More than 60,000 faithful traveled this weekend the 27 kilometers that separate the city of Chacabuco, north of Santiago, and the Sanctuary of Santa Teresa de los Andes, located in the commune of Rinconada, Valparaíso, in the traditional pilgrimage that this year carried the motto “With Teresita, pilgrims of hope.”
Along the way, 10 stations prepared for pilgrims and run by the Major Pontifical Seminary, the Josefinos of Murialdo, the Vincentian Family, the Military Bishopric, the Piamartino Youth Movement, the Carlo Acutis Educational Network, the Zona Cordillera Vicariate, the Piarist Mothers and the Salesians of Chile, animated the journey with music, prayer, hydration and support.
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Upon arriving at the sanctuary, the central Eucharist was presided over by the Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago, Mons. Alberto Lorenzelli, who in his homily He encouraged the young people to come as they are and receive the embrace of Jesus.
“You have come here as seekers of meaning, with questions, fatigue, dreams and hopes. Jesus looks at you with eyes full of mercy and invites you to come closer as you are. Receive his forgiveness, his peace, his hug,” he encouraged.
When referring to the Gospel, he stressed the importance of humility as a door to encountering God.
“It is not about appearing good, but about being sincere; not about appearing perfect, but about walking with a heart that knows it needs God.” he highlighted, urging to follow the example of Teresita de los Andes, who “in her youth, discovered that the path to holiness was not to do great things, but to love in the small, trust in God and live with humility her fragility.”
“Ella She was not a Pharisee. It was like the publican: small, sincere, trusting,” he summarized.
On Saturday afternoon, the pilgrims were able to participate in different initiatives around the sanctuary: the Cross of Commitment, where they left their footprints promising to “be bearers of hope”; the Adoration Tent, with a permanent exhibition of the Blessed Sacrament; the Pastoral of Listening and the spaces for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, lived with great recollection in this Jubilee of the Young, in which they were able to receive the plenary indulgence.
At the final station, the Pilgrims’ Cross was handed over, as a sign of the faithful’s feelings as they walk in hope, alongside Jesus and Therese.
Bishop Lorenzelli addressed his final message to the pilgrims, sending them to be witnesses of hope in their families, schools and communities, and reminding them that the pilgrimage does not end when they reach the Sanctuary, but continues in the heart.
“May the fatigue of your feet become passion in your heart. Be pilgrims of hope among your friends, in your schools, in your families,” he exhorted.
Who was Saint Teresa of the Andes?
Juana Fernández Solar (1900-1920), today known as Teresita de Los Andes, was born in Santiago de Chile and from a very young age stood out for her intense dedication to the poorest and her great love for Jesus.
At the age of 14 she decided to consecrate herself as a Discalced Carmelite, and in May 1919 she entered the monastery of the Holy Spirit of the Discalced Carmelites of Los Andes. In October she took the habit and received the name Teresa of Jesus.
She had been in the convent for eleven months when she died of typhus and diphtheria, on April 12, 1920, at the age of 19.
Before she died, she professed as a Carmelite nun in articulo mortis (about to die).
John Paul II proclaimed her Blessed in 1987, and presided over her canonization in 1993, becoming the first saint born in Chile.
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.