PILGRIMS OF HOPE FROM BAKU: WE ARE PART OF A BIG FAMILY
In the frame of the celebration of the Jubilee Year, a small group of Catholic youth from Azerbaijan made a pilgrimage to Rome. Arriving in the apostolic capital on July 19, the pilgrims of hope from Baku were able to pray in four papal basilicas, receive a papal blessing and make a pilgrimage to the Maria Goretti shrine in Nettuno over the course of five days.
Six representatives of the Catholic youth of the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, accompanied by the rector of the main Catholic church of the country – the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Father Martin Boncalo S.D.B., and the sisters of the order of Mary Help of Christians, visited Rome to participate in the Jubilee pilgrimage.
The young pilgrims of hope prayed in the jubilee papal basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul-outside-the-walls, St. John (Lateran Basilica), Santa Maria Maggiore, visited places associated with the life and death of the first Roman martyrs.
Baku pilgrims told the Azerbaijani page of Vatican News about their impressions and the spiritual fruits of their pilgrimage.
“Our intention was simple but profound – to cleanse our hearts from vanity and draw closer to God. Our path ran through holy places, where each stop became not only a physical step, but also a spiritual one,” Margarita Remnivtseva, a parishioner of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Baku shared her impressions. “Being in the spiritual centers of the Universal Church, we felt a special grace” she added. “We realized even more clearly that the Church of Christ is a great and united family, and we are only a small, but living part of it”.
A special place in the pilgrimage route of Azerbaijani Catholics was taken by a visit to the shrine of St. Maria Goretti in Nettuno. For the Catholic youth of Azerbaijan, the images of saints Dominic Savio, Laura Vicuña, Maria Goretti are not just examples from the past, but living prayerful support of heavenly friends on the difficult path of Christian witness in the 21st century.
On Sunday, July 20, Baku Catholics, together with hundreds of brothers and sisters from all over the world, received the blessing of Pope Leo XIV after the traditional “Angelus” appeal.
“Seeing Pope Leo was very exciting and inspiring. It was a dream for many of us in our group. Even a short meeting, albeit at a distance, made us very happy. His presence and words awakened joy, faith and a sense of spiritual unity with millions of Catholics around the world,” says Aylin Mammadova.
The question “what did the pilgrims from Azerbaijan pray for?” was answered by Daniil Ustyantsev, an active member of the youth group of the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baku: “We prayed for peace, for the end of all wars, for the well-being of our country, for the unity of the Church, as well as for our families, friends, for the forgiveness of sins, for the souls in purgatory, for Pope Leo, for our personal needs, and of course for all those who need prayer.”
Each of them experienced this “time of grace,” as they called their pilgrimage, in their own way, because the Lord speaks to each person in a very individual way, with tenderness and respect for the uniqueness of the personality created and redeemed by Him. But they were all united by a deep experience of unity and gratitude to God for the gift of faith, hope and love.
Author Toral Aghayev
