WYD: The first ‘Catholic Influencers Festival’ for the future of evangelisation

By Francesca Merlo

Song, dance, testimonies, a showcase of talent and faith took to the stage at World Youth Day in Lisbon on Friday afternoon for the first ever festival of Catholic digital influencers. Emotions were still running high after the encounter in the Edward VII Park where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims had just prayed the Way of the Cross with Pope Francis. Now, in the Parque de los Cristonautas, in the presence of Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga, young Catholic digital influencers gathered to discuss the future of Catholic communications, the need to “keep up with the times” and to take advantage of digital media to spread the joy of the Gospel.

The meeting was the second of its kind during World Youth Day 2023 after the one on Thursday morning when the influencers met to attend mass at the Catholic University of Portugal. 

Joyful atmosphere

The hymn, with which the meeting on Friday evening in Lisbon’s Parque de los Cristonautas was inaugurated, infused the atmosphere with the same joy experienced since World Youth Day kicked off.

Msgr. Lucio Adrian Ruiz, Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, welcomed all those present, inviting them to go forth with courage and creativity. “Be united amongst yourselves, just like the apostles who went in pairs”, he pleaded, before issuing the request to always be close to our bishops, to be united “so that we can be one Church, because that is what Jesus wants”. And consistently with this, Msgr. Ruiz noted that the Holy Father himself dedicated a gift to them with the same desire in mind: a small olive tree, blessed by him just the day before.

Testimonies

Three young influencers then shared their witness. The first, Jonathan Romie, who played Jesus in the film “The Chosen”, spoke of his faith and of how it helped him to portray the character in the film.

Pitter di Laura spoke about how to be an influencer of God in life, reminding the young people that the influence must not only be for oneself, but for all.

And finally, Fr Rob Galea spoke of the call to evangelisation and its response. A musician, Fr Rob also graced the participants with one of his songs, loosely based on the music of “amazing grace”.  

Blessing

The final speaker at the encounter was Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who led the group of influencers and participants in prayer. “What a joy that we can finally be gathered together on this territory that is digital media, in order to persevere in our mission”, he said. Msgr. Ruiz asked Cardinal Maradiaga to impart his blessing on digital media and its evangelisers, then he told those present to turn their cell phone lights on to represent the light of digital media, and lit by the sea of flickering lights in the dark, in silence, the influencers received the blessing.

Finally, music, song and dance. Two concerts closed the festival, the music of Hakuna, and that of the Missionarios Shalom, after which the young people left the Parque de los Cristonautas, singing and dancing, as they have been doing every night and as they will most probably continue to do until the Vigil on Saturday night!