“With Teresita, pilgrims of hope,” was the slogan that mobilized more than 50,000 young Chileans to the Sanctuary of Santa Teresa de los Andes, in the town of Auco, over the weekend.
Pilgrims from different parts of the country, and from greater Santiago, walked the 27 kilometers that separate the ancient Chacabuco slope to reach the sanctuary, where the Archbishop of Santiago, Mons. Fernando Chomali, presided over the Eucharist.
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The pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Saint Teresa of the Andes is a tradition in Chile, which takes place on the third Sunday of October, organized by the Vicariate of Young Hope and with the purpose of giving thanks for the blessings that the saint and Leave him your intentions and your hopes, with faith placed in his intercession.
At the Mass, concelebrated by the auxiliary bishops of Santiago and by Fr. Rodrigo Segura, rector of the Shrine, and Fr. Jonathan Muñoz, Vicar of Young Hope, Archbishop Chomali began his homily with a message of forgiveness to young people: “Forgive us for the world we have left you.”
“Forgive us because we have not been able to stop the war that kills and does not build. I apologize because we have not been able to stop the corruption that hurts us so much. (…) I also ask your forgiveness for abuses of all kinds, even within the Church, as it hurts us,” he listed.
In addition, he called on young people to take a path of prayer, because “he who does not pray has nothing to say to the world.”
“We as a Church cannot allow ourselves to be superficial. We will not tolerate being anesthetized. Let’s embark on the adventure of a full life given to others, I invite you to reflect, to take life seriously,” he urged.
For his part, Father Muñoz thanked the communities for their great participation: “We give thanks because today you leave renewed in hope, to become hope for the world and for the entire Church.”
Finally, he highlighted: “It is the hope that makes us not believe that our path ends here” and to be able to say “With Teresita we are pilgrims of Hope.”
Juliet Villar
I am a journalist, with a degree in communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non-governmental organizations. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to Catholic journalism, first at the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as ACI Prensa correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.