Bratislava: A meeting point for young Czechs and Slovaks
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the Czech Republic and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the Slovak Republic jointly organized a transformative Youth Encounter from October 10-13, 2024. The venue for the meeting was the House of Hope in Bratislava, Slovakia. The event brought together participants from the two countries, including young people from diverse cultural backgrounds: Filipinos, Ukrainians, Malaysians, etc.
Throughout the meeting, participants, animators and organizers experienced moments of reflection, prayer and sharing, which encouraged the young people to encounter God in others through the experiences they shared.
The main objective of the training module was to enable the young people to overcome the difficulties along the way, always with renewed hope, assuring them that their experience transcends suffering and leads us with Christ to the promise of resurrection.
The highlight of the meeting was the Sunday Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Ľubomír Konfederák C.M., which was a powerful conclusion to this spiritual journey. Also paramount was the participation of Fr. Benjamin Kosnáč, who facilitated the Sacrament of Reconciliation and brought all the healing presence of the Risen Christ.
At the conclusion of the retreat, the organizers expressed their gratitude to Providence for all that was experienced during these days. They also expressed their gratitude for the offer of future venues for future youth meetings: the House of Hope, the Retreat House of the Daughters of Charity and the Provincial House of the Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission. For all these reasons, in the promising future, we hope to hold these meetings in the Czech and Slovak languages, thus extending their reach to a greater number of young people.
The participants left with hearts full of hope, faith and a deeper relationship with Christ. “Let us keep the flame of faith alive as we walk together,” the organizers encouraged. The event was brought to a close with a certainty in the heart: the seeds planted during these four days will continue to flourish in the lives of all those present.
