World Youth Day is a pilgrimage like no other. Before you go, it’s important to prepare your heart so you can be more attune to what God is doing in Seoul! Here are eight tips for prayerfully preparing for World Youth Day:
1. Choose a patron saint for the pilgrimage. Maybe it’s a new friend, like one of the Korean martyrs (St. Andrew Kim Taegon, St. Paul Chong Hasang, or Blessed Maria Yi Segon-rye are all great choices!). Or perhaps it’s a saint whom you already pray to, like St. Carlo Acutis. Or maybe it’s someone that’s connected to WYD, like Pope St. John Paul II. Ask for their help as you prayerfully prepare for World Youth Day. Begin speaking to them daily.
2. Enhance your daily prayer routine. Maybe it’s adding a decade of the rosary or a Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Maybe it’s the Litany of Trust! Or perhaps it’s a prayer to your newly-chosen pilgrimage patron.
3. Ask your family and friends for prayer intentions to bring with you. Jot them down in your journal or have them write them down privately and keep them in an envelope that you’ll bring with you. It’s an honor to go on pilgrimage; allow them to come with you spiritually! Consider bringing a few postcards with you so you can send them to those you are praying for, letting them know where and when you prayed for them or thought of them on your trip.
4. Ask others to pray for you – both in the days of preparation and when you’re over in Korea, you can be sustained by the prayers of those back home.
5. Even if it’s not Lent, try fasting. You could fast from your favorite food or from a meal one day a week, or you could fast from an activity you enjoy or from a bad habit. Fasting helps us turn our minds to God and gives space in our life for him to fill!
6. Practice passive mortification. This means offering up the sacrifices that happen to us, not only the things we have chosen. For example, if packing is stressing you out, turn that over to God as a prayer. When a coworker or classmate annoys you, offer that up rather than snapping back or complaining to someone else. We can offer up these little annoyances or inconveniences of life to God as prayers. Practicing this now will make it easier when there are inconveniences or travel mishaps on pilgrimage.
7. Begin praying with the theme for World Youth Day 2027: “Take courage! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Meditate on Jesus’ words in prayer and ask him what he wants to show you through this theme and this pilgrimage.
8. Start a prayer journal to collect your thoughts and focus your heart. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
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- What first inspired you to make this pilgrimage?
- What does a pilgrimage to World Youth Day mean for you?
- As you read John 16:33, what jumps out at you? What thoughts and feelings are you experiencing? What does this verse mean to you personally?
- What are some of your intentions that you are taking in pilgrimage?
- How do you want to come home from pilgrimage different?
Be sure to pack your journal so you can continue to ponder these questions, write your memories, and record the ways God speaks to your heart during your journey.
Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the beauty of South Korea for yourself, connect with youth from around the globe, and see the Pope! Interested in taking a group? Reach out! Want to join other young adults? Check out our open enrollment trip!
