2025.7.10-7.20

In the Beginning…

On our journey of preparation for World Youth Day Seoul 2027, we were invited to join the pilgrimage of the WYD Cross and Icon in Taiwan for four days, encountering other young Asians and sharing solidarity in our faith. Before we left, as we pondered what we could offer to the Taiwanese community, we decided the most important thing was to meet the young people doing their best to live out their faith with open hearts. On our way to meet people of a different language and culture, we hoped to be pilgrims who seek to learn first. Rather than a grand event, we quietly prayed that this journey would be a time to see each other’s lives through the eyes of the Lord.

Our Pilgrimage Together

The hospitality of the young people we met during Taiwan Youth Day was warmer than we had hoped for. Each day began simply with a holy hour and confession, which made them deeply meaningful. During the evening of praise on the second day, seeing the performances prepared by the young Taiwanese themselves showed us how closely faith breathes alongside daily life. That moment, where indigenous traditions and prayer blended naturally, was both unfamiliar and comforting. It demonstrated that despite our different appearances, we could sing together, lifting our voices to the One who unites us all.

On the final day, we participated in the WYD Homecoming held by the Taipei Diocese, making a pilgrimage through various parts of the city with the Cross and Icon and sharing a time of prayer with the Taiwanese young people. Encountering the WYD Symbols in Taiwan, the very same ones we had seen in Korea, we could feel anew how we are connected within the cross. Amid the hot sun and bustling streets, we paused briefly to offer a short prayer. In that moment, it felt like a true pilgrimage. The WYD Cross was a companion, quietly waiting without urging us on. As we gathered the worries and hopes of each of us into one prayer before the Cross, it became a little clearer why the Lord called us to walk this path together.

We finally arrived at the cathedral where the young Taiwanese had gathered. Listening to stories from those who had participated in past WYDs, we also shared our anticipation for WYD Seoul 2027. There was someone who still cherished a group T-shirt exchanged with a young Korean at World Youth Day twenty years before, a testament to the bond of faith that transcends time. The promise, “We’ll meet again in Seoul in 2027,” was the warmest invitation we heard in this foreign land. That single phrase seemed to encapsulate the meaning of our entire pilgrimage.

Let’s Hear from the Locals

The sight of so many people gathering around the Cross to pray and sing together on the day we welcomed the WYD Symbols remains deeply etched in my heart. In that moment, I was able to experience the atmosphere of faith that emerges when a community comes together. As I lingered before the Cross, the parable of the sower suddenly came to mind. Everyone was part of this journey in their own place, even if they weren't playing a visible role. Standing together with the young Koreans before the Cross, we prayed with one heart despite different languages and backgrounds, and I witnessed how the WYD Cross was a bridge connecting people.

(Diocese of Taichung/Yang Chiu-lu)

Creating WYD Seoul 2027 Together

The hearts of the young Taiwanese toward WYD Seoul 2027 can be summed up in one word: passion. The pilgrimage of the WYD Cross and Icon through Taiwan has ignited a strong motivation to participate in WYD Seoul 2027. Currently, the Youth Desk of the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference is responding to a flood of inquiries regarding WYD Seoul 2027 and has begun concrete communication with each diocese to organize groups. Young people in Taiwan eagerly anticipate seeing and learning from young Korean Catholics living out their faith and growing together with them. They also want to experience local culture through homestays in Korean families and form deep bonds with the Korean Church.

Text and photos: Gabriella Suji Kim, Genovefa Yeojin Jeong