In the 50th Youth Pilgrimage to Luján, the young pioneers of 1975 are present

The group of young people who met in 1975 to organize the 1st Youth Pilgrimage to Luján did not imagine that 50 years later, nearly a million pilgrims would gather each year to walk to the house of the Patroness of Argentina.

In gratitude for this path taken, a few weeks ago, those young people gathered again to prepare a gesture that they will offer to the Virgin in these “golden wedding” of the most popular manifestation of faith in the country.

Julieta Mermier is part of that group and commented to ACI Prensa: “We began to meet with a group that was in the organization in ’75, because it seemed to us that the 50 years of this gesture, that from the religious and sociological “It is very powerful, it deserved a presence.”

The commitment to walk through the country

“In that ’75, the great challenge, but also the great commitment of young people—young people with a critical outlook and a hopeful social outlook—was to walk strongly to Luján for the Homeland”:

“In fact, the motto of that first pilgrimage was ‘Youth pilgrimage to Luján for the Homeland,’” he recalled. “It was an extremely difficult time for our country,” he stressed.

In 1975, Argentina faced various challenges: in addition to the economic crisis and the strong devaluation known as “Rodrigazo”, there was political instability in the government of Isabel Martínez de Perón, marked by divisions within Peronism, changes in the cabinet, and a weak administration.

This panorama was aggravated by a strong escalation of violence, with the action of extremist groups, state repression, and the presence of parapolice and paramilitary groups, whose actions set the stage for the coup d’état of 1976, which gave rise to the military dictatorship. who remained in power until 1983.

Pilgrimage from a perspective of unity

In 2024, the motto is “Mother, under your gaze we seek unity”, and the call to pilgrimage is “from the perspective of unity, that we overcome the cracks, we also want to pray again and ask for our homeland. A country that has very specific faces,” he noted.

In that sense, Mermier mentioned: “The faces of our malnourished children, those who go to sleep having eaten only once a day. The faces of our retirees, of our elderly, of those who have traveled, who have already walked the path of life, who are experiencing extremely serious difficulties. From not having to buy their basic medications.”

“The faces of many young people disoriented because they cannot find work and do not find a place in our society. The faces of people who are alone. The number of people who live on the streets today is infinite,” he listed.

“That is the homeland. And for them today too, on this 50th pilgrimage, we want to ask the Virgin,” he stated.

“We also want to ask for each one of us, so that we do something, so that we do not silence ourselves, so that with hope and from a perspective of faith we continue committed to our country,” he encouraged.

“On Sunday we will be at the mass celebrated by Mons. García Cuerva, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, participating and, as we did in that first pilgrimage, with a message to the young people of today and the young people of yesterday,” he anticipated.

It is “a message from these young people – no longer young in age, but of the heart – who from the first pilgrimage believed in the utopia that gestures are powerful and are worth much more, sometimes, than words, and 50 years ago “We took on the crazy challenge of walking to Luján years ago.”

In addition, they will offer a painting with two posters: the one from that first pilgrimage and the one from this year, two extremes of a journey of collective faith.

The pioneer group of the Youth Pilgrimage to Luján called on all those who walked in those first editions to participate in that celebration, which will begin on Sunday, October 6 at 7:00 a.m. in Plaza Belgrano, in front of the Basilica of Luján.

“May the Virgin continue to take care of us”

Another of the pilgrims of that first edition was Mons. Oscar Ojea, Bishop of San Isidro and President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, who recounted in a video shared on the social network

What stands out most about that moment is “the atmosphere of that pilgrimage”, because “it was an atmosphere of a great celebration, of great joy, asking our mother for the country, the intention was for the country in a very difficult year for the country as it was in ’75.”

The prelate considered “wonderful that the same fervor has been maintained in these 50 years and that the number of young people who go to the sanctuary of Luján has increased more and more,” and prayed: “Little Virgin of Luján, take care of your people, protect them “Take special care of young people and their families.”