LISBON -- "I don't think there's a way to describe it that does it justice," Mike McDuffee said.

He had just returned to Massachusetts after a 10-day trip to Portugal for World Youth Day, which took place Aug. 1-6 in Lisbon, Portugal. Over 600 people from the Archdiocese of Boston participated in World Youth Day, joining approximately 1.5 million people from around the world for the global celebration with the Holy Father.

McDuffee, a teacher and campus minister at St. Mary's High School in Lynn, was in a group with six students and three teachers from his school. It was his first time attending World Youth Day, which takes place in a different country every few years.

"It was overwhelming and exhausting and beautiful," he said, speaking to The Pilot on Aug 8.

He teaches classes in theology and Catholic leadership. For him, he said, the most important reason he does anything in campus ministry is to give his students an opportunity to encounter Christ and enter into relationship with him. But he also hoped the trip would help to revive the school's campus ministry program, which struggled during the coronavirus pandemic.

"This opportunity struck me as something that could be really impactful in terms of igniting that spark at our school, and having a few students who can come back and be leaders for their other classmates," McDuffee said.

One of the students in his group was Giana Ribeiro, an incoming senior. Her sister Gabriella, 22, came with them as a chaperone. It seemed providential that they were even able to go. Giana had been uncertain about raising the necessary funds and prayed about it after a friend of hers assured her that God would provide. She unexpectedly received funding when another pilgrim, whose trip had been paid for by a donor, decided not to go.

The two sisters were moved by their group's visit to Santarem, the site of a Eucharistic miracle, on their first day in Portugal. The host, which became tangible flesh and shed blood in the 13th century, is kept as part of the altar piece, but the pilgrims were able to climb up a ladder, one at a time, to see it up close.

"I never thought that I would actually bear witness to something like that. That kind of set the tone for the whole trip, being so in awe of everything around me," Gabriella said.

They also spent two nights in Fatima, where they participated in the candlelight procession in front of the shrine. Whenever someone's candle went out, someone near them would relight it, which they thought seemed like a metaphor for the life of faith.

"When you feel like your faith is dying out, someone is there to light it up again and set that fire. They bring their fire of faith to you, and help you light up that joy again," Giana said.

When they arrived in Lisbon, they had a couple days to explore the city before the World Youth Day events began. Many churches were open to offer activities. McDuffee's group saw an exhibit on the Shroud of Turin, which Giana said was what they call a "graced moment."

World Youth Day 2023 officially opened on Aug. 1 with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Manuel Clemente, the patriarch of Lisbon, at Eduardo VII Park. Catechesis sessions took place Aug. 2-4 at various locations. Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley was one of several Americans who gave catechesis talks, along with Bishop Robert Barron, Chris Stefanick, and Jason Evert.

Pope Francis arrived in Lisbon on Aug. 3, the second day of catechesis. The welcome ceremony took place at Eduardo VII Park, and he was present for Stations of the Cross on Aug. 4, which was a Friday.

A large, open area called the Campo de Graca was repurposed for the World Youth Day vigil and papal Mass. Following tradition, pilgrims gathered for the vigil on Aug. 5, spent the night outdoors, and then celebrated Mass with the pope in the morning of Aug. 6.

Deacon Marcelo Ferrari, a transitional deacon studying at St. John's Seminary, said the sight of one million young Catholics was "unlike anything I had ever seen."

"There were helicopters flying overhead to capture the image; a few fighter jets flew by saluting our arrival, and the roar of the crowds was deafening: hymns, psalms, rosaries, and millions of quiet prayers filled what felt like the whole world. In that moment, I realized what it meant to be a pilgrim (and) what it meant to be one member of the Body of Christ," Deacon Ferrari said in a message to The Pilot.

He said he was reminded of his call to the priesthood and Christ's desire for every soul, not only those gathered for World Youth Day. He said he was "overwhelmed by the thought that every single person there has been intimately sought by the love of Christ."

"This pilgrimage reminded me that Christ calls, but more specifically, he calls us to a life of joy. And the greatest joy of his heart has been shared with mine: that not one be lost," Deacon Ferrari said.

Part of what draws people to World Youth Day is the cultural exchange, which illustrates the catholicity, or universality, of the Church. As they converged in the host city, different groups of pilgrims from around the world ended up walking and getting into conversations with each other. Some groups would cheer for each other when they saw them carrying their countries' flags. They exchanged gifts like buttons, bracelets, or other small items, often decorated with their country's flag or their diocese's name.

"It was an opportunity to get to know other people from other parts of the world who live very different lives but are there for the same purpose," McDuffee said.

He had brought his guitar, and the pilgrims in his group learned songs in different languages during the trip. At one point, they were singing a worship song, and a group from Portugal helped them translate it into Portuguese.

One of the highlights for their group occurred during the opening Mass. Someone in the crowd handed Giana a Portuguese flag, like one of the many people trading or giving away items from their home country. Moments later, as the Mass was beginning, the flag attracted the attention of a young Portuguese woman who had been separated from her group and whose phone battery had run out. She was from outside of Lisbon and unfamiliar with the area, but when she saw Giana holding a Portuguese flag, she turned to her group for help. They calmed her down, and Giana let the woman use her phone, so she was able to find her own group again. They exchanged social media contacts so they could stay in touch -- and they happened to see each other again, as they were assigned to the same section for Eucharistic adoration a few days later! McDuffee's group called these chance encounters "the miracle of the Portuguese flag," since the woman would not have approached them if someone had not given the flag to Giana.

Before going on the trip, the Boston-area pilgrims had been encouraged to think about the one thing they wanted to receive from the experience. Giana said her hope was to gain joy in her faith, which she felt was lukewarm and declining. Her prayer seemed to receive a direct answer when Pope Francis addressed them, speaking about how joy is missionary, and something that they have from God.

"It made me think about it in a very different way, because it's not something selfish, something that I'm depending on every experience and person I meet to remind me. I already have it in me," Giana said.

As they discussed and processed their experiences together, McDuffee's students talked about how they often feel afraid to express their faith, not knowing how their peers would respond. For example, they might feel embarrassed about kneeling to receive Communion, or receiving it on the tongue. But many people did so at World Youth Day.

"I wish the culture would change. But how can I expect the culture to change if I'm not doing anything to change it? I can't just sit and wait for somebody else to do something that I've been wanting to do," Giana said.

McDuffee said he thought some solidarity was built among the students as they realized they were not the only ones who felt the way they did.

"When you're in a field with one million people, it's hard to feel like you're the only person who believes," McDuffee said.

He said there was a "sense of bolstering" and a reinforcement of their faith and their desire to live it out.

"We're meant to be bold. We follow a God who walked into suffering and walked into ridicule. If we're going to follow him, we can almost guarantee we're going to follow him into something like that as well. But that's okay, because we have our brothers and sisters who are walking that as well, and most importantly we have Christ, who is leading our way," McDuffee said.

A recurring theme during the trip was, "Do not be afraid." Giana said that phrase touched her, and she took it to mean "do not be afraid to be bold about your faith, to love every single person that you meet deeply and to love God deeply."

One of the questions posed to them during the catechesis was, "How have you said yes to God?" Gabriella said that for her and her sister, going on the trip -- the first time they went outside the U.S. -- was their yes.

"If there's a moment or a way you feel Christ is calling you to do something, even if you might be hesitant or unsure, saying yes is always going to be the right answer and lead to something more beautiful than you could have planned yourself," she said.