On 4 and 5 July, the Shrine of Fátima hosted the 46th National Pilgrimage of the Spiritan Family. Under the motto “Queen of Peace, Pray for Us”, the Pilgrimage brought together members of the various movements that make up this Missionary Family: Consecrated Members, Liamists, Youth Without Borders, Fraternities, Former Seminarians, Lay Spiritan Associates, Missionary Volunteers, Spiritan Sisters, as well as parishioners from the various parishes entrusted to the Spiritans.
Coming from as far afield as Minho and the Algarve, the pilgrims gathered at the Chapel of the Apparitions on Saturday the 4th at 3.30 pm for their first greeting to Our Lady. Bearing in mind the pilgrimage’s motto, the following request was presented to Our Lady: “Look upon us with kindness, dear Mother, and grant us the gift of peace, the peace which Your Son wished to give us, as a gift and not as an imposition”.
From the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Spiritan Family made their way to the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, where the Eucharist was celebrated, presided over by the Provincial Superior of the Spiritans, Father Hugo Ventura, and led by the Da Silva Choir from Barcelos. During this Eucharist, special prayers were offered for the unity of the Church and of humanity. At the end, the lay people who will be on mission in Angola in August were sent forth: the Cor Unum Mission group and the Ponte group from Youth Without Borders.
Testimonies and sung prayers
The Good Shepherd Hall, at the Paul VI Centre, hosted the Missionary Session from 6.00 pm. Following a few songs by the Da Silva Choir, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary, the participants listened to the testimony of Bishop Frédéric Rossignol of Tournai, Belgium, who presided over the Pilgrimage and spoke of his missionary experience in Vietnam, where he spent many years as a Spiritan missionary. The session continued with introductions from each member of the Cor Unum and Ponte groups, who are due to go on mission to Angola in August, as well as from the ‘Youth Without Borders’ group, who will be taking part in a Missionary Week in Portugal.
The session featured a performance of the musical ‘Mary – Sung Prayers’ by the young people of Monte Abraão. It was a musical that enchanted everyone with its content and beauty, depicting various contemporary situations of difficulty and doubt, yet culminating in an attitude of faith and trust in the intercession of Mary, our Mother.
Also on Saturday, the pilgrimage continued with participation in the Rosary and Candlelight Procession, and with a Prayer Vigil at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, which began at 11.00 am.
Here, drawing on the theme of thirst and the symbolism of water, the pilgrims were guided by hymns, biblical texts, poems and gestures that helped them to pray and recognise the source from which to quench the thirst that is part of our spiritual condition. The vigil was organised and led by the Youth and Vocations Ministry.
Way of the Cross and Missionary Rosary
It has become a tradition for the Spiritan Family Pilgrimage to begin Sunday by walking and praying the Way of the Cross in Valinhos. Starting at 7.00 am, several dozen members of the Spiritan Family walked the stations of this holy path, guided by Liam from the Algarve. “May this Way of the Cross help us to better understand the love of Christ and to renew our faith”, the prayers went.
The Little Chapel of the Apparitions once again served as the meeting point for the pilgrims at 10.00 am, where they prayed the Rosary. The meditations, prepared and presented by the Spiritan Sisters, once again centred on the theme of Peace, in which they called for us to “be courageous artisans of peace and reconciliation, builders of bridges between peoples and different cultures, so that dialogue and respect for human dignity may become possible”.
Sacrifices as gestures of love
Due to the very high temperatures over those days, the pilgrims walked from the Little Chapel to the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, rather than to the usual venue, where the Eucharist was celebrated. Bishop Frédéric Rossignol, who presided, began his homily with the Gospel passage in which Jesus invites the disciples to take his yoke upon themselves: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. He recalled that Christ’s true ‘yoke’ is one of generosity and that Christians are called to transform their daily sacrifices into gestures of love and devotion to God. He cited the example of the Little Shepherds of Fátima, who agreed to offer sacrifices for sinners, presenting them as an example of trust in God and a willingness to collaborate in the mission of salvation. He also referred to his own missionary experience in Vietnam, where he would get up every day at 4.30 am to celebrate Mass, stating that this effort did not weigh heavily on him because “that sacrifice made sense”, knowing “the joy of the people who were waiting for the priest to celebrate”. He also gave the example of parents who face the demands of family life, considering that the sacrifices made out of love for their children are a concrete expression of Christian generosity, concluding: “the yoke that the Lord proposes to us is simply that of generosity. And the truth is this: when we give ourselves to others, even if it is hard, it makes us happy”.
Around 3,000 members of the Spiritan Family took part in this 46th Pilgrimage. Next year, which marks the 90th anniversary of the Liam missionary movement, the Pilgrimage will take place on 3 and 4 July.
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