Three Daughters of St. Paul from our Central European Delegation participated in the National Youth Encounter of the Czech Republic held in Hradec Králové from 9-14 August 2022. The motto of the event was, “Get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen” (Acts 26:16). The 4,000+ participants attended a catechesis session each morning and then studied the content more deeply in small groups. The mornings concluded with a Eucharistic Liturgy concelebrated by several bishops. In the afternoons, the young people had a wide range of proposals to choose from: sports, workshops of various kinds or else lectures on different topics including the Bible and the Koran, presented by Sr. Anna Matikova. Each day ended with a cultural proposal and prayer.
FSPs Sr. Andrea Hyblova, Sr. Verena Godde and Sr. Anna Matikova were present for the entire Encounter. Sr Andrea was available to provide anyone interested with spiritual accompaniment. In addition, the participants could meet Sr. Verena and Sr. Anna at the FSP stand, which contained a wide array of Pauline publications. Several young people took advantage of the opportunity to participate in a Bible contest that offered them the chance to purchase a book of their choice at a special discount.
The experience revealed that despite the crisis caused by the pandemic and war, the desire to live the Faith with commitment and enthusiasm has not been extinguished in young people today.
