The theme of the third and final Rise UP Preparatory Meeting is the Great Announcement of God's Love, and was released on June 2. The third meeting focuses on the message of Pope Francis in the Exhortation Christus vivit, as well as the Message of Pope Francis the XXXVII World Youth Day.

When speaking of the Great Announcement of the Love of God, "Pope Francis refers to the discovery of a God who loves", highlighted Fr. Tiago Neto, from the Directorate of Pastoral Ministry of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023.

According to Fr. Tiago Neto, in order for young people to experience the truth of the great announcement, "we have Mary as our starting point," recalling the theme of WYD Lisbon 2023, "Mary got up and left in haste" (Lk 3:19). Using Mary as an example, Pope Francis invites young people to "make haste to listen to the announcement that God is making to them".

During the third Rise UP Preparatory Meeting, young people are invited to receive love through a dynamic of prayer, before Jesus in the sacrament, the main objective being for each young person to encounter Christ Alive in their lives.

Find out more about this meeting here:

The Rise UP Preparatory Meetings are open to all young people and groups who wish to participate, from catechesis groups to youth groups, movements and ecclesial realities linked to youth and university ministry, regardless of whether or not they are WYD Lisbon 2023 pilgrims.

The groups will be able to organize the sessions according to their needs, and support materials will be made available to them - materials available here. In addition, all groups are invited to submit their reflections by submitting an online form - reflections from the third Preparatory Encounter should be submitted here.