Hi! My name Geneviève, but most people call me Gen 
I am 20 years old and I was born and raised in the Greater Montreal area. I have a passion for social justice, community building, and travelling. When I’m not on hanging out with the Catholic Club at Concordia, I’m probably in the kitchen trying a new recipe, at a café with friends, or shopping at the thrift store.
I grew up very involved in my parish, but I felt conflicted between the faith, school friends and my Québécois culture. I was always what other people needed me to be, “chameleoning” my way through life. I was learning about God and about Jesus, but these were just stories to me. It lacked meaning, so much so that I thought about leaving the Church. College was my exit plan, I had all the means and reasons I thought I needed to do it. But God had a different plan for me. When I got to college, a friend invited me to take a faith study on campus. The other women in my group came from a Catholic background and they all lived out the faith with such authenticity. I desired to experience that same freedom, but I didn’t know how. When we read the passage of Jesus saying he is “the way, and the truth, and life,” I heard him calling me personally to follow him. When I answered that invitation with a simple and sincere “yes”, I only felt peace. Now, I can live in the confidence, freedom and fullness of an identity rooted in Christ. I finally know who I am because I know who Jesus is.
Why do I want to be on Mission?
Almost a year before my true conversion, I attended World Youth Day Panama 2019. I felt like I was giving God a chance to prove to me that He was important. I had one foot in and one foot out the door of my WYD experience, and deeper down, of my relationship with Jesus. Although I was amazed that there were 400 000 young Catholics from all over the world coming together to celebrate their faith, I still had not found mine. In retrospect, I know God was actually giving me a chance to encounter Him.
There will be youth in Portugal this Summer who may not really know why they are there, or who Jesus is, or what He has done for them. It is such a privilege to be going on Mission to help them realize what the Lord is doing in their life, and invite them to a more personal relationship with Jesus. I want to help them make their pilgrimage matter. When I went to WYD for the first time, my heart was hardened. This time, I am giving my heart to God and His people who are coming to Lisbon to meet Him.
