As part of the 2,500 Asian Catholics attending World Youth Day in Lisbon, Hong Kong young people stress the importance of integrating their “small community” into the larger group of Catholic pilgrims embarking on a spiritual journey toward Christ.
By Edoardo Giribaldi
“It really makes you appreciate how something small can be something so grand and so big.”
Several young pilgrims from Hong Kong thus expressed their excitement for the upcoming World Youth Day that starts in Lisbon on 1 August.
The delegation is currently on pilgrimage in Rome, and counts some 300 pilgrims as part of a larger group of 2,500 Asian Catholics traveling to Portugal. A large portion of them, a total of 1,051 official delegates, are traveling from South Korea.
Missionary mandate
The Hong Kong pilgrims, who were recently entrusted with a special “missionary mandate” from Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan, S.J., highlighted the value of the event as a sort of “transmission of faith” process.
Jamelin, one of the pilgriims, recounted how, as a kid, she “watched our group leaders go to the previous World Youth Days, and it’s always been very cool to see how they’ve taken” and shared “what we have in Hong Kong.”
A unique opportunity
For a small community, being part of “a bigger and larger Catholic group” is essential and beneficial, especially for the unique opportunity to spend time with different people and “views from across the world.”
Young Hong Kongers in Rome
Jamelin also recalled the emotions she felt while listening to Pope Francis’ words about climate change in St. Peter Square, filled with young people from all around the world.
“It really means a lot to me, as someone who is still pretty young, I hope!”
Around the world
Derek, another young pilgrim from Hong Kong, a parishioner at St. Margaret’s Church, spoke about the itinerary on which his group will embark.
They are spending the first five days in Rome, “then we are going to Porto,” and finally to Lisbon, where they will join peers from all over the world as World Youth Day kicks off.
