Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC): University youth gather around the service of the Church and the country
With music, testimonies, prayers and reflections, the event organized by the Encuentros UC project belonging to the Directorate of Pastoral Care and Christian Culture , brought together more than 200 students to work as a team, share experiences at the service of others and have a good time. . All this was done at the UC Extension Center in Pirque.
The senior chaplain of the UC Pastoral, Fr. Jorge Merino explained that “it was a very important day because it allowed us to meet again after so long, as a result of the pandemic. He was invited to go to meet the mystery of God, and, in this sense, he lived in an atmosphere of great joy, so typical of our young people ”.
The instance joins multiple welcome and reunion initiatives that the UC Pastoral has developed since the pandemic and during this year in which it has returned to full presence.
“It was a very important day because it allowed us to meet again after so long, as a result of the pandemic. He was invited to go to meet the mystery of God, and, in that sense, he lived in an atmosphere of great joy, so typical of our young people ”- senior chaplain of the UC Pastoral, Fr. Jorge Merino
conversion testimonials
María Piedad Gonthier and Gonzalo Undurraga, general coordinators of Encuentros, explained that they managed to have a community day “with the joy of Christ who challenges us to put ourselves at the service of the Church and society.”
“We are called to great things, each one has a particular mission to discover and how we respond to that is part of what we wanted to address in this meeting. Pope Francis has invited us not to be ‘tourists of faith’, but quite the opposite: protagonists of our life, of our time, with our abilities and talents”, said Gonzalo Undurraga.
Among the activities of the day, both the organizers and the attendees highlighted the discussion in which Father Jorge Merino, UC Major Chaplain, and Benjamín Cruz, Pastoral Director, participated, in addition to a conversion testimony.
“Catalina Muñoz shared her deep story of conversion, which is very daily and close to the reality of many of the young people present. Her testimony gave an account of the restlessness of the human heart, which we all have, and how God is the most restless because we get closer. She reflected that in a very beautiful way”, shared María Piedad Gonthier.
The coordinator also commented that “precious and very deep questions were asked. In addition, there was a very good dynamic of conversation, which allowed us to reflect on our faith.”
The event was organized by the Encuentros UC project, belonging to the Directorate of Pastoral Care and Christian Culture, and brought together more than 200 young people. Image: Pastoral UC.
The instance joins multiple welcome and reunion initiatives that the UC Pastoral has developed since the pandemic and during this year in which it has returned to full presence.
Regarding the conversation, Gonthier adds that “Benja Cruz and Father Jorge told how they live that concern, that flame in their hearts and how the Pastoral can provide an answer to that concern that many young people have. Once again we were surprised by the questions that were asked when the discussion ended. We ran out of time,” she adds.
“The conversation proposed to the attendees the questioning of how each one of them, whether in the UC Pastoral Care, in their homes, in their lives in general, has a personal encounter with Jesus, and how this restless heart of each one of us as Christians, you can calm down in the encounter with Christ”, emphasizes Father Jorge Merino.
Meanwhile, the director of Pastoral UC, Benjamín Cruz, expressed that “this space for dialogue was also focused on the importance of vocation and how each one, from their talents, their discipline, and looking at the context of the country’s reality with the one that has had to work from his project in the Pastoral, is contributing to the Church, to the university and to Chile”.
Ven y Verás is a convening invitation, which has a broader focus than in previous versions, in the sense that it was conceived as an instance in which young people and students from everywhere could participate, not only from the UC or from the Pastoral .
“Part of our mission is to meet others, to be an outgoing Church and to be welcoming, and I think we were able to live it in the meeting and the reflections, because of how everything was planned. The attendees were very happy, the experience made sense to them, where the invitation was also made to think about the role that each one is playing in society”, emphasizes Cruz.
“It was a very thoughtful day for all people, because we gave it an approach in which the projects of Pastoral UC can be a response to the concerns of our society, not the only option, but a path. Several people arrived who have never participated in the Pastoral, but who were able to take advantage of the opportunity. I think that is quite enriching, because we made ourselves known to these people and they also to us, making this an instance of encounter in Christ with everyone”, adds María Piedad Gonthier.
Taking care of the welcome and the reunion
The UC Pastoral has developed multiple welcome and meeting initiatives since the pandemic and during this year in which it has returned to full presence. In 2021, an event similar to “Ven y Verás” was held in Picarquín. Considering the situation of the pandemic, it was carried out with strict sanitary measures and the issue of social distancing and how it affected students was addressed.