In every World Youth Day (WYD), young people are invited to journey to the Vigil location. In this edition of WYD, everyone is encouraged to arose and went with haste, like Mary, toward Campo da Graça. 

We hit the road to find out what motivates young people to pilgrimage despite the intense sun and scorching heat. 

For Cristina, a pilgrim from Slovakia who started her pilgrimage near Campo Grande Station, her main motivation was being able to connect with many people and feel the energy of WYD. From her experience in Lisbon, Cristina enjoys the interaction with her spiritual guides, the Jesuit priests, and sharing emotions with other participants from her group. 

Josiane and her friends from the Netherlands, despite the sweltering heat, decided to head to Campo da Graça with the expectation of seeing the Pope again, experiencing strong emotions, and being in a community despite the various nationalities. 

Margareta, also from Slovakia, has taken advantage of her pilgrimage to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary and especially on the theme of WYD Lisbon 2023, related to the visit of Our Lady to her cousin Elizabeth, as well as for some personal reflections. She mentioned overcoming the intense heat by taking breaks to rest, have lunch, and pray. 

On the other hand, for Sónia, a pilgrim from Spain, her faith in Jesus Christ and the support of her husband are her main motivations. Sónia feels particularly excited about what she will experience and feel, as this is her first WYD. 

Julie, a participant in a group of French pilgrims who began their journey at the Lisbon Cathedral, reports that she's been walking slowly for about 3 hours. For her, this week is allowing her “to talk to many people, have time to think about God, the masses, and also the moments when I can share my spiritual experiences”. 

Walking for an hour, Lorenz confesses that the biggest challenge of this day for him is the intense sun, which makes the journey more difficult, but he says he's motivated “to find faith in these days of the Journey and to delve deeper into it”.