PILGRIMAGE PM – ROAD TO COMPOSTEL AND JMJ IN MADRID

AUGUST 2011

Yes ! This was an extraordinary experience of Church and of Congregation, with young people who had a great

desire to meet Christ.

They had prepared to live the road to St James which is a challenge for this generation: to walk in the footsteps of so

many pilgrims who have taken this road since the Middle Ages … to live the experience of hitting the road without

knowing where we are going … leave behind all extras … to move ahead one step at a time … to experience the

simplicity of the road – austere at times, but also of the fraternity, of the conviviality, of both the harshness and the

beauty , of the faith that allows us to go forward: Christ walking at our side… all this, we each experienced in our

own way, at our rhythm. Walking alone or with others, we were able to reread our lives at the light of the daily

Word given to us before we left in the morning and revisited at night, during the times of prayer and of sharing.

We discovered our limits … but also we dared to stretch, to go beyond our limits, thanks to the power of the group,

to the solidarity, to the mutual help and to the Lord! The language barrier? It disappears by the very fact that we

are all equal when faced with blisters, equal before the daily laps to be lived day after day, on this road to be

travelled in silence or in song!

To live this road to Santiago united the group as we never would have imagined. The Lord led each one by the hand

and we arrived together at Santiago, praying the rosary for the last kilometers! And so happy…

The testimonies will tell you more on this experience, unique for each one.

(What a surprise for these young people to discover

that among them there are aspirants, postulants and

novices)

And finally we reach Madrid for the next main event of our

journey as “Youth of the Presentation of Mary!”: for the

JMJ. We were given a warm welcome by our sisters. And

of course we had made sure that we had descent

accommodations for this stay in Madrid. One week of

sleeping in gyms with an average of 250 other persons was enough! So now we found ourselves in bedrooms for

two, with a shower in each room! What luxury! After the experience on the road, we really appreciate all the small

details of life. And this made us happy!

We were ready to go to meet and welcome the Holy Father,

to listen to the catechesis of great quality given by the

bishops, and to live more cultural experiences in the

afternoon: plays on the lives of Saint Paul, of Sainte Thérése,

visits to Museums: the Prado, or pray with the community

of Taizé. At night, and for the celebrations, we tried to

regroup in spite of the crowd… the young people enjoyed

the Macrofestival on consecrated life. You may view some

parts of it at this site: http://www. Veridjmj.org/

We also had the joy of hosting the tent“Youth of the Presentation of Mary” in the RETIRO park, in central Madrid.

More than 80 groups that are at the service of the Church, were present there. The many persons who visited

theses stands were awed by the vitality of the Church. But also by the diversity of the charisms and the forms of

consecrated life, of services at the heart of the Church. Our tent was a real success; yes, we dare to say it…its

simplicity and its freshness made it appealing… the posters, the Meeting tent with the messages of Marie Rivier, the

cards… and the golden book pleased our guests very much. We were surprised ourselves, at the reactions. The

sisters with the youth of different countries were the welcoming committee and this was very good.

One of the best moment with the Pope that we wish to mention, is the weekend at “Cuatro vientos”, a spot that is

true to its name! If the Spirit was blowing, we have no doubt that the wind also was blowing, and it was raining as

you probably saw on TV, and this after an afternoon in the sun in an extraordinary 42° heat! But joy was in our

hearts: 15 among us represented our group and sat close to the Pope as guests. For all of us it was a beautiful

experience to see so many people assembled to celebrate the Lord, to praise and to adore. Two million from 193

countries! The young repeated often : « we are not the only ones who believe !”

And then we spent the night in this huge space under the starry sky, and the following day, we assisted The

Eucharistic Celebration, truly a powerful moment, with the Pope presiding.

The section that follows is the fruit of the lived experience of all who attended and the echoes of the evaluations

given before we separated. The word come directly from the young, as well as a few testimonies.

Now I return home… what has been the most beautiful and what is it that I want to keep in me?

El Camino es increíble. Ya sé por qué la gente lo repite y lo repite hasta la saciedad. En ocasiones será por la religión, porque les gusta andar o por visitar sitios, pero no es eso lo más importante; lo fundamental está en las personas y en caminar juntos unos con otros. Es especial esa convivencia que se crea después de un día durísimo, llegar a un albergue, a un polideportivo y cantar, reir juntos... compartir con otros peregrinos cosas del día... ¡ es fascinante! Saber que otra persona de otra parte del mundo comparte tus mismas alegrías, dolores, penas, ampollas... Es el recuerdo más bonito que conservo del viaje y del que no me arrepiento en absoluto.

Esta foi a melhor experiencia que eu já vivi, fez-me crescer em vários sentidos. O meu objectivo para esta peregrinação era discernir a minha vocação. Eu aceitei o chamamento de Jesus, porém eu tinha medo de seguir em frente… esta peregrinação não sei como explicar dá-me força para seguir em frente. Estou muito feliz. Muito obrigada!

Au départ, j’ai eu peur de cette barrière des langues qui a en fait été très amusante et enrichissante. Je remercie le Seigneur pour toutes ces rencontres que je n’oublierai pas. Chacun est unique et chacun est important sur cette terre. “ Tu as du prix à mes yeux et je t’aime” Merci pour les défis de chaque jour : 2Okm, 24km, 29km (aie, aie, aie ! ) difficile mais quelle joie lors de chaque arrivée ! Merci pour tous ces chrétiens rassemblés lors des JMJ. L’Eglise ne meurt pas. Tu appelles chaque jeune à être témoin ; alors au boulot !

Now, we dream of our next meeting…

United in this beautiful family of the Presentation in the whole world.

S. Rita, S. Catherine, S. Mª del Mar