As part of the Jubilee Year, which brought together thousands of young “Pilgrims of Hope” from all corners of the world in Rome between 29 July and 3 August, the San Giuseppe School — one of the most representative ministries of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the District of Italy — welcomed approximately 500 young people on Wednesday 30 July for the Open House Day.
“Our Open House was an amazing opportunity not only to share about our mission, but also for us, as the Commission on Youth, to collaborate with other Institute structures,” expressed Julia Mayer, adding that “got a chance to work with the Standing Committee of Young Brothers, the Vocations team, the La Salle Foundation, the Office of Vocations and Volunteer Ministry, and our Library. But we not only just share our mission, our ministries, our volunteer opportunities; we also got in touch with the young people.”
Indeed, as Mourad Barsoum, Director of the Institute’s Office of Vocations and Volunteer Ministry, explains, “we invited people from the Jubilee of Youth to come and discover our mission as Lasallians and our charism. We did this through the Young Lasallians, the volunteers, the Brothers’ vocation (…) and even we had a corner where people could get to know about De La Salle and his charism and is spirituality.”
Seeds of hope
For her part, Nikki Chan, also from the Institute’s Commission on Youth, expressed her optimism about the Open House Day: “We are very happy for our Young Lasallians to be here, not just seeng what the Catholic world brings to our lives, but also hope how we can be the light of the world and make things happen (…). Many have come not just as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, they also want to be the seeds of hope, everyday doing something small and concrete to be the hope of the world.”
What does it mean for Young Lasallians to be Pilgrims of Hope? “For me, it means bearing witness to God’s love, radiating His love,” said Marguerite Droullé, a young French woman who took part in one of the moments of Lasallian spirituality during the day. Gassan Johnny Altawil, a Lasallian student at Bethlehem University, emphasised that “as a Palestinian, my education is something that I am proud of, I always go after it and always try to be as much educated as possible. And John Baptist de La Salle is a person who focused on education, and that is why I think being a ‘Lasallian Pilgrim of Hope’ is very meaningful to me.”
“I hope to return to my school with renewed hope, which I can share in the youth group,” said Victoria Darin, a Lasallian from La Salle Puerto Cabello School in Venezuela. Similarly, Isabel Sofía Montero, a Lasallian from the Lasallian District of Bogotá, expressed her desire to “convey to those in my school, my country, and my Region that feeling of caring for others, of being able to help our brothers and sisters.” This same sentiment is shared by Mariela Trujillo, a Lasallian from the Fe y Vida Institute in the United States: “I want to bring everything I have learned to my people, to my communities, so that they can also flourish spiritually, so that they also serve the Lord, and we can grow together”
Faith, service and communion
For Jasmine Eve Pilapil, a volunteer at La Salle Lipa (Philippines), this day has inspired her to “live according to the values of faith, service and communion (…), to do more, to be more, not only in nearby communities, but all over the world.” For Helena Flores, a Lasallian catechist from the Bolivia-Peru District, delivering the Pope’s message to her catechumens will be her priority: “a message full of love and hope, to always echo God’s love”.
Lucía Belén, from the Mexico North District, carries the encounter with Pope Leo XIV engraved in her heart: “He delivered us a great message, and this message has made it clear to me personally that I am on the right path in my vocation, that it is a good path to follow Saint John Baptist de La Salle”. “He looked at us, and we felt very welcomed and very moved,” acknowledged Manuela Braga, a Lasallian graduate from the Brazil-Chile District.
In conclusion, Brandon Kladiwo, from the Ireland-Great Britain-Malta District, commented that “this experience for me has been nothing but beautiful and it shows me that there is hope for the future, and it is within us, the young people.” Lorenzo Valli, a student at San Giuseppe College, where the Open House Day was held, thanked the Lasallian community because “I was able to experience this Jubilee to the fullest, to strengthen my faith and Christian life, and above all to discover a new dimension of my life that I had not appreciated in the past.”