The World Youth Meeting begins. We have finished the Vincentian Meeting with our batteries recharged and now we are facing a new challenge: joining the million of pilgrims to share our faith. Throughout the next days, the religious activity inMadridwill be frenetic. The starting signal will sound today, from 8pm inColon Square. There will be a Welcome Mass for all the pilgrims officiated by the Cardinal, Archbishop from the capital city, Antonio María Rouco Varela.
Before the Pope arrives in Madrid, pilgrims will be able to enjoy a broad offer of activities, such as cultural visits to temples and museums in the city, concerts, catechesis and even a vocational fair in the RetiroPark. From Thursday on, it will be the beginning of common celebrations. These celebrations consist of four special moments: Welcome Ceremony with Pope at Cibeles; Stations of the Cross, which will go from Colon Squareto Cibeles and where pilgrims will be able to visit the main baroque sculptures in Spain; Vigil with the Pope on Saturday night and the Closing Mass on Sunday 21st at the Cuatro Vientos Airfield.
WYD is considered as a great opportunity to share the Vincentian charisma with the pilgrims and to get other gifts that build thisUniversalChurch. Besides, this is also an opportunity to show a real image of what it means to be Church, far away from prepared and exorbitant situations. Since we are Vincentians, with a “life style for today”, as we have discovered during our International Meeting, we have to be able to answer to the new poverties that we find along the way, feeling strong thanks to the Prayer and the Eucharist. As it was stated in the closing celebration, we are a family working together for a necessary charisma and we must impregnate with hope those who are at our side. The Vincentian Youth Meeting showed us a clear lesson: we are alive; we are life that must be shared.
