Those who traveled along the roads connecting São João de Polêsine with Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were surely surprised to find about 30 young people walking, sometimes full of energy and sometimes tired, but always encouraged by love.
They are young men from the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth from the south of the country who, step by step, walked the 40 kilometers. They want to “live out a little of what Deacon João Luiz Pozzobon experienced as a pilgrim, strengthen their unity as brothers of the Boys’ Youth, and prepare themselves spiritually for the spring pilgrimage during the Jubilee,” explains Christian Fernando Mazzon Gauer.
Bringing and being seeds
Christian also says: “We began our pilgrimage at the João Luiz Pozzobon House Museum in São João de Polêsine today (Saturday) at around 6:30 in the morning. We will arrive at the Shrine on Sunday morning to participate in the Spring Pilgrimage.”
Yes, for these brave souls, it is not enough to participate in the traditional pilgrimage, initiated by Venerable Pozzobon, bringing seeds to be blessed. Still, they themselves want to be the living seeds for the flowering of a new generation.
Leandro Dalla Nora says: “This pilgrimage is for me a form of supplication and a source of new contributions to the Capital of Grace.” In other words, his goal is to give everything into the hands of the Mother of God, so that she may transform it into graces and distribute them throughout the Shrines. Pozzobon’s example is the star that guides him on this path: “For me, João Luiz Pozzobon is an example of heroic filiality brought to life,” he shares.
A path of bonds
What also motivates him “is the certainty that the Boys’ Youth of the Region are united, we are brothers walking together, all pilgrimaging for the same goal and fighting for the same ideal. In the pedagogy of bonds, we live specially, as Boys’ Youth, through bonds with our brothers in Christ, united by God and Mary. This represents a part of our ideal: “Through deep bonds we seek to be new men.”
It is part of the long pilgrimages on foot, the darkness of the night, and the new beginning in the morning, with the hopeful gaze that the goal will be reached. “I know that this path will be a great challenge, but I am convinced that completing it is a surrender to the Mother and a way of following in the footsteps of João Pozzobon,” shares Eduardo Veríssimo Vargas Cortina. For him, the primary motivation for accepting to set out on the journey is “because I believe in the power that springs from the Capital of Grace.” He also says that, for him, “Pozzobon is synonymous with the Mother’s instrument. To imitate his steps means to live the apostolate more intensely, especially because that is one of the objectives of the Boys’ Youth: to bring the Mother to a world so in need of affection and prayer.”
A pilgrimage into oneself
It is said that pilgrims make two journeys during the pilgrimage: one is the steps on the road to the geographical location, and the other is a pilgrimage into oneself. The experiences of physical limits, overcoming limits, and living with others, if well used, lead one to question the choices made on the paths of life. Mary’s Poor Little Donkey, who walked 140,000 kilometers with the Pilgrim Mother, knows this well and is an example of someone who knew how to make both journeys. That is why Matheus Zanch Baggio has him “as an example of self-knowledge and loyalty.”
For Matheus, knowing that you don’t walk alone in life changes everything: “I see everyone as brother, people who have the same values as me, people I can count on and know that they will always be with me in any situation. This environment is an example for young people to follow.”
Each step for him is a song of gratitude to the Mother of God; it is “a way of giving thanks for all the graces I have received throughout my life, as well as a form of appreciation and a greater opportunity to connect with the Movement,” he explains.
The steps ignite the heart
As we read these lines, these young people have already arrived at the Shrine, strengthened to continue the pilgrimage of life and more inflamed with love for Christ and Mary. “If I could sum it up in one word, it would be companionship. We are full of enthusiasm to finish the journey and celebrate the jubilee in the best way possible, carrying forward the fire of Youth,” concludes Eduardo Veríssimo. Let us pray for the young people!
Translation: Sr. M. Lourdes Macías
