World Youth Day 2023

The capital of Portugal, Christianity has been part of Lisbon since the earliest centuries of Christianity. Though falling into the hands of the Moors in 716, it was liberated in 1147 and the cathedral – built in 306 and turned into a mosque during the occupation – was rededicated to God at that time. This Sé of Santa Maria is the oldest church in Lisbon and has been restored and renovated numerous times throughout the centuries. Lisbon is also the birthplace of St. Anthony of Padua and the Church of St. Anthony is located right near the cathedral and marks the spot where this beloved saint was born. Under the church, you can visit the crypt containing his exact spot of birth.

Named for Santa Iria (St. Irene), who lived in a nearby convent, Santarem is home to St. Stephen’s Church, famous for its venerated relic, "the Bleeding Host." In the 1200s, a woman stole a consecrated Host to bring to a fortune-teller, as part of a spell, but as she was walking home from church it began to bleed profusely. Afraid, she put it in a trunk at her home only to be awakened in the middle of the night to a bright light coming from the trunk. Taking the host back to the priest, he put it in a wax pyx. Another miracle happened the next morning when they found that the wax had turned into its own crystal pyx. We venerate this relic today that has remained the same since the 13th century.

One of the most well-known sites of a Marian Apparition, Fatima is located just north of Lisbon. As in most small villages in the early years of the 20th century, the parish church was the center of life and faith in Fatima, home to the shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. It was here that the three children were baptized and Lucia made her first confession at six years of age. The kindly priest who heard her confession told her to consecrate herself to the Blessed Virgin and she immediately did this in front of the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary. The following day she took Holy Communion for the first time. In 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared to the children on the 13th of each month from May-October and asked them to pray the rosary every day and ask for world peace. At the shrine, pilgrims visit the Chapel of the Apparitions, the old Basilica to see the site of their graves, the museum dedicated to the message of Fatima and world peace, and the new basilica with its adoration chapel. A short walk from the main shrine is Aljustrel, the village where the three children lived, and Valinhos where Our Lady appeared to the children after they were released from unjust imprisonment. You may also walk the way of the cross and participate in the evening rosary procession, time-permitting.

A quaint village nestled on the Atlantic coast, Nazaré is home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré memorializing an ancient miracle occurring through the Blessed Mother’s intercession whereby the life of a knight was saved. On the hillside, one can see the imprint of his horse’s shoe on the rock marking this spot.

The first king of Portugal, Alfonso, established a Cistercian monastery in the town of Alcobaca to fulfil his vow made during the Moorish wars. It was a gift to St. Bernard of Clairvaux and his brothers after the Portuguese conquest and liberation from Moorish rule. The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, with construction beginning in 1153.

When King Joao I of Portugal defeated the Castilians in the battle of nearby Ajubarrota, he decreed a monastery be built in honor of Saint Mary of the victory, giving rise to the official name of the monastery: Moserio de Santa Maria da Vitoria. The unofficial name is the Monastery of Batalha, literally “of the battle” to commemorate the victory.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and noted for its Port wine, beautiful churches, narrow cobbled streets, quaint bridges, and golden rooftops. Visit the soaring Gothic cathedral and admire the richly decorated Church of Sao Francisco, built in the 14th century in honor of St. Francis.

Braga is home to over 300 churches and is the religious center of Portugal. Pilgrimage sites here include the Sé (Cathedral) which is the oldest in Portugal, and the Bom Jesus do Monte an important pilgrimage shrine.

This former capital of Portugal is a famous university town and location of the Convent of Santa Teresa where Sister Lucia lived, the longest-living visionary of Fatima who passed away in 2005. Also in Coimbra is the Convent of Santa Clara La Nova where St. Isabella is buried.