Ahead of World Youth Day, Maria, 22, one of our Looking to Lisbon leaders, answers a few questions about herself and what she’s looking forward to.

What Portuguese phrases should we know before going to World Youth Day?

Olá, Bom dia ~ hello, good morning

Obrigado/a ~ thank you (depending on if you’re a boy or girl)

Por favor ~ please

Como vai/tudo bem? ~ how are you?

Deus te abençoe ~ God bless you

Who is your favourite Saint and why?

I love all of the saints and have read many stories about them so it makes it impossible for me to pick one. However, one saint that I really like is Saint Benedict (twin brother of St Scholastica). This is because of all the miracles he did (there are so many) and because I like the way of life of the Benedictine monks ‘Ora et Labora‘ (to pray and to work). Another saint that I like is St Longinus. This is the guy that put a spear through Jesus’ heart. He had an incredible story of conversion and was directly impacted by Jesus’ life on earth. Both of these saints have stories that have been novelated by an author called Louis De Whol. I really recommend his books. St Benedict’s story is called Cidatel of God and St Longinus’, The Spear.

Why are you attending World Youth Day?

I’m attending WYD because I want to be inspired. I want to see how young our church is. How global it is. I want to experience that there is a community of people my age that live the same way as I do. I want to go because I want to share my faith with other people and show through my way of life, God’s eternal love for us.

From WYD, I am hoping to get a spiritual boost. I am hoping to come back more alive in my faith than ever and to share this experience with others. I am hoping to create more memories, make more friends and ultimately become closer to Jesus.