Towards the end of September, our Parish gathered together at Parque Marechal Carmona, where we remembered and gave thanks for the service provided by so many volunteers and host families during World Youth Day week, and opened the new pastoral year.
It was a full day, with much enthusiasm shown by a community that meets, celebrates and prepares well. Many testimonies were heard by volunteers that reminded us of all that was achieved that week, and helped us relive the many graces that we received during WYD.
As Father Nuno and Father Mendo mentioned in their message of thanks delivered to each volunteer and each host family, “World Youth Day impacted everyone” and now, “we must continue to surf this wave of charity together”.
The day also marked the beginning of the Pastoral year and our Priests wanted to highlight this beginning with the image, also left by the Holy Father, which reminds us that we all “are called by name”. We are called because we are loved and we are called to follow Jesus and continue to serve Him.
As Father Nuno said: “It is good to get to know each other by name and know too that Our Lord calls us by that name, so that we can continue to surf the waves of charity in our lives – as a community, in our personal lives, in the various Parish groups and in our family”, thus, “We entrust this pastoral year into the hands of Our Lady, who was also called by name.”
The day ended with a thanksgiving in the celebration of Mass, where once again, we were invited to keep alive the fruits of WYD and the wave of charity, service and joy that it generated amongst us.
Thank you all.
