Pilgrims Wanted: 2027 World Youth Day Seoul
by Diocese of Des Moines | June 30, 2026
The Diocese of Des Moines invites pilgrims from ages 17-39 to participate in the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD) international gathering in Seoul, South Korea.
The Diocese of Des Moines WYD Seoul pilgrimage will take place from Tuesday, July 27, through Monday, August 9, 2027. It will include travel days, as well as three days of dedicated time at the local host parish in which pilgrims will participate in “spiritual, cultural, and service activities together with local parishioners.” A special event is tentatively scheduled for pilgrims to visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a heavily fortified, 2.5 mile buffer between North Korea and South Korea.
The Iowa pilgrims will then go to Seoul for the international gathering, where they will hear speakers and celebrate Mass with Pope Leo XIV.
If you are interested in joining, sign up by August 31,2026. For more information, visit the Diocese of Des Moines WYD Seoul 2027 website, which includes an overview, a trip itinerary, as well as a way to sign up for the pilgrimage.
A history of World Youth Day
In 1984, St. John Paul II welcomed over 300,000 young people from around the world, who were invited for an International Jubilee of Youth on Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s square. Growing from this event, the first official diocesan WYD took place in 1986, with the first international gathering held in Buenos Aires in 1987, according to the World Youth Day Foundation website.
“When, back in 1985, I wanted to start the World Youth Days… I imagined a powerful moment in which the young people of the world could meet Christ, who is eternally young, and could learn from him how to be bearers of the Gospel to other young people,” Pope John Paul II said at the last international WYD he attended in Toronto. “This evening, together with you, I praise God and give thanks to him for the gift bestowed on the Church through the World Youth Days. Millions of young people have taken part, and as a result have become better and more committed Christian witnesses.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and now Pope Leo XIV continued to gather young adults from ages 17-35 to the international event, encouraging pilgrims’ openness to pass on the truth and love that is Christ. The last World Youth Day international gathering was held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2023, and welcomed nearly 1.5 million pilgrims.
The heart of "pilgrimage"
Nearly 60 Iowa pilgrims traveled to Portugal in the summer of 2023 to join 1.5 million other young adults in celebrating World Youth Day with then Pope Francis.
Deacon Luke Mohan was one of them, participating in the pilgrimage while he was a seminarian.
For Dcn. Mohan, “pilgrimage” itself is a microcosm of the Christian life: a concentrated, intentional period of seeking God in a specific place, that involves seeking God through liturgy and through the witness.
Before this pilgrimage, Dcn. Mohan was unfamiliar with the apparitions of Fatima but took the opportunity to learn about Saints Francisco and Jacinta and Sister Lucia, which greatly aided his faith.
Dcn. Mohan stayed in a small town named Arrabal. The Des Moines pilgrimage group integrated with the local community, sharing evening meals at the parish hall. He described this as an “awesome” experience where the residents shared their food, culture, songs, and traditions. This pre-event immersion allowed him to see how the local community maintained a strong culture of faith and community health, which was a significant takeaway for him.
“One of the things I took the most was just the witness of the faith of this small town,” Dcn. Mohan said. “It was not really that much different from the United States in that they had people moving to the cities. Small towns were struggling a little bit, but they had these traditions of Catholic worship and fraternity that they were using to keep the faith alive and to keep their communities healthy.”
Another poignant memory for Dcn. Mohan was the overnight vigil, which included camping outside with fellow pilgrims.
“It’s like camping with a million of your other best friends,” Dcn. Mohan said. “But the mass itself was beautiful and the music especially was spectacular. Spiritually, I really appreciated after a long week, there was just a beautiful mass.”
Dcn. Mohan said that World Youth Day offers something for everyone, regardless of personality type.
“You don’t have to be an extrovert to enjoy World Youth Day,” he said. “You don’t have to want to go and meet a million people and keep in touch with dozens after you come back. There is plenty of time for quiet reflection as well as meeting new people on a smaller, individual level. You kind of get to choose how much you want to seek out different Catholics from around the world. And you also get to kind of choose your own worship experiences and kind of Catholic opportunities in World Youth Day.”