PORTUGAL, Ângela Roque and Paulo Rocha, Agencia Ecclesia •
The 2024 edition of ‘Misión País’, promoted by Catholic university students, will take place in about 70 Portuguese locations, with more than 4,000 participants, open to “everyone”, as in the recent WYD, said Pedro Rodrigues, one of the national leaders. —
“What we experienced this week doesn’t have to be just this week, just as what we experienced at WYD doesn’t have to be just that week. It is about taking what we have learned, what we have experienced and taking it home, to the people around us and in our daily lives. We can be missionaries all year long”, explained the leader, who was invited to the weekly joint interview Ecclesia/Renascença, which is broadcasted and published on Sundays.
More than two decades after its creation, this year Misión País involves more than 4,000 participants during the school break between semesters.
For a week, the young volunteers visit homes and schools and keep the population company with “door-to-door” activities, according to the needs of each locality.
“Misión País is a project open to ‘everyone, everyone, everyone,’ as the Pope says, whether they are believers or not,” explains Pedro Rodrigues.
“This year, just like WYD, which was for everyone, believers and non-believers, there was a relatively large increase, when registration day came and we had a lot of requests. It was nice to see that there is a great desire and this call to action, to be able to make a difference as youth.”
The leader assures that the increase in requests for the 2024 edition and the opening of new missions is already a reflection of the World Youth Day that took place in Lisbon last August, during a visit in which Pope Francis complimented Misión País.
“It’s great to do a mission at our university, because we meet people we spend day to day with, but doing a mission on its own is also good, and even if it’s not at our university, there are others that don’t fill up. See that and give it a chance,” he observes.
Pedro Rodrigues considers the presence of a priest in the missions “very important”, in an experience that has helped “break down barriers” and dismantle prejudices about priests.
Misión País is a university initiative that began with students linked to the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement, with 20 young people in 2003; today, young people of all denominations participate, as well as those who do not profess any religion.
“Experiences of fraternal service such as “Misión País” and many others, which are born in the academic environment, should be considered indispensable for anyone passing through a university.” Pope Francis
Source: Agencia Ecclesia – with authorization (08.01.2024)
Original: Portuguese. Translation: Marcela Fernández, Toronto, Canada
