Dear parents,
To sum up today, we could say it was our big leap to fame. It turns out that Portuguese national television (RTP) got wind of our adventure and came to meet this bunch of crazy people. They filmed us walking the last stretch of the stage, arriving in Pavia and setting up camp. They also interviewed a few pilgrims: they asked them about the reasons that led them to take on this journey and about the changes they have experienced over these days. We’ll be on the news tonight, how nerve-racking!
On another note, you should know that a society has recently been founded among the walkers called “The Lecture Club”. Given the great shortage of topics of conversation, they have agreed that each member speaks for an hour on a subject of their choice, to pass the time. Wagging tongues say that, when Fr Toni began explaining his doctoral thesis, some club members discreetly drifted away from the group…
Today our destination was Pavia, a little village full of wonderful people. At the church entrance they had put a box for donations with the sign “For the young people’s food”, and from it came the feasts they treated us to, both at lunch and at dinner. What’s more, they served them on real china plates, and the adorable cooks were humming as they served and washed up.
Father Nelson presided at our Mass; in the homily he encouraged us to pray that this WYD may be a new Pentecost: that all of us young people go with open hearts and fully aware that the Lord wants us to be free.
As for the incident of the day, we confess with shame that our posing played a nasty trick on us. We wanted to film our departure from the accommodation towards the church with the drone, so we went inside and closed the door. Result: we were trapped in there for about 20 minutes, until they could come and rescue us. Absurd but fun.
In the evening we had a small get-together with the young people and the women parishioners here, who sang us a couple of beautiful songs from the Alentejo, the Portuguese region we are in. We prayed Compline all together and finished by singing “Buenas noches, María”. And do you know what? The people of Pavia sang it too, in their own language, and it sounded beautiful. These are the things the universal Church has…
Good night, everyone!