The young people of the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception will gather in a city named after a plant species that takes up to 100 years to reach adulthood. From 29 January to 2 February, Xaxim will host the seventh edition of the Franciscan Youth Missions. This event has become international by also hosting Serata Laudato si’, a cultural event of the Order of Friars Minor promoting the message of the Encyclical Laudato si’, on the care of the Common Home, written by Pope Francis. If that were not enough, the event will also become even more vibrant with the festivities of the Jubilee Year of the venue, the Parish of São Luiz Gonzaga, that was created 80 years ago.
More than 700 young people from all over the Province (from Santa Catarina to Espírito Santo) will experience great excitement in this evangelising, formative celebration. Numerous workshops will deal with themes related to the service of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC). The goal is that they may be characterised by issues of ecology, justice, migration, respect for nature, good living and simplicity. These values are particular to the Franciscan charism and so urgent and necessary for our times.
This event brings together two essential moments of Pope Francis’ Pontificate: the Church going forth and the care of the Common Home. Therefore, the theme and motto will be: “And God saw that everything was very good” and “Guardians of our relationship with God, with our neighbour and with the common home”. One of the expectations of the coordinator of the Province’s Vocations Animation and JPIC, Br. Diego Melo, is about the theme of the Encyclical Laudato si’ and its deepening. “Our young people are already delving into, reading and studying this document in groups, so that the Mission will be the crowning achievement of a journey made throughout this semester at the grassroots and in youth groups”, says the friar.
Serata Laudato si’ will be held for the third time since the launch of the Encyclical. The first event was in Rome and the second in Panama City for the WYD. The third edition of Serata Laudato si’ will be organised together with the “Franciscan Youth Missions” and the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) of the Order of Friars Minor. The promotion and living out of the values of the Encyclical Laudato si’ is what has strengthened these organisations in a joint effort to organise this new version of Serata Laudato si’. The aim is to raise awareness about the climate crisis, through art, culture and music, as well as to provide a space for ecological conversion for future generations.
We invite you to visit the website: www.seratalaudatosi.org where you will find daily updated information on the third edition of Serata Laudato si’, Brazil 2020.
Source: www.franciscanos.org.br