The Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto took its mission internationally this summer, offering youth in care opportunities to connect with their faith and heritage.

As its youth-oriented Jubilee pilgrimage returned from Rome, a faith-integrated cultural journey departed for Ghana. 

Both trips offer a rare opportunity for the youth to integrate their faith and heritage on a global stage, with the Jubilee pilgrimage focusing on mercy and forgiveness and the Freedom Walk leaning into exploration of African ancestry and reconciliation. 

Advertisement

On July 19, 12 youth aged 18 to 22 joined CCAS pastoral advisor Nigel Fernando on a journey through Portugal, France and Italy in a 2025 Jubilee journey. The once-in-a-generation pilgrimage looked to give the youth in care a unique opportunity for spiritual renewal, connection and reflection within the universal Church.

For Fernando, the journey was the culmination of a year's worth of discussion and planning to ensure CCAS youth had an opportunity for valuable faith formation in an exciting, hands-on way. 

“We had been discussing something like this all year. In 2023, we went to World Youth Day, and after the success of that trip, we wanted to follow it up with a timely Jubilee trip this year,” he said. 

“The essential component was trying to give these youth a formative pilgrimage experience, something where they would encounter God, but also through a faith formation style of program. Hopefully, this experience was something they will take back into their lives and have it truly contribute to the development of their own faith.” 

The European trip saw the group visit various Marian shrines, such as Fatima and Lourdes in Portugal and France, respectively, while attending other youth-focused Jubilee events over the two-week pilgrimage. It included a visit to Rome’s Holy Doors, with Fernando speculating that the youth took something special and personal from each event, depending on their situations. 

“ All of them were moved by certain events unique to themselves, their personalities and what they have experienced throughout their lives. The whole concept of a Jubilee pilgrimage is seeking forgiveness and God's mercy, and I think a lot of them were truly transformed by seeking forgiveness, but also the forgiveness of those who may have harmed them as well,” he said. 

Jody Toste, 22, shared with The Catholic Register the highlight of the journey. 

Advertisement

“The number one thing I enjoyed was the readings of the rosaries at the churches like Notre-Dame in France, which was beautiful. I just loved seeing all the different cultures, no matter where everyone was from, finding that one moment to come together and enjoy it with each other,” said Toste. 

On Aug. 7, more CCAS youth departed as part of an international cultural trip to Ghana in West Africa with the organization’s It Takes A Village (ITAV) Committee, a group comprised of Black CCAS staff. There, ITAV hopes youth will explore their identity, ancestry and heritage through exploration, reflection and a renewed sense of cultural pride. 

Funding of over $100,000 from the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation made this trip possible. 

“ Forthy-thousand dollars would not be able to supply a trip to Africa, but we knew it would be good for these Black youth to take on this initiative to better know their origins and history. To secure this funding is a dream come true. Our youth, who have heard stories about their culture, finally get to see how the journey to the new world came to be,” said Charles Dannsah-Appiah, a staff member in CCAS’  child and youth service department and trip leader. 

The two-week trip will cover three cities in Ghana with distinct themes. In Accra, the focus is on Ghana’s independence and the history of European colonization. Cape Coast will explore the transatlantic slave trade, including a visit to Cape Coast Castle. The Ashanti Region will see youth celebrate African culture, including learning about kinship, gold, royalty, Kente cloth weaving and bead-making, among other crafts. Additional activities include beach visits, exploring markets and learning cultural practices like Ghanaian naming traditions. 

Dannsah-Appiah, a Ghanaian himself, said the rare opportunity for CCAS youth emphasizes Catholic values like reconciliation and justice, encouraging youth to reflect on their history through a spiritual lens, a mission that aligns congruently with its faith-based mission. 

“ One Sunday, I plan to get the tour group to bring us to the very first Catholic church that was established in Ghana to give some background for our youth to know the history of Catholicism here,” he said. 

“ We don't do the work solely for the safety and well-being of children, but it is also about how we take care of these kids, for them to even see beyond just safety and well-being. I'm very thankful that we have been able to put this together for our youth.”

With the first once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimages having returned home and the second just underway, the Catholic Children’s Aid Society has ensured this summer of Jubilee is one of profound renewal, both spiritually and culturally, for youth in care, no matter the continent they explore. 

Advertisement

"The significance of doing these trips with youth where they've been through similar circumstances and could share their stories with one another about what they have experienced in their lives is compelling for a lot of them. They feel close to one another, like for once, they are with other individuals who can relate to their stories,” said Fernando. 

“To do a religious pilgrimage on top of that, providing those larger themes of mercy and forgiveness. It was profound and an honour to be able to witness that.”