WYD: Joy and community at vigil celebration

Pilgrims playing cards during the night

Source: Vatican News/ICN

An estimated two million young pilgrims took part in the World Youth Day vigil celebration on Saturday evening 5 August.

A hot end to day five in Lisbon, the hottest its been this World Youth Day, but at the huge Parque Tejo,the pilgrims and volunteers did everything they could to stay cool and hydrated. The breeze helped, and the heat shield blankets kept everything cool, whilst makeshift tents and umbrellas kept the sun off the pilgrims' skin.

As time passed, the air got cooler and the sun lower. A group of pilgrims from Jamaica shared the story of their two-day journey and of their excitement for what they described as "a big sleepover". The pilgrims came with mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows and warm clothes, in the hope that the temperatures will drop in the night.

Suddenly, the giant screens showed that the Pope was arriving. They grabbed their cameras and stood up. The sound of excited pilgrims gavr us a rough estimate of how far along the path the Pope is, and in no time, just as quickly as he drre near, he was gone, until he reappeared on stage, not long after.

The crowd calmed down, and as the sky around the white, wave-shaped stage darkened, the large crucifix in the middle lit up. Contemporary dancers in beautiful blue dresses floated across the stage and the first testimony began. We heard from 33-year-old Matos from Portugal, who risked his life when he almost fell asleep driving and then decided to become a priest. Then the dancing started again, before we heard the testimony of 18-year-old Marta from Mozambique. Her area in the north of the country has been at the heart of the violence of extremist groups. After her father died, she and her three sisters were forced to flee into the forest twice in six months, but "we never lost our faith", she said.

Then, the dancing picked up again, with music adapted to the mood - more sombre, somewhat sad, melancholic, reminiscent of a world in which they wish these testimonies didn't have to be told.

The pilgrims were asked, via text on the screens, to place a hand on someone else's shoulder, and suddenly 1.5 million people are all connected.

Then, Pope Francis started to speak, reminding pilgrims of their duty to each other. "The only time you should look down at someone is when you are helping them get up," he said, in extensive off-the-cuff remarks.

He spoke about being constant and consistent, of never giving up and of getting up when we fall. "There are no lessons for learning how to go through life," he said. We learn through practice. "Do not be afraid", he concluded, quoting one of the first phrases used by Pope St. John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate.

A Service of Adoration - the young people prayed quietly before the Blessed Sacrament. Finally after midnight there was a screening of the film 'The Letter' as everyone settled down for the night.