A unique CCAF-funded pilgrimage boosts the faith and spirits of vulnerable teens
Most foster children have never travelled outside their own city. Imagine the excitement of 12 teenagers who received a paid trip to Portugal to see Pope Francis and celebrate the Catholic festival known as World Youth Day (WYD). Accompanied by staff from the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS), the group made the journey in August 2023 thanks to funding from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation (CCAF).
Connecting with the global Catholic community at World Youth Day
The 15-day trip included a week staying with Catholic parishioners in Porto, a visit to the Fatima shrine, and six days in Lisbon participating in WYD. Over 350,000 people from around the world registered for the festival. These Toronto youth attended talks, prayer services and concerts in the days leading up to a vigil and final papal mass attended by 1.5 million people.
“We felt the real presence of God all around us,” says one CCAS organizer*.
First established by Pope John Paul II in 1985, World Youth Day is celebrated every two to four years. The event invites young people to make a pilgrimage, connect with Catholics from around the world and to help build the Church.
CCAF’s mission to empower disadvantaged youth and create belonging
Experiencing this type of global Catholic event would be powerful for anyone, but even more so for adolescents in extended care who may have experienced past neglect, instability or family violence. Creating this experience is aligned with other CCAF programs that help bring opportunity to disadvantaged kids, from scholarships to strategic programs to help youth leaving care.
“No other child welfare organization would send their teens to World Youth Day,” says Jim Gilligan, Executive Director of the CCAF. “The trip offered an opportunity for our youth to get in touch with their faith and with peers from all over the world.”
A spiritual home away from home
The first week of the trip in Porto left an indelible impression. As part of the WYD “Days in the Diocese” program, international groups are welcomed into the religious and cultural life of different Portuguese parishes. CCAS pilgrims stayed in the homes of families from Our Lady of Boavista parish, enjoying warm hospitality and friendship.
“Our host family was exactly what you’d imagine the perfect family to be like,” said one trip participant*.
Funding memories to last a lifetime
The tour continued to Lisbon, to hear the Pope’s message of hope, and ended at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. An international prayer service and candlelit vigil offered a moving finale to an eye-opening journey.
Gilligan is proud that the CCAF enabled these 12 youths to experience the trip of a lifetime and hopes to fund a similar journey to the 2027 World Youth Day. As he says, “When you support the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation, you’re helping vulnerable kids connect to the Catholic community.”
*Names withheld for privacy reasons.
Read more stories about impactful CCAF programs.
Donate today to help us give more families a brighter future.
