The president of the Secretariat of Vocations and Youth invites us to “have a heart in solidarity” in a greeting to the young people on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the ARY.
Thousands of young people who live and share the Augustinian Recollect charism are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Augustinian Recollect Youth (ARY) this year. For this reason, the president of the General Secretariat of Vocations and Youth, Juan Pablo Martinez, has sent a video message to the members of the youth movement in which he thanks God and the youth for making a project that began more than two decades ago a reality.
In the message, Martinez has expressed a wish: “All ARY youth must be prophets”. The head of the ARY at the international level has reminded Pope Francis, who warns that the strongest pandemic is that of indifference. For this reason, he indicated that the young people who live this charism must give “a response to the world from our being Augustinian Recollects”.
He also thanked the more than 100 communities and 5,000 young people who have made what was a dream 25 years ago a reality: “To share our charism with the youth”. In this sense, he regretted that the pandemic has tarnished this anniversary. “We did not think that the celebration of the 25th anniversary would be like this,” he says. Nevertheless, he affirmed that “the situation of the world caused by the pandemic has not silenced the fire of the Spirit that makes us vibrate”. For this reason, in the face of the many doubts that arise in human beings at this time, he has stated that “humanity expects answers from everyone, and especially from young people”.
In this sense he has encouraged the young people to “live these days of happiness in the Lord, because he has been great and good to us”. Juan Pablo Martínez asked especially that this great anniversary be celebrated in all countries “with different initiatives that will help to live this event with joy”. “May it not be in vain,” he says. And not only with events or parties. The president of the General Secretariat has invited us “to have a heart of solidarity, to have initiatives that invite us to think of the other”. This is why he proposed to carry out actions of solidarity with young people and the most disadvantaged people: “It is a way of telling the world that we are there; of overcoming selfishness”.
He also thanked God. “Today he allows us to be united despite the differences, the distances, the languages… united with one soul and one heart directed towards Him”, he says.