From September 4 to 6, young people from different communities and educational centres in El Salvador and Guatemala gathered to experience faith, fraternity, formation, fellowship and vocational discernment, discovering together Jesus’ call to be light and salt in the midst of the world.
The meeting began in an atmosphere of joy and welcome, fostering from the very beginning encounters among young Anunciatists coming from different realities. Music, songs, dances and moments of fellowship helped to build bonds and to experience that, beyond their differences, they all belong to one family.
Prayer accompanied each day as a privileged space for encountering God. The symbol of light and the torch was very present, reminding everyone that the faith received must be kept alive and become a light for others. From this experience, the invitation gained particular strength: “You are the light of the world and the salt of the earth,” leading the young people to ask themselves how they can make Christ present in their daily reality.
Brother Marco Calero, O.P., led the reflection on the second day, deepening the theme of friendship with Jesus and making it clear that every vocation is born from a personal encounter with Him. He also presented the life of Saint Francis Coll as a testimony of self-giving, evangelization and service, helping the young people to discover that their gifts and abilities can become a generous response to God’s call.
Within the framework of the vocational year and the 170th anniversary of the foundation of the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciata, the torches symbolized the history of light that began with Saint Francis Coll and continues to spread through so many people who have embraced the commitment to evangelize and serve. The meeting invited the young people to see themselves as part of this history and to ask how they can continue it within their own realities.
On the final day, the reflection was led by Linda Marina, a former student and former participant in the Youth Group. She broadened the perspective on vocation as a commitment to creation and to the most vulnerable. The workshop Vocation and Ecology helped the young people recognize the wounds of our common home and understand that caring for creation, defending human dignity and working for a more just society are all part of the same vocation to love and fraternity.
The Eucharist, moments of prayer, silence, artistic expression and fellowship shaped an integral experience in which the young people were able to celebrate their talents, share their concerns, strengthen their faith and discover new reasons to commit themselves to their community.
At the end of these three days, there remained the certainty that the meeting was much more than simply a time of fellowship: it was an opportunity to encounter Jesus, others and themselves, recognizing that each person has gifts, a mission and a vocation to discover.
With grateful hearts, the participants returned to their communities carrying with them a light that they are called to safeguard and share. Because a history of light does not end when a meeting concludes; it continues every time a young person chooses to live their faith, serve others and become a source of hope for the world. “After a history of light, be a torch.”
Sr Angela Ruiz Flores
