What remains after a life-transforming experience? How does the journey continue after experiencing a “Youth Jubilee”? These are the questions that FI Youth are asking themselves as August 9—the feast of St. Candida—approaches, as they recall that one year ago, hundreds of them from different parts of the world were Pilgrims of Hope, an experience that marked their lives and continues to bear fruit today.
For those who traveled to Rome , the journey began much earlier. Young people from Argentina, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Taiwan prepared in different ways for this pilgrimage, which brought them together in Spain and Italy for 10 days of a profound and intense pilgrimage.
A pilgrimage that began at its roots
Once in Spain, the FI Youth traveled the“Mother Candida Route”—the places where Saint Candida lived and where some of the first fruits of her passion to go “to the ends of the earth in search of souls” were born. Walking through those places meant discovering that Mother Candida’s charism is still alive—not only in the memory of those places, but also in the people who continue to write that story today: How does God want us to love and serve Him in this time?
From Andoain, they went on to Loyola. Significant, isn’t it? And then, continuing on with St. Ignatius, they visited Barcelona, Montserrat, and Manresa.
From there, the pilgrimage continued to Rome, with the Third International FI Youth Gathering and the Youth Jubilee, during which approximately one million young people from all five continents came together in a unique and inspiring atmosphere of joy, prayer, celebration, and faith. , . There, hope took on a face, a story, and a question: that of every young person who wonders about the meaning of their life and seeks a community in which to grow.
Hope That Bears Fruit
A year later, that experience lives on in the 17 countries where the Daughters of Jesus are present. Young people who share Mother Candida’s spirituality continue to seek ways to live out the Gospel in their daily lives: youth gatherings, camps, Spiritual Exercises, discernment processes, volunteer work, retreats, and youth communities are just some of the ways in which that grace continues to be expressed.
In small prayer groups, in service to the most vulnerable, and in intercultural encounters that know no borders, the same seed of the Gospel continues to grow.
FI Youth: A Community Dedicated to Loving and Serving
Being part of FI Youth means letting ourselves be inspired by Mother Candida’s dream: to follow Jesus with a heart open to love, serve, and cross borders. It means belonging to an international family where every young person is guided to discover their vocation, asking themselves:
Where does Jesus need me today? What gifts has God placed within me to share with others? How can I make the world a more humane place through my own vocation?
Today, many people continue to hear that call and respond in different ways: through religious life, lay ministry, professional work, or volunteer service. What matters is that each person discovers where and how Jesus invites them to love and serve.
The pilgrimage continues
On this feast day of Saint Candida, FI Youth give thanks for a woman who believed that God could do great things through simplicity, and for so many young people who continue to allow the Spirit to stir up profound questions and new paths within them. The pilgrimage continues every time someone dares to say: “Jesus, with you and like you.”
Are you looking for a way to grow in your faith, discern your vocation, or share your life with other young people? FI Youth is a universal community that, inspired by Saint Candida, seeks to live out the Gospel and build a more fraternal world together. Perhaps your journey also begins with a question.
