They spent nearly two days on the bus. After a short night, Anne, 23, from Puttelange-lès-Thionville, and Malo, 22, from Kédange, agreed to go to the presbytery in Thionville to talk about their stay in Lisbon, as part of World Youth Days.
And the least we can say is that it has not been easy.
« We were 103 people from the dioceses of Metz and Verdun. We left on July 26. The first week we were staying with families in the north of Portugal, then the second week in dormitories, without hot water. We even slept under the stars. »
They keep smiling despite the lack of sleep and the sore throat. “The air conditioning is to blame! It was terribly hot, but I wanted to experience such a moment, says Anne, a student in Marseille, I had already gone to Lourdes.
When I was offered WYD, I hesitated because of the cost – count 800 € – but fortunately, I benefited from aid. »
Rudimentary conditions and fraternal exchanges
Malo, also a scout leader and a history student in Metz, is accustomed to Spartan conditions. “The welcome in the families was great. I loved the exchanges. Anne also retains the fraternal spirit of the adventure. “We had some great encounters. It was impressive everyone. And we saw the pope, it doesn’t happen every day. »
Prayers, visits and sharing punctuated the stay, between friendship and spirituality. “Even the trying experience, which is the essence of the pilgrimage, was positive. It is something powerful, which has allowed us to regain strength. It is now up to us to relate our experience, to raise awareness. »
To speak up.
An exceptional edition for priests
World Youth Days, an event launched in 1985 by the Catholic Church on the initiative of Pope John Paul II, aim to bring together young Catholics, aged 18 to 36, for a week. “In Lisbon, there were 240 nationalities, 1.5 million people,” said Father Kamm, archpriest of Thionville for six years. Far from being at his first attempt, since it was his 5th WYD, he admits that those of Lisbon had a particular flavor. “I experienced them differently because I was no longer accompanying, I am no longer of age, on the other hand I made myself available to my colleagues in the vocations service. I rubbed shoulders with exciting young people from all walks of life. His colleague Sébastien Wenk supervised a group of young people. “I had the opportunity to take part in WYD in Madrid and Krakow. The Lisbon edition was the best. The welcome from the Portuguese was extraordinary and I was there for the first time as a priest. In 2027, the two will not be going to Seoul, “on the other hand, why not attend the jubilee which will take place in Rome in two years”, suggests Father Sébastien.
#Thionville #WYD #challenging #rewarding #pilgrimage
