Lithuania: focus on under30s for a young Church following in the footsteps of Blessed Teofilo Matulionis

The Ninth National Day of Lithuanian youths will take place in Vilnius, June 23 to 25 whose theme is taken from the Gospel of John: “truth will set you free”. “The event was entirely organized by young people, which makes it different from the meetings normally attended by under-30s but which are organized by professionals. It’s an opportunity to experience the Church as a place where to love and be loved, to have friends, take on responsibilities. Indeed, this is what Pope Francis asks of young people” said Roberta Daubaraitė-Randė, young mother of three, with a degree in Social Sciences, Secretary of the National Council for Youth of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference, in an interview with SIR.

Nine-stage preparations. Over the past months she coordinated the group in charge of preparations for the Day that has a very young face. The group counts 75 members, including 25 young delegates representing seven Lithuanian dioceses, along with youths members of communities, associations, organizations involved in the preparations. “It’s a very large commission, but it’s full of joy because young people are very happy about the event.” The chosen theme “speaks about them”, added Daubaraitė-Randė. “In the society we live in today we don’t really know what is freedom and what is truth. During the preparations for the Day, the youths followed a nine-stage process and discussed the meaning of freedom, truth and love”. “They sought to identify what is most important for each one of them, how each of them manages to embrace him/herself with love. Everything starts with love and when we feel loved we love in return.” 

“More active in parishes…” Some 6 thousand participants are expected to arrive in Vilnius for the first two days of the program accompanied by their teachers, catechists and spiritual animators. There are youth groups in many parishes, but not in all of them. This our task for the future: in Lithuania we are faced with a major problem of emigration outside the Country as well as internal migration from villages to large urban centres.” Thus the few young people who remain in smaller communities or suburban areas need to be motivated. “We hope to encourage our young people to be more actively involved in our parishes, which is also the idea behind the path of preparation, namely, to create communities of stronger youths, to prompt them to get more involved and take on responsibilities. It’s not easy, but it’s our target.”

An intense programme. Friday June 23 will be dedicated to university students with 8 discussion panels at the Economy and Management Faculty. The program includes musical and recreational events and the Adoration until 7 a.m. Saturday morning will be dedicated to a major opening ceremony with all Lithuanian bishops. Then the youths will be free to attend the various activities organized in Vilnius until dawn, until, during “the evening of Mercy” they will have the opportunity of receiving the sacrament of reconciliation, followed by the closing prayer.

Sunday is the Day marking the beatification of Archbishop Teofilo Matulionis.

During the morning all young people are invited to attend a great party in the heart of Vilnius with music, recreational initiatives, creative and dance ateliers, sport competitions to which are invited also all those arriving to attend the beatification ceremony and those strolling across the city centre. In a sort of festive pilgrimage all participants will walk to the Cathedral to attend the Beatification ceremony which is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm. “Five-hundred volunteers will be accompany the event. It’s an incredibly high number for us: 800 people had filed a request to do volunteer work, which signals a deep wish to participate and be active inside the Church”, Roberta Daubaraitė-Randė pointed out.

The first beatification in Vilnius. For Lithuania the Beatification ceremony will be a historical event, with 20 thousand participants expected to attend. The history of Archbishop Teofilo Matulionis also speaks to the young, and “very much so.” His motto was “through the cross up to the stars” (Per crucem, ad astra) and “this is how we should live our life. Matulionis is also the Patron Saint of the National Day. The story of this archbishop is very close to the history of our Country, in his struggle to live the faith in the harsh conditions of those years.” Mons. Matulionis (1876-1962) suffered a life of persecutions perpetrated by the Communist regime owing to his faith.“His example shows that we are all invited to be saints, and for young people this is a beautiful thing.” This is the first time that a Beatification ceremony is being celebrated in Lithuania. We are happy to show this model and live as young people the historical bearing of this event for our Church.”

On the way towards the Synod. Will Lithuanian youths be also involved in the Synod? “We have started to examine the questionnaire but we were completely overwhelmed by the preparations for the Day. We will send the answers after the National Day. But we are very happy about the Synod because for the first time young people are being asked to share their situation in the world and inside the Church. An important ongoing activity of youth pastoral care is accompaniment in people’s quest for meaning in life. But now finally it’s a time of dialogue between young people and the Church, yearning to listen to their needs.” What do young Lithuanians ask of the Church? “They want to work inside the Church, in many different ways, as volunteers and, after that, having followed specific training, as salaried workers.”