A crowd of faithful participated in the basilica of Luján de the religious ceremony to celebrate the first 10 years of the papacy of Francis and the 15th anniversary of the creation of the “Hogares de Cristo” promoted by the priest José María “Pepe” Di Paola.
the mass It was presided over by the president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), Monsignor Oscar Ojea, and Father “Pepe” along with fifty priests from slums and popular neighborhoods under the motto “in union and with joy, together with Pope Francis, a world argentinian”.
Introduced by the priest, at 8:30 p.m. Palito Ortega took the stage, dressed in a white suit and glitter, singing his hit “Un muchacho como yo” to give a musical closure to the long day.
“Welcome brothers to this meeting of love and family,” he pronounced while white and light blue pieces of paper flew and the audience applauded to the beat of “Welcome love.”
Arrival at the Basilica
Parishioners from different parishes and religious organizations in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area had gathered at the roundabout at the intersection of Luján and Pellegrini avenues; from where they walked to the square in front of the basilica in a popular festival atmosphere in which religious songs were mixed with those that the Argentine fans sang during the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
On their way to the basilica, the joy of the crowd was accompanied by the music of the drums and cymbals of murgas such as that of “Father Daniel”, made up of girls, boys and adolescents from villa 21-24 of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, which with its white, blue and gold sequined costumes encouraged everyone to dance while they waited for the start of the walk.
The column was headed by an image of the Virgin of Lujan that it was transported on a truck, and behind it numerous faithful carried a large Argentine flag; When the procession arrived at Plaza Belgrano, the sky was stained with the sky-blue smoke of dozens of flares.
Eulogio Sosa, a member of Francisco’s Missionary Movement and promoter of various picnic areas and community kitchens, was responsible for carrying the pilgrim image of the Virgin of Luján on his back during the entrance to the basilica, and in dialogue with Télam he noted: “for The Virgin walks to Luján. She always helps me”.
T-shirts with the images of the Virgin and Pope Francis were very common among the faithful, as well as shirts of the Argentine national team.
In dialogue with Télam, Father “Pepe” Di Paola affirmed that “Pope Francis is the spiritual leader of the world and he is also the leader who, when he was our bishop, gave us great support to make the ‘Homes of Christ’ a reality; he blessed the first Hogar de Cristo that began in the village where I was and then went on to bless other homes”.
“Today it has been replicated throughout the country and we have 200 neighborhood centers addressing the territory and addictions, giving hope to many young people and families; we chose this year’s motto ‘Not one kid less for drugs’ because we found it very inclusive, it works for the teacher, the catechist, the one who directs the sport, the one who is in the media, we who are in the recovery of the boys, we can all do something in the prevention and recovery. We also pose it to the political leadership as a challenge they have in the face of the elections, to make each candidate able to work on this very important issue,” he added.
“In the most popular sectors that are here today we find the hope of Argentina,” stressed the religious.
With a bottle of water in one hand, a thermos in the other and his Franciscan habit despite the heat, Martín Casarti traveled from the Salta town of Aguaray to participate in the Celebration and told Télam: “we came to celebrate 15 years of the homes of Christ and the 10 of Pope Francis; we come to celebrate life and that there are many of us who want to get kids out of consumption”.
“Francisco is coming to Argentina, we are waiting for him”he concluded.
The faithful were received by musical bands that interpreted popular and religious themes, and by the band of the Regiment of Patricios that interpreted the Argentine National Anthem.
the mass
Then, a young woman read the message that he sent for Francisco for this celebration, in which he affirmed: “a year ago they began a pilgrimage that was a caravan of hope, a path that can only be traveled if we do it together; with their voices They reminded us that we are all responsible for our boys and girls saying no to drugs. I encourage you not to stop being an outgoing, missionary Church that takes the Gospel to every place that needs it; continue on this path, that Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin take care of you. Fraternally Francisco”.
Around 7:00 p.m., before starting the mass, Father “Pepe” told those present that “in the home of Christ, the one who was discarded today is standing and helping another”, and after long applause from the faithful, he completed: “In the walk of the home of Christ we awaken hope, here in the sanctuary of the Virgin, and we want others to be infected with this spirit.”
During the religious celebration, the president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), Monsignor Oscar Ojea, stated: “We have completed 15 years, we discovered that true power is service. And the meaning of our life.”
After the mass, in the Belgrano square in front of the Basilica, a musical closing took place with the performances of the artists Ramón “Palito” Ortega and Nahuel Pennisi.
“A custom of Jesus was to wash the feet of friends and disciples; he kneels in front of each one because he knows that we have dignity, that is why we want to put our feet in front of each brother,” Ojea said before washing the feet of the faithful. who were on stage.
“In the most popular sectors that are here today we find the hope of Argentina”Father “Pepe” Di Paola
After the mass, in the Belgrano square in front of the Basilica, a musical closing took place with the performances of the artists Ramón “Palito” Ortega and Nahuel Pennisi.
The march towards the basilica was the end of the Pilgrimage of the Virgin of Luján, Patroness of Argentina, which under the motto #NiUnPibeMenosPorLaDroga It was organized by the Familia Grande Hogar de Cristo, Cáritas Argentina and the Union of Parish Clubs.
The pilgrimage culminated a walk that had begun on August 7, the feast of San Cayetano, and celebrates its end coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the birth of Hogar de Cristo and the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The Hogares de Cristo federation brings together neighborhood centers that assist vulnerable populations and those with problematic consumption, and coordinated the march that covered more than 15,200 kilometers of the country, visiting schools, prisons, clubs, native communities, hospitals, neighborhood centers, farms, homes of grandparents and cotolengos.
At the moment, There are more than 190 neighborhood centers in 19 Argentine provinces, through which more than 20,000 people have already passed and have been assisted, according to reports from the federation.
