Our youth at WYD Lisbon

Aug 04, 2023

Malaysians are part of the more than 600,000 pilgrims at the World Youth Day celebrations in Lisbon, Portugal. Some registered under the Malaysian contingent while others came under religious congregations or their parishes, all with one purpose — to celebrate our Catholic faith. Here are some of their sharings and photos.

Culture shock
When I first arrived, it was a bit of a culture shock. I learnt that the Portuguese are very friendly and they greet each other by kissing on both cheeks.

Even at the parish we stayed at, St Vincent in the Diocese of Porto, the parishioners were friendly. I loved how everyone in this village knew each other. You could see they treated everyone like family. Throughout my days in Irivo, I don’t think any pilgrim felt out of place. We were thousands of kilometres from home but somehow, we still felt like we were home. The parishioners went out of their way to make sure we had home-cooked food.

We did not stay with a foster family. Some 28 of us from the Malaysian contingent stayed at a place prepared by the parish. Although we are all Malaysians, at first it was awkward, as members from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur and those from East Malaysia didn’t know each other. But God brought us together as we started singing songs and playing games.

We also met pilgrims from other countries. There was time for sightseeing too. One interesting place was the Castro of Monte Mozinho, a Neolithic fortified settlement, sometimes referred to as the Dead City. It is situated in the civil parish of Oldrões, in the municipality of Penafiel in the Tâmega Subregion of the Portuguese district of Porto.

No words could describe the emotions I was feeling. Wherever I looked, there were youths from all over the world. Never in a million years would I have thought I would have the opportunity to participate in the WYD celebrations. Throughout the Days in Diocese (DID), I met people from so many countries. It was nice to meet people who shared my energy, no matter where I was — on the train, the road, or on a bus, there was always singing, jumping, and dancing. I found my faith in God becoming stronger than ever. — Brendan Sanjay, Diocese of Penang

Touched by the hospitality


This is the first time that I am participating in the World Youth Day celebration and the Days in Diocese (DID). I was happy and grateful to be part of the Church of Fonte Acarda, located in a small village east of Porto District. We were divided into groups and stayed with foster families. I was placed with three other youth. Our foster family lived in a large home and was made up of Nuno, his wife Elizabeth, and their five children. They were all very hospitable, friendly and nice. They prepared a lot of food and beverages for us. They even helped us wash our clothes and provided for our needs. Their hospitality and the spirit to serve us touched me deeply. — Ivan Yeo Paw Sim, Diocese of Malacca Johore

The Magis experience
MAGIS is the gathering organised by the Society of Jesus in which young adults (18-35 years old) from the Ignatian Family come together from all over the world.

This major meeting happens 10 days leading up to World Youth Day (WYD).



These days are full of experiences that help celebrate faith and service in a space of sharing and prayer.

Malaysian Experience
Ten Malaysians from the Church of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya attended the MAGIS and WYD Journey. They first stayed at Vila MAGIS in Estrada da Torres Lumiar, Lisbon where all MAGIS delegates gather before and after experiments..

This time, there were young pilgrims from more than 80 countries gathered at Villa MAGIS. There were sessions, reflections and Mass before the pilgrims went for the MAGIS experience.

The Malaysian team of Nalerin, Jacob, Cassandra, Roziama and Leona opted for the experience in solidarity and service at Vila Real. They travelled for many hours and safely arrived at Vila Real. They participated at Mass with the elderly community and at night, in the feast of St Martin Tours celebrated by the Community of Vila Real.

On July 25, Team Solidarity and Service’s mission was to rebuild/renovate Capela Santa Eufémia, which is around 200 years old. Before lunch, we attended Mass at Igreja de Arroios, Vila Real.



Aaron, Basilika, Yvonne, Rachel and Marcela went for the Faith and Spirituality at Soutelo experience. They had a cup of coffee and some pastries at Santo Antonio Cafe before embarking on their MAGIS experiment. Fr Jose Antonio Rubio SJ of Centro America was the spiritual director.

This group stayed at Casa Da Torre - Spiritual and Cultural Centre, Soutelo to learn how to pray through the body by connecting with the five dimensions of physics/biology, emotional, rational, relation, and spirituality.

Franciscans begin at Assisi