Schoenstatt University Women Pilgrimage

The actual WYD festival with Pope Francis will be the triumphant end to our pilgrimage, during August 2-6th. We'll begin the journey in none other than Schoenstatt, Germany (with the Original Shrine!) then we'll head to the Schoenstatt Youth Festival in Lisbon (July 30 to Aug 1 - SUW and SUM from around the world, all together!), and then attend WYD together.

You can make a rough plan for a two week pilgrimage from late July through August 6th.

Tell us you're interested

Schoenstatt University Men Pilgrimage

We plan to visit Madrid, Spain; Schoenstatt, Germany; a Schoenstatt youth conference in Aveiro, Portugal and finally Lisbon, Portugal to see the Pope.

We plan to leave Fri, July 21, 2023 and return on August 7. The trip should cost about $3000 for 17 days in Europe. More details.

Tell us you’re interested

 

What does it mean to be a pilgrim?

Going on a spiritual pilgrimage requires much of a pilgrim. To help you discern whether you’d like to apply, please consider the following requirements. These requirements will help ensure each individual and the group as a whole will have as enjoyable an experience as possible. All pilgrims must:

  • Have a generous and simple attitude toward the pilgrimage. International travel can involve unpredictable variables so a spirit of generosity and flexibility is a must.

  • Willing to walk. A lot.

  • Be ready to make an honest effort to practice the virtue of patience. With a lot of traveling, many different languages and a demanding schedule, you won’t have much fun without patience.

  • Committed to taking on the challenge and spirit of poverty of the trip. We’ll be sleeping on the floor, eating what we’re given (dietary restrictions not withstanding) and carrying our own packs. Please don’t bring any large rolling suitcases as this makes trains and walking difficult.

  • Be interested in and open to the Marian aspect of the pilgrimage. In addition to WYD, we’ll be visiting multiple shrines of Our Lady of Schoenstatt and also the shrine of Our Lady of Fátima.

  • Accept the group package as is. There are no individualized options, we’re all going on the same journey together.

Donate now

There are 3 ways to donate:

  1. To both the Men and Women's pilgrimage, and we'll split the money proportionally among the two trips.

  2. To either the Men's or the Women's pilgrimage

  3. To a specific pilgrim

We are still working on the payment processing options, but for now donations can be received through the Schoenstatt Fathers.

Letter to donors

Millions of pilgrims on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Pope Francis 2013

On the night of July 27, 2013, on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with more than a million other Catholic young people, I lived one of the most profound faith experiences of my life. Pope Francis exhorted us to be protagonists: to not stand idly by as others decide the future of this world. "Jesus didn't watch life from the balcony, he got involved". He invited us that night to prepare a little space of fertile soil in our hearts for the Word of God to come and change us. I'll never forget the feeling of awesome silence as the multitude adored Christ in the Eucharist before hearing Matt Maher begin singing "Lord, I Need You" kneeling in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Once every three years, Catholic young people are given the chance to live an incredible experience of Church. Many young people feel alone in their faith journey; like it's something their friends would never understand. World Youth Day reminds us that we aren't walking the road alone: millions of young people across the globe go through many of our same struggles.

I invite you prayerfully consider supporting our pilgrimage to Schoenstatt, Germany and World Youth Day 2023 with Pope Francis in Lisbon, Portugal!

Blessings!,

Fr. Jeff