The legacies of Saint John Paul II and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be passed to the next generation of youth this summer through an American non-profit organization, the John Paul II (JP2) Project. The JP2 Project has partnered with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the official World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 Organizing Committee to host a four-day prayer vigil during the week of WYD in Lisbon, Portugal.

The vigil will be held at the centrally located parish of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Lisbon, only a 15-minute walk from the Parque Eduardo VII: the venue for all the central WYD events, such as the Opening Mass, as well as the Welcome Ceremony and Stations of the Cross with the Holy Father. At the church, the JP2 Project will feature a first-class blood relic of St. John Paul II and the hiking pickaxe and the personal rosary of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Panel exhibits will educate and inspire young pilgrims to get to know these witnesses of the faith.

Young pilgrims are invited to pray for their vocations through the intercession of these patrons and will be given the opportunity to venerate these relics up close.

The vigil offers times of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, rosary with meditations, and talks by guest speakers. The acclaimed Catholic speakers and authors, Chris Stefanik and Jason Evert will deliver a keynote talk titled, “John Paul II, Fatima, and the Future of the Church” on August 4, 2023. The final schedule will include special guest bishops giving points of meditation for Holy Hours, such as Archbishop Samuel Aquila (Denver, CO), Bishop “Bob” Lombardo, CFR (Chicago, IL) and Bishop Phillip Egan (Portsmouth, UK) will lead special Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration in this vigil.

“Pope John Paul II and Pier Giorgio Frassati are critically important patrons of WYD,” claims Joseph MacDonald, founder of JP2 Project. “We have World Youth Day thanks to John Paul II, and you can say that in a way, thanks to Pier Giorgio Frassati, we have John Paul II, for he himself said he was encouraged by his witness during his youth.”

The JP2 Project provides formation programs for young people that immerses them in the teaching and example of John Paul II, ranging from Catholic study abroad programs in Krakow, Poland, to outdoor retreats, to pilgrimages and mission summer camps. Sixteen alumni of these programs have been selected to form the team of missionaries running and managing this WYD prayer vigil, available for free to the young pilgrims from around the world coming to Portugal this summer.

For more information about the Prayer Vigil, please visit https://jp2project.org/world-youth-day-2023-event/