By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
In preparation for World Youth Day, the Diocese of Evansville Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is sponsoring a dinner, dance and auction to help pilgrims’ fundraising efforts for the trip.
The Passport to Seoul Dinner, Dance and Auction will be July 31 at the Discovery Lodge, 5301 Nurrenbern Road, Evansville, IN 47712. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. CDT. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by the auction and dance. The event will end at 10:30 p.m.
Sherie Cooley, diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, said as of June 19, they “were pushing in the 50s” for the number of pilgrims planning to take part in World Youth Day in 2027 in Seoul, South Korea. While it is an amazing experience, it is not cheap, she said. In order to help them reach their financial goals, the diocese wanted to offer a big diocesan effort to help, leading to the Passport to Seoul event.
“We are lining up sponsors, collecting auction items, getting everything together to have a really fun night at Discovery Lodge … We’re doing a Passport to Seoul theme and so it’s kind of got a little bit of a travel flavor,” Cooley said.
The Passport to Seoul event is for individuals 21 years old and above. Tickets are $75 per person, which includes dinner, two drink tickets, the dance and the auction.
Cooley said The Diner by Mele’s is catering for the dinner. They will make Korean barbeque, Italian pastas, a taco bar and desserts.
Diocesan seminarian Brett Wilkey is among the pilgrims who will take part in World Youth Day next summer. Wilkey, who has not attended World Youth Day previously, is looking forward to touring South Korea and getting to see parts of Seoul.
He believes World Youth Day is an important event for diocesan youth and young adults because it allows people to see how the Catholic faith is practiced throughout the world.
“We will get to see and meet Catholics from all over the world and get to experience how universal the Catholic Church really is,” Wilkey said. “On top of that, we will get to celebrate Mass with the pope.”
Elizabeth Pozos, who will also be attending World Youth Day for the first time, also said she is looking forward to having Mass with Pope Leo XIV. She is also looking forward to meeting different people from around the world.
“It’s such an important event to offer for diocesan youth and young adults because it is a great opportunity to learn more about our faith and help us grow individually,” Pozos said. “Catholicism is the same all around the world so it is neat to be able to experience this event with people that have different cultural backgrounds and languages but all coming together as a whole.”
Mariana Becerra, also attending World Youth Day in 2027, is looking forward to traveling to somewhere she has never been and to be a part of an amazing event, make new friends and meet Catholic youth from different parts of the world, she said.
Cooley stressed “one of the most amazing experiences” of attending World Youth Day is encountering people from all over the world.
“You really gain a sense of the big church, that we’re all united in our one faith,” Cooley said. “You would think that a large event like this, I mean it can be overwhelming but some people think it could be scary. You go into a large city and it can be really intimidating. But this is very joyful. Everybody is so happy to see each other. They’re so friendly.”
Cooley said she is thankful to all those people who have supported them thus far and will continue to support this effort. It really does take a lot of help from so many people to make this possible, she said.
She believes World Youth Day is a step out in faith for pilgrims because of various aspects, including the financial aspect, going to another country and stepping out of their comfort zones.
“That can be really scary, especially for a young person,” she said. “So it is really good at helping people realize that they have a lot of support and a lot of people who care about them.”
Tickets can be purchased online until July 22 at https://www.osvhub.com/evdio/forms/passporttoseoul. After July 22, contact Mary Whelan, Pastoral Ministries Assistant for the diocese, at 812-424-5536 or mwhelan@evdio.org.