Over a 10 day period, I had the privilege to accompany a group from my home diocese of Evansville at World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. While this was not the first time I had traveled abroad, it was my first time stepping into Europe. And my group had the opportunity to visit numerous famous religious sites, such as the apparition site of Our Lady of Fatima and the Eucharistic miracle at Santarem, which I encourage anyone to visit if traveling in the area.

I would say though, even with all these beautiful things, I still struggled to find grace and consolation while I was there. I came on the pilgrimage hoping to find these things as I had been going through a period of spiritual desolation leading up to the trip. Now I will acknowledge that while the places we went to were some of the most awe-inspiring sites I had ever seen, something just wasn’t clicking, and I thought that something was wrong. 

On the day of the opening mass, our group began the journey from our hotel to find a spot in Parque Eduardo. It proved to be a wild experience for me, since I was not really used to being cramped in large crowds of people. I was pushed up against by people from all over the world: Spaniards, Koreans, Brazilians, etc.; but in the midst of all of that, something clicked in my head. Throughout this pilgrimage, I had been seeking consolation and expecting it to be given immediately, but rarely does it work that way. Struggling should create perseverance and patience, which creates the proper foundation for God’s graces. It was at that moment that I realized this insight, and to this day I attribute this to our Blessed Mother at Fatima. She saw me looking for a sign, and knew that while I needed it, that I wasn’t ready. With my eyes opened, I saw the beauty of a truly universal church.  

Please pray for our Bruté Seminarians. Find a printable version of this prayer card on our website.