World Youth Day will begin in two months. The Superior General visited the Lisbon foundation that is preparing for WYD.
Father Carlos Luis, Superior General of the Congregation of the Priests of the Heart of Jesus, Fr. Levi dos Anjos, General Councilor, Fr. João Nélio, Provincial Superior, and Fr. Igor André, member of the Portuguese Dehonian Committee for WYD, visited the facilities of the Foundation for WYD Lisbon 2023. Hosted by Sister Lara Saavedra, from the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, they visited some parts of the building where the Foundation is located, namely the chapel, where two Eucharistic celebrations are celebrated daily for the volunteers, a room where the prototype of the confessionals that will be present in the Park of Forgiveness can be found, and the map room, where we could see the route taken by the WYD symbols and the spaces where the highlights of this WYD will take place.
Afterwards, we were joined in this visit by D. Américo Aguiar, Coordinator of WYD 2023 who, after having gathered in the central atrium some young people from the various sectors of the Foundation, spoke words of gratitude for the presence of the SCJs as well as for the logistical support given by the congregation to this cause of WYD through the Alfragide Seminary, even before the Foundation had its physical meeting space. Fulfilling the tradition that the Foundation has fulfilled during the visit of some representatives of religious and civil Institutions, a plaque was unveiled on one of the walls of the Foundation marking the passing of the Superior General of the SCJs, a presence that represents all of us.
Américo Aguiar was presented with a Dehonian cross and a book celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Dehonian presence in Portugal.
Preparations are in full swing to welcome this great world event and the enthusiasm can be felt in the streets and cities where the WYD symbols are passing by and especially in the corridors of the foundation, where precious work of organization and planning of activities is being done. Soon we will all be together and you, too, will be able to visit the Foundation in Lisbon.
