and have also said that they carry with them the prayers of Melbourne.
‘We’ll be carrying with us the prayers of those back home, particularly the youth of Melbourne,’ says Emma. ‘And hopefully our pilgrims come back home with that passion for the faith that they’ll share with their peers, especially as we continue the journey leading towards the Australian Catholic Youth Festival.’
The Jubilee of Youth will take place in Rome from 29 July to 3 August. The Australian Catholic Youth Festival will take place in Melbourne from 30 November to 2 December. To register, visit www.acyf.org.au.
Banner image: Crowds of visitors enter St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (Photo by Dagnija Berzina via Unsplash.)
All photos by Melbourne Catholic unless otherwise indicated.
