An update on this...the first week of August may very much be a week to be avoided on the caminho from Lisboa up to Fatima...fair-ish translation through GglTranslate of an article in the Abrantes-area news:
"The Diocese of Santarém has identified, at the moment, an accommodation capacity of about 76,000 pilgrims for the World Youth Day (WYD), which takes place in the first week of August in Lisbon.
In response to
Lusa, the Diocesan Organizing Committee (COD) of Santarém affirmed that it currently has more than 460 families registered to accommodate pilgrims, with a capacity for 2,000 people, and continues to negotiate with the entities that hold collective spaces, for the formalization of your assignment.
“In the last balance [in the beginning of March], we have identified about 350 families of accommodation, while we currently have more than 460, with the capacity to accommodate two thousand pilgrims. Our accommodation spaces, at the capacity of our Diocese, are around 74 thousand pilgrims, or that there are a total of about 76 thousand people in the Diocese of Santarém, more about 11,000 two months ago. [
I'm not sure what this 76,000 number refers to--the population of Santarém?]
The diocese of Santarém, which, like those of Setúbal and Lisbon, is responsible for the accommodation of participants in WYD, began in February, together with the owner entities, the process of formalizing the ceding of nearly 600 collective spaces that it identified.
According to COD, the transport of pilgrims who are staying in the territory of the Diocese of Santarém obeys the mobility plan drawn up by the Government and disclosed no later than April 5th.
Food will also be guaranteed by Fundação JMJ, which has open candidacies on its site for restaurants, supermarkets and private institutions of social solidarity that want to join the restoration network, which will be managed by the national organization.
"The meals will all be insured by this restaurant network, with the exception of two small lunches, which can be given by the foster families, if they wish, or that will be provided by the national organization and then distributed by volunteers to the foster care locations," she said. .
As for the initiatives that will take place in the Diocese during WYD week, such as the 'Rise Up' catechists, Santarém is formalizing the churches and audiences “that have the conditions to accommodate the catechists by language, so that after this placement the preparation of the spaces is made by the local organization”.
The Diocese also encourages young people to organize "some reception or farewell activities for the pilgrims who are staying in their parishes, in order to make the region known".
“To furthermore, we are going to take advantage of initiatives that already exist and others that arise such as exhibitions, festivals, etc”, he adds.
In addition to nearly a thousand registered volunteers, the Diocese has more than 500 young people in the parish teams created in 2019.
In March, the COD Santarém suggested to
Lusa that they form defined objectives of accommodation for the dioceses that will receive pilgrims, which they opted not to divulge because they will be only indicative and will serve to guide the work of the parishes.
The World Youth Day, considered the biggest event of the Catholic Church, will take place this year in Lisbon, between August 1 and 6, with about 1.5 million people expected.
The main ceremonies of the day take place in Parque Tejo, north of Parque das Nações, near Ribeirinha do Tejo, on land in two municipalities of Lisbon and Loures.
The dates were set on the initiative of Pope João Paulo II, after the event of the meeting promoted in 1985, in Rome, in the International Youth Year."
Sounds like things will be hopping!
Link to original story (in Portuguese):
https://jornaldeabrantes.sapo.pt/so...-ate-ao-momento-para-acolher-76000-peregrinos
Bom caminho, but perhaps not between August 1 and 6, 2023 ...or maybe perhaps???
www.lisboa2023.org
