(Pilar, Paraguay) In communion with the Church and our Bishops of Paraguay, with the motto “Embrace Christ Jesus” (Jn 15,1-17), we celebrated the XXII National Meeting of Redemptorists Youth on September 22 and 23, 2018. The meeting took place in the city of Pilar, Ñeembucú region in the south of the country, in the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar and the Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer as venues of the meeting.
20 delegations from different areas of the country who are part of the Redemptorist Youth Vocation Ministry of Paraguay (north, centre and south) participated in this event. There were more than 1,000 young people to participate in this meeting, with the same mission and under the theme of this year’s meeting that was “missionaries in a wounded world”, in keeping with the Sexennial theme of our Congregation.
This meeting was an opportunity to share moments of great joy, enthusiasm, faith, friendship, communion and fraternity, prayers, dynamics. The celebrations of the Eucharist nourished and strengthened our Redemptorist spirituality shared with the young people who are part of the Redemptorist Youth Vocation Ministry. The Pilarense community was also very grateful, because many of them were part of this great mission also some took part in the activities in this meeting in the two venues along with the families that hosted the young participants of the XXII National Meeting.
As a Redemptorist Province, we thank God for the blessing of so many young people who have responded generously to the call made by the Redeemer: “to be missionaries in a wounded world.” The next national meeting will be held in the downtown area and the venue will be the Parish of San Alfonso de Asunción.
We ask Our Mother Mary of Perpetual Help to continue accompanying and blessing us in our ministry of working with our young people.
Father Camilo Eduardo Rodríguez, C.Ss.R
