Three young people living in Europe represented the TA at the 4th International Congress on the Care of Creation held on the eve of WYD in Lisbon. They and a young woman who travelled to Lisbon from the Philippines as part of the TA youth group share their experience.
Caretakers of the Earth's goods
On 31 July, before the WYD, the 4th International Congress on the Care of Creation was held at the Catholic University with the theme “Youth commitment to integral ecology. Lifestyle for a new humanity”. Three young people from the TA JMJ group took part: Abegail (Abby) Bueno Magasino, from EDIW Rome, Sixto Castro and Philipp Aschauer, who live in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). During the WYD, in one of the group meetings before leaving for the different activities, they shared their experience at the Congress with the rest of the young people. They share their text, which you can read or download by clicking here or in their photo.
The walk of the lifetime
Kristen Nicole Ranario a youth delegate sent to Lisbon, Portugal, for the World Youth Day 2023 from TA Youth-Philippines has sent the following text:
Now when I look back to my World Youth Day experience, I often see myself walking. Walking under the brightest sun and longest roads of my life. Yet I also remember walking with these people who share the same weariness yet persevering will to move forward. That’s when I am also reminded that we truly walked with Him, our Lord, who gives us strength.
Still, being with Him doesn’t mean that we are guaranteed not to fall, because just as Pope Francis shared – the art of climbing is also about falling, for we can only rise better, stronger, and wiser when we fall.
It was also much of an enriching experience meeting people across different cultures. I anticipated the struggle, and I couldn’t deny that it was there. However, through socializing with other people from different countries, I’ve seen how a simple smile can connect us with other people. How a simple wave can lead to us knowing someone with a different origin and culture deeper.
So, through the World Youth Day 2023, I believe that we are called to see others through His eyes, loving them as our neighbors despite the possible barriers; continuously walking and moving forward despite our limitations and our failures.
Remembering that we can only look down on others when they require a helping hand to rise up. To go with haste without hesitations, without fear. Allowing ourselves to be transformed by him, in ways we can never imagine.
In all gratitude, I’ll always remember each and every step I took for the World Youth Day 2023 as the walk of a lifetime.
The TA in Lisbon WYD
A group of 330 young people and 40 accompanying adults, have participated in the WYD in Lisbon by joining the itinerary organized by the Teresian Association. Most of them came from Spain, but also young people from Argentina (Buenos Aires), Dominican Republic (La Vega), United States (Chicago and Miami), Ireland (Dublin), Germany (Munich), Belgium (Louvain-la-Neuve), Italy (Rome), Palestine (Bethlehem), Japan (Tokyo and Nagoya) and the Philippines (Manila and other cities).
It was a very diverse group in terms of age, life stages... they joined the official programme and also had their own meetings on two occasions: one in mixed groups to get to know each other a little and the other a prayer encounter. The main focus was on WYD activities, in particular the meetings with the Pope Francis and the catechesis.
TA WYD.
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