World Youth Day is an antidote against indifference, isolation and lethargy, Pope Francis said. Since World Youth Days were established by St. John Paul II in 1985, “they have involved, moved, stirred and challenged generations of women and men,” he said in the preface of a new book, “A Long Journey to Lisbon,” by Aura Miguel, a Portuguese journalist for Rádio Renascença. Vatican News published the preface May 2.
Bridget Hanafin, a second-year teacher at Christ the King Catholic School, will be responsible for about 100 young people and seminarians for 10 days when the contingent from the Diocese of Dallas attends the six-day World Youth Day gathering in Lisbon, Portugal in early August. The most stressful portion of the assignment, Hanafin said, will take place … now!