Although more seminarians participated, some faces were especially linked to the liturgical celebration. Five seminarians from Bidasoa International Seminar They experienced a day from the altar which, for them, also became an experience about vocation, family and future priestly ministry.
AVishka Sachindra Hapuarachchi, from Colombo (Sri Lanka); Gonçalves Cacoma Cahinga, from Luena (Angola); Thiago Carmo Toledo, from Leopoldina (Brazil); Alfred Kabole Richard, from Bunda (Tanzania), and Kevin Leonel Díaz Pérez, from Gracias (Honduras) participated as acolytes during the Eucharist and at other times of the day such as the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament and the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
For them, however, it was not simply a liturgical service. It was an opportunity to observe firsthand the thousands of families who came to the Virgin Mary and to discover, from their own vocation, the meaning of accompanying those who seek God.
For Avishka Hapuarachchi, who had previously participated in the Marian Day of Families Having visited Torreciudad on several occasions, the sanctuary has acquired a special meaning. He acknowledges that with each visit, he feels that Torreciudad It is part of their own faith experience and of his journey as a seminarian.
This time, he was also able to witness firsthand the arrival of fathers, mothers, children, and pilgrims. The image that stayed with him was that of a large family that is coming closer to his Mother. Many came to pray, give thanks, ask for help, or simply spend some time with the Virgin and say "Hail Mary.".
«"It's like coming home; it's like getting closer to a Mother,", He explains. By experiencing the Day alongside the families, Avishka says he also felt part of that great Torreciudad family, welcomed as "another son.".
Gonçalves Cacoma Cahinga, a seminarian from the Diocese of Luena and a fourth-year theology student, experienced his participation with particular intensity. It was his third time at Torreciudad, but this time he had been given the opportunity to collaborate directly in the liturgical celebrations.
He participated in the Angelus prayer, helped the rector of the sanctuary in receiving the offerings that families presented to the Virgin, and performed various functions during Holy Mass: he carried the candlesticks, helped in the preparation of the bread and wine offerings, and accompanied the priest during the distribution of Holy Communion.
Also He participated in the Holy Rosary on the esplanade, accompanying the image of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad and carrying a candle, and in the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.
But behind each of those gestures he discovered something he considers fundamental to his future priesthood: the thirst for God that exists in families.
Observing the simple offerings the pilgrims presented to the Virgin, he understood that those families weren't there merely to fulfill a tradition. In them he perceived «"a true thirst for the living God,", along with the need to find Christ and to turn to Mary, who always leads to her Son.
That experience made him to look at families "through the eyes of a future pastor"« and understand that their vocation It is not for himself, but "for Christ and for so many families who need Him.".
Thiago Carmo Toledo also describes his unforgettable experience. "From the moment I arrived in Torreciudad, I was struck by all the preparation involved in the day's journey to the sanctuary," he explains.
Then buses began to arrive, along with families, young people, children, and so many others from different parts of Spain. Faced with this influx, a question naturally arose: what motivated so many people to travel to spend those few hours together?
«"I found the answer, in a way, in the words of Bishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, who presided over the Eucharistic celebration, when he stated in his homily: «"Faith is not an isolated experience.".
Another experience he had in Torreciudad was that during a good part of the celebrations he remained next to the crucifix, holding a candle.
As she held that small light, she thought about the thousands of people in front of her. Somehow, she understood that they, too, were there. «"guarding the Lord": bringing before Christ their families, jobs, joys, worries, and needs.
The candle reminded him of the call of every Christian to be the light of the world, a light that does not point toward itself, but leads to Christ. And in that reflection he also discovered Mary's role: she does not keep to herself the light received from God, but rather her whole life points to her Son.
For Thiago, the day became a vivid illustration that faith cannot be lived in isolation. It is a faith that is received, shared, celebrated in community, and leads to encounters with others and, through Mary, with Christ.
«"The hope of the Church"»
Alfred Kabole Richard, From the Diocese of Bunda, Tanzania, he experienced World Youth Day from a perspective particularly linked to families and vocations. For him, being chosen to collaborate in the celebrations was an "immense experience of faith," especially because he was able to experience the Eucharist, "the culmination of our faith," surrounded by people from different places.
He was particularly impressed by the presence of so many families and children. In them he discovered "the hope of the Church" and recalled that family life needs to be cared for, because, as the bishop pointed out in the homily, also alluding to Saint John Paul II, the family is "the mirror of God" and the place where vocations are born.
Alfred carried Bishop Arellano's crosier and held the book for him during the celebration, a service he performed with particular enthusiasm. The carefully crafted liturgy and the atmosphere of the day made it all the more special. The celebration was among those she had experienced "with the most emotion".
His connection to Torreciudad also began weeks earlier. During the summer, he carried out his pastoral work there and was particularly struck by the number of families and children who visit the sanctuary.
For him They are "a great reason for hope for the Church"»He also affirms that the prayerful atmosphere of the sanctuary helped him in his own spiritual life and, especially, to grow in his relationship with Saint Mary.
«"Am at home"»
Kevin Leonel Díaz Pérez had a similar summer pastoral experience, Honduran seminarian from the Diocese of Gracias and third-year Theology student.
Upon arriving in Torreciudad, he found a detail that immediately made him feel close to his homeland: in the gallery of Marian devotions in the sanctuary, he discovered the image of the Virgin of Suyapa, patron saint of Honduras.
«"At that moment I said to myself: I'm home," he recalls.
For Kevin, that gallery is a manifestation of the universality of Christians' devotion to the Mother of God.
His time at Torreciudad also allowed him to discover specific aspects that he considers important for his future ministry. Among them, the availability of priests to hear confessions, even at any time, This, he explains, makes it easier for the faithful to approach the sacrament.
He was also impressed by the relationship between the environment and spiritual life. Nature, far from distancing one from God, is considered to "bring one closer" and to foster a spiritual experience that, as has been verified, is lived there daily.
Helping people encounter Christ
Five seminarians, five countries, and five different experiences. But that same day left them with a common lesson: behind each family that arrived at Torreciudad there was a story, a request, a thank you and a desire to get closer to God.
From the altar, next to the crucifix, carrying a candle, accompanying the Rosary, preparing the offerings, or assisting the priest, these young people were able to witness firsthand what they will one day be called to experience in their own ministry: being close to people to help them encounter Christ. And all of it centered around the Mother.
Marta Santínjournalist specializing in religion.
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