Every year, the Universidad Austral The university carried out a pastoral mission to celebrate Holy Week with the aim of transmitting the values and spirit of solidarity of the university to the community. From Thursday, April 6th to Sunday, April 9th, more than 70 students from different majors participated in a mission in the La Escondida neighborhood of Derqui (Buenos Aires).
Led by the Chaplaincy, a total of 90 young people participated in various activities, including 15 students from other universities. Fathers Luis Caballero, Manuel de Elía, and Emiliano Hong accompanied the missionaries.
The meeting point was the Pilar Campus of the Universidad Australwhere they settled in and spent the days and nights of Holy Week. From there, after breakfast and morning prayer, they would depart for the Chapel of Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, to begin their daily activities.
“Both the boys who participated in the mission and the families in the neighborhood who hosted them shared with us the joy of this experience. A lot of sweat, little food and little sleep, but a lot of love, a lot of prayer and, above all, a lot of charity,” with these words Father Emiliano Hong sums up this new pastoral mission.
In the morning, the missionaries divided into groups of three to visit families, while the volunteer work group took care of repairs, painting, and tidying the chapel. Another group worked simultaneously on a family's home, building a subfloor for the kitchen and porch.
At midday, some were preparing lunch, which they ate in the park next to the Chapel. At 14:30 p.m., work resumed, and games and activities were also organized for the children. Meanwhile, the liturgy group was preparing everything for the day's ceremony.
In the afternoon, the Holy Week ceremonies took place. The Easter Triduum began on Holy Thursday with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, continued on Good Friday with the celebration of the Passion of Christ and the Stations of the Cross, and concluded with Vespers on Easter Sunday. The Easter Vigil was held on Saturday. Many families from the neighborhood joined together with their children to participate in the celebrations.
At the end of the day, the missionaries returned to the University where they showered and had dinner. From 11:00 PM to midnight, they observed Holy Hour, a time of prayer in the Chapel. Additionally, on Thursday and Friday, the young people listened to the testimonies of Grilex, a Spanish rap artist, and Felipe, a trucking company owner, who shared their stories of conversion and faith.
On the last day, after the Easter Vigil in the neighborhood, the group returned to the University to celebrate Easter. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Gabriela Robiolo, along with her team, provided dinner, and they concluded their mission with a bonfire amidst guitar music and singing on the sports campus.
Finally, on Sunday morning, the missionaries had breakfast, cleaned and tidied up the university facilities, and received a blessing with the Blessed Sacrament. At midday, they all returned home to celebrate Easter with their families.
“This year, in the mission of the Austral University Pastoral, we set out to share an experience of preaching the Word, distributing the Gospels with the children to their families, in a context of friendship, prayer, and festive celebration. And we succeeded,” said Father Hong.
For Francisco Fiorito, an Industrial Engineering student and missionary, “it was a special moment to be an instrument. To serve from our place, dedicating time and a listening ear to those in need. Many open hearts touching so many others. Smiles and laughter that caress the soul. Happiness and joy that transmit the message on their own, the same one we carried door to door under our arm.”
The young people visited families in the neighborhood to get to know them and invite them to Holy Week activities. They also took the opportunity to register children who needed baptism, catechism classes, and academic support. Fathers Manuel and Emiliano offered to bless the homes, and they did so. (They blessed about 20 houses.) The missionaries brought a Gospel reading as a gift for each family and took the opportunity to pray with them. On the last day, they brought bags of sweets for the families to celebrate Easter.
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