It all started on January 1, 2024.
Around 200 young Germans from the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart wanted a longer and more serious preparation for Easter this year, precisely 90 days, starting from 1.1.2024. The accompaniment was online and occasionally in small in-person groups.
The young people knocked on the door of our community asking for help for this Easter preparation adventure. They wanted consecrated individuals by their side to share their journey with Christ through meditations and catechesis because they seriously wanted to grow in their "spiritual life." So, three of our sisters made themselves available and got to work. Together with other young people, a support team was created. Every day, a reflection, a meditation on the word of the day with a question to reflect on, was sent in the WhatsApp group. On Sundays, a video on spiritual life was recorded and shared. The participants were just ordinary young people who studied, worked, had fun; young people like everyone else with their problems, big and small dependencies, their sorrows, questions, fears... but also young people who wanted more, who wanted to grow, young people with a thirst inside that this world with its thousand colors and noises cannot satisfy.
The two hundred young people were divided into small groups "online or in person" to share their challenging experiences and also their achievements once a week. Alongside the educational input, they had rules they set for themselves: not watching movies alone, not multitasking, making sacrifices on superfluous food, sleeping at least seven hours straight and before midnight, doing sports three times a week, spending an hour in silent adoration twice a week, if possible, attending the weekly Mass, etc.
While preparing online for Easter, some of them felt the desire to conclude this "unusual" experience in Medjugorje. The idea came to a small group, but in the end, a pilgrimage to Medjugorje was organized with a bus of 54 young people.
It was important for them to be close to us, to the sisters and brothers of the Mariana Community - Oasis of Peace, precisely because, thanks to the online sharing, a beautiful spiritual bond, a connection had been created. Since we couldn't accommodate all the young people in our house, the stay was organized in two nearby hotels where the young people slept and ate; the rest of the days were spent with us at the Oasis. The retreat lasted five days, three of which were in silence. The program for these days included various catecheses, small group lectio divina, separate training sessions for girls and boys, confessions, sharing, Mass together in our chapel or at the Medjugorje Parish. An important moment was also the night adoration, both animated and silent, in our chapel. The usual climbs to Podbordo and Krizevac alone or in small groups were not missed.
After the Easter Vigil, where they sang with all their hearts "HAPPY FAULT, THAT MERITED SUCH AND SO GREAT A REDEEMER," the young people finally broke the long preparation time with a huge party lasting until morning, an explosion of joy to celebrate the victory of Mercy over all sins committed.
Accompanying such a large group "online" for such a long period and then having the participants here in Medjugorje to conclude the journey was also a new experience for us sisters and brothers of the Oasis. We thank the Lord and the Gospa for every boy and girl who seriously embarked on the journey, and we pray that a shower of grace may reach each one of them.
In the photos, you can see what could not be expressed in words...
