Youth Delegates Gathering in Paris. Returning to the Origins.

By Alberto Gómez Gabás, Youth Vice Delegate for Europe 1

Paris, April 1833. The city still smells of revolution, of gunpowder and blood. In just a few years, it has witnessed wars and uprisings, and only brief moments of peace. Kings overthrown, armed militias, soldiers elevated to emperors… Yet, despite the nobility of these revolutionary ideals, they have brought hatred, suffering, and the deaths of innocent people.

And still, men sleep in the streets, women beg for bread for their children, and children sleep in corners as if they were animals.

It was in that context that a group of young people stood up and said enough. They gathered their courage and chose to fight so that the Gospel would not remain only in a book, but be brought to everyone. Thus, Frédéric Ozanam and his companions founded the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

Almost two centuries later, Vincentian youth from around the world, under the guidance of our International Youth Delegate, Juliana, and with the support of the International General Council, returned to the city where our Society was born. What once began as seven friends has now spread across every continent.

They were days of intense work and great dedication from everyone. Considering the diverse countries we came from, mutual respect was a given. We had the chance to get to know one another and learn about the situations in the regions we each represent. We also worked on preparations for the upcoming Jubilee, when many young people from all over the world will come together to accompany the Holy Father and witness the canonization of Blessed Giorgio Frassati, patron of Vincentian youth.

There was also time for leisure, with visits to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris, and the Louvre Museum. But the most moving moment came when we were able to pray together at the tomb of our founder, Frédéric Ozanam, and at the resting place of our patron, Saint Vincent de Paul. All of this under the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in that small chapel on Rue du Bac where she appeared to a young novice almost two hundred years ago.

We worked hard, but we also recharged. There is still much to be done, and the Jubilee is just around the corner, so… Serviens in spe!