On January 28, the JAR (Augustinian-Recollect Youth) pre-communities of Mexico City and Cuernavaca, those of Lomas de Casablanca and the Preparatory of the Fray Luis de León School, both in the city of Querétaro, participated in the 41st National Youth Pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Christ the King in the state of Guanajuato.
The Conference of the Mexican Episcopate was the organizer of the event, which had as its motto: “We ask for citizen participation, we demand religious freedom” and managed to strengthen ties between various groups and youth movements from all the states of the Mexican Republic. About seventy young Augustinian Recollects participated in the pilgrimage.
Although the pilgrimage began at 7:00 am, however, many young people arrived hours before the start of the pilgrimage in order to be together and attend a holy hour in which worship was privileged through songs, prayers and moments of meditation.
The pilgrimage brought together more than forty thousand young people from different parts of Mexico. The great distances were not an impediment for these young people to pilgrimage together twelve kilometers.
Along the way, animated men and women made themselves known through shouts, cheers and songs, while others recited prayers or the rosary together; many of them accompanied by religious, priests, animators and lay youth leaders.
Once the young people arrived at the destination, they participated in the Eucharistic celebration. After the Eucharist, many young people headed to the city of Guanajuato, as well as the pre-JAR groups, to visit emblematic places of the city, a World Heritage Site, such as the Juárez theater, alleys, the University of Guanajuato, etc.
The JAR young people lived a fairly complete day and had the opportunity to experience Augustinian-Recollect values such as fraternity, friendship, prayer and community.
