CHURCH AND YOUTH
Over 600 youth from Madrid took part in the diocesan pilgrimage to the monastery of Guadalupe in the region of Estremadura from 29 September to 1st October. Organized by the diocesan Delegation of childhood and youth, as part of preparations for the ‘Youth Mission’ that will start in November, the pilgrimage was intended to foster the experience of spirituality and communion among the young, enable them to feel part of a pilgrim Church, and, by becoming pilgrims themselves, feel the need for conversion as essential prerequisite for the Mission. The pilgrimage was subdivided into three thematic sections: “Leave your land”, “I will lead you into the wilderness and speak to your heart”, and “Let your light so shine before men”. The Youth Mission promoted by the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio M. Rouco Varela, is also being supported by the dioceses of Getafe and Alcalá di Henares, in the same ecclesiastical Province. The challenge is to bring the Gospel to the heart of other youth outside the Church. The Mission is subdivided into three stages. The first is the pre-mission, which began on the Sunday of Pentecost and will continue till November. The missionary sending out on the occasion of the celebration of Almudena, patron of Madrid, will take place on 8-9 November; and the diocesan Youth Week will be held from 10 to 12 November. During this phase a course of formation for mission leaders and volunteers will also take place. The Mission proper will be held from November 2006 to April 2007. Lastly, a stage of post-mission, or consolidation of the mission, will start in July 2007. The Youth Mission will end with a pilgrimage to Rome to offer its fruits to Benedict XVI. In a letter to youth, the bishop of Getafe, Monsignor Joaquín María López di Andujar e Cánovas del Castilllo, recalls that the young are the first and principal evangelizers.
