Young pilgrims from the Shalom Community walked together in pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Square, singing, dancing, and praising along the way. The penitential tone of the day seemed to ignite the joy of mercy and hope in their hearts.
Urszula Solarz, 25, a young pilgrim from Shalom’s mission in Krakow, Poland, shared her experience of this day and the Jubilee as a whole:
“I feel immense gratitude for being here together, celebrating the love and providence of God, which I can tangibly experience through the journey of this pilgrimage and how He leads us to places and people we may never have planned to encounter. All of this is part of God’s plan so we can experience this holy time more deeply and be together as one Family in the Church.”
The young woman, who has been part of the Shalom movement for two and a half years, ended her testimony with a strong praise:
“Glory to the Lord for fulfilling His plan in our lives and for guiding us along His paths, which are far better than ours.”
Mercy and Hope
“Seeing that crowd of young people, from so many countries and languages, lining up for confession seeking God’s mercy—it was profoundly moving,” said Isadora Nogueira, 27, a member of the Shalom Covenant Community in the Recife mission, Brazil. She also experienced Confession at the Circus Maximus.
She added: “Amid so much cultural diversity, there was a beautiful unity: everyone thirsting for the Lord’s love and forgiveness. I was also struck by the joy of the priests, willing to be instruments of healing and liberation. This renewed in me the certainty that yes, it is possible to begin again, that God forgives us, and that we are one people, united in faith and hope.”
Art: An Invitation to Conversion and Joy
On this penitential day, the Shalom Community also had the opportunity to present a work of art in one of Rome’s squares. It portrayed the spiritual transformation of St. Francis of Assisi and his conversion. His companion, Poverty, came to life as a character in the story.
Combining theater, music, and poetry, the piece moved hearts, renewing the desire to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis—abandoning whatever separates us from God and living in joyful praise, as in the song Laudato Si, inspired by the saint’s Canticle of the Creatures.
Each Young Person: A Holy Door for the World
Indeed, if the saying goes that “all roads lead to Rome,” on this penitential day we might say that all Jubilee pilgrimages lead to hope—a hope that does not disappoint and makes each young person a new Holy Door opening to the world.
Photo: Vatican News
