The Acamps summer festival in Europe had it’s fourth edition this year. The Festival gathered young people from all over the continent and other countries to live a Life changing experience. Throughout five days, the participants followed a path of prayer, spiritual formation and fun, ending up with the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and its gifts.
The keynote talks were about God’s love, Sin and Salvation, the Lordship of Christ and the Effusion of the Holy Spirit received by young people, families and Kids. In this edition there were also two additional courses: one on holiness, for the young people and the other on family, relationships, affectivity and discernment of the state of life.
Filled with Grace
In the different moments of the Acamps 2024, the experience with God takes place in the moments: prayer, adoration, Mass, as well as in the new friendships, the sports activities, the beach area or the thematic nights. There were musical performances on the main stage, where bands such as The Sun, Reale, Shalom Dublin Music Ministry have played.
For Kasper, a 21-year-old German, the Acamps has been an experience of renewal of his faith: “Today in Germany, unfortunately, you have to explain the why you are whether Christian or Catholic. And you often feel very lonely. When I came to Acamps and saw so many people from different nations desiring the same thing, it just really touched me a lot and gave me a huge strength in the last days, especially with the morning praise and worship, with Masses, that and also the testimonies about how other people have found their faith.”
Sabina, from Croatia, shared her testimony with other young people about God’s providence and how in Acamps she really had an encounter with Him: “I am currently a young person in mission in Rome and I am doing my vocational journey in the Community, and it was really participating in Acamps that helped me to discover God’s providence and love in my life”.
In addition, Acamps 2024 has brought together young people from countries where the Community is not yet present, such as Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, Slovakia, Croatia and China.
All united with the same invitation to attend in the summer camp that will take place in July 2025, also in Italy, in preparation for the Jubilee pilgrimage to be held in Rome as Shalom “pilgrims of hope”.
Reunions
The experience does not end there! The Acamps participants will have the opportunity to continue sharing the fruits of this unique experience and meet again in the cities of Ferrara on August 24th at 6 p.m. at the Sanctuary of San Giorgio and San Maurelio.
In Rome the reunion will take place on September 7th at 8 p.m. at the coffee shop “SH 82” located in the San Lorenzo district.
For those from places where there is no Shalom mission, there will also be an online meeting through Zoom on September 7th at 5 p.m. (Rome time).
Also in Germany, the reunion will take place in Arnsberg on September 7th at 5 p.m. and the missions in France will meet again on August 10th.
How to bring Shalom to your city?
Eu quero o Shalom na minha Cidade – Comunidade Católica Shalom (comshalom.org)
