In August, we celebrated the Jubilee of Youth in Tor Vergata (in Rome) with Pope Leo XIV. We discovered some amazing stories there, and we want to share them with you now. Here’s what Noemie has to say:

My name is Noemie. I’m 19 years old, and I’m currently studying dentistry at university. I come from a family of four and I have a twin sister, which is very special for me. I live in a town about fifteen minutes from Beirut.

The Jubilee of Youth in Rome really left a mark on me, and I still think about it often. I look at my photos and remember all the people I met, and I feel fortunate for getting to experience it. The truth is that in 25 years, when the next Jubilee is celebrated... I’ll be an adult!

What touched me most was seeing other young people like me, curious and eager to strengthen their faith in God while also having fun. I realized that even if we didn’t all speak the same language, we always found a way to communicate. That left a deep impression on me.

When I returned to Lebanon, I already wanted to go back to the Jubilee. I needed time to take in everything I had experienced. I kept hearing the songs that filled the streets of Rome, and I kept looking for little pieces of Rome around me.

One of my wishes was for the Pope to visit my country so that my parents could see him too, and in December it actually happened. His visit meant a lot to me because I finally got to bring together two things I love: my country and my Jubilee experience. I felt an indescribable peace. Seeing him walk through the same streets I take every day moved me. It also meant a lot to me that the Pope went to visit the Saint Charbel Monastery, a place I have been visiting since I was little. Seeing him pray there felt like a dream.

In Lebanon, everyone was waiting for him. Gathered in the streets, people cheered in Arabic, French, and English... This time it wasn't in Italian, which made the moment even closer to me and the people of my country. Our people have always been armed with faith and hope, and this visit by the Pope confirmed us on that path. My message to young people is to hold onto hope and trust God’s plan for you, even if you don’t understand it now.