World Youth Day 2019 USA Leader Guides Stateside Leader Guide | Page 19

people through their presence, invitation, and The people participating in the stateside WYD
encouragement. pilgrimage have chosen to be there.
Therefore, the opportunity is ripe for these
Evangelizing Service young men and women to deepen their
When a pilgrim experiences mercy and healing commitment to be disciples of Christ Jesus,
in Christ, he or she may desire to evangelize making the choice to do so in response to
and serve. As the Holy Father said, “Our their encounter with the Lord and others who
personal experience of being accompanied are witnessing Christ to them.
and assisted, and of openness to those who
accompany us, will teach us to be patient and Effective ministry leaders can witness to this
compassionate with others, and to find the discipleship in all that is said and done on the
right way to gain their trust, their openness pilgrimage – from email communication and
and their readiness to grow.” 19 World Youth announcements prior to and during the event
Day provides youth and young adults a to answering the same question for the fiftieth
chance to step into servant leadership. time. The experience of pilgrimage and the
encounters involved will also help the leader
grow as a disciple.
From its start, WYD has offered participants
an opportunity to be evangelized and to
evangelize. Leaders and pilgrims embark on SENDING
the journey with the hope that they will have a Pope Francis invites us “to ‘go out’ as
deeper encounter with Jesus Christ and missionary disciples, each generously offering
others. Often, they experience personal their talents, creativity, wisdom and
transformation, reconciliation, and renewed experience in order to bring the message of
life in Christ. This cannot be kept to oneself. God’s tenderness and compassion to the
entire human family. By virtue of the
The leader and pilgrims accompanying one missionary mandate, the Church cares for
another are “missionary disciples”; they are those who do not know the Gospel, because
both followers of Christ (disciples) and sent she wants everyone to be saved and to
by him (missionaries). experience the Lord’s love. She ‘is
commissioned to announce the mercy of
God, the beating heart of the Gospel’
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Evangelii Gaudium, 172.
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