Sisters at Benet Academy Katherine (junior) and Victoria Kluzak (sophomore) both made the trip to Portugal for World Youth Day earlier this month, making global connections along the way.
“These (buttons) were some Vietnamese kids, and then these are from South Koreans, and then I believe this was a flag from Texas that some Texans gave us,” said Katherine. “So there are lots of kids from all over the world. (It was) really cool to see how many youth were there and they were all Catholics sharing in their faith.”
Pope Francis was in attendance for the celebration, and sophomore Nicholas Kukla (sophomore) said seeing the pope in person was a “mind-blowing” experience.
“The night we were sleeping under the stars, I had to go to the bathroom with one buddy,” said Kukla. “We were waiting at the gate because it was closed, and then all of a sudden we see all these men in a barricade, and then the pope comes and we’re like ‘No way!’ And then we start to video him. And that was cool, just to see the father of our faith.”
The three were part of the Benet Academy group in Portugal, which included 18 students, five parents, and Deacon Christopher Weiland.
What is World Youth Day?
World Youth Day took place from August 1 through 6 in the city of Lisbon.
The celebration began in 1985 and takes place about every three years. It returned this year for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its purpose is celebrating and putting trust in youth, making pilgrimage, and encountering the greater Catholic community.
From Lisle to Portugal
The Benet group arrived a few days early, spending 10 days total in Portugal.
“We’d wake up about six, we’d go to breakfast and then would usually be touring some religious site or going to mass,” said Katherine.
Seeing Pope Francis in Portugal
A highlight of the trip saw Pope Francis address an audience of 500,000, including the group from Benet.
“The pope really spent his time in Portugal letting the youth of the world know that they matter to the Church,” said Weiland. “They matter here at Benet, they matter here in the Joliet Diocese, and they matter to the global church.”
The pope held a vigil on August 5. Weiland said he gets chills whenever reminiscing on this powerful moment from the service.
“1.6 million people became silent when the Eucharist was brought out and Christ was present to the group,” said Weiland. “You heard nobody, no talking, no yelling, no machinery operating, no radios going. In one moment, in a matter of four or five seconds, we went from singing, dancing, and partying, to silence.”
It’s an experience Victoria said helped her feel more united in her faith.
“Seeing all these young people there, getting to meet them, interact with them, and finding out that they’re just like us, loving sports, art, and music really helped us realize we’re not alone in our Catholic faith,” said Victoria.”
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