From January 11-14, the 75th anniversary of the Vedruna presence in Peru was celebrated with great enthusiasm, marking this significant milestone at the Vedruna House in Lima with an eagerly awaited youth meeting. The active participation of young people from different communities, mostly university students, contributed to enrich this unique experience.
During these days, the participants closely shared various moments of prayer, thematic discussions, dialogue tables, moments of relaxation and more, thus broadening the experience of the community as one big family. This experience stood out for the enthusiasm, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that characterized all those involved.
The dynamics and creativity of the guest speakers, Verónica Carpio (teacher), Mauro (psychologist) and Sister Noelí, contributed to creating an atmosphere of well-being and integration during the meeting. On the 13th, we visited the community of El Ermitaño to learn about the life and mission of the sisters in the area. The visit to the common pots in the upper part of El Ermitaño revealed a harsh and difficult reality, with rough roads, scarcity of water, electricity and other means. However, despite these challenges, the resilience of the community was evident, with organized women preparing food and hard-working, enterprising communities creating bio-gardens and raising chickens to improve food, all made possible by the support of the sisters and other organizations. This experience reflected the message of the Gospel of Matthew 25: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…”
Since our arrival, we have experienced the values of welcoming, sharing and solidarity both at Casa Vedruna and in the places we visited. The young people returned to their communities deeply grateful for the experience lived and shared, thus consolidating Vedruna’s continued commitment to the development and empowerment of youth in Peru.
Sr. Martha Moran Reyna, CCV
