English
Najboljši poletni dogodek je bil mladinski forum v Paray le Monialu, ki je med 17. in 22. avgustom potekal pod geslom Iz temin bo vzšla svetloba. Francoska stran Foruma se nahaja tukaj. V večjem parku tik za tamkajšnjo baziliko se je zbralo nekaj več kot 1400 mladih, starih med 18 in 25 let. Štiridnevni dogodek (ki mu prištejemo še dan prihoda in sklepno dopoldne) se po rimskem konceptu javnega prostora imenuje forum, ker želi biti odprt prostor srečanja, kjer imajo mladi možnost razmišljanja, svobodnega izražanja in debate, pa tudi praznovanja in tihe molitve. Neke vrste festival, ki se zgodi vsako poletje. Njegovi ključni elementi so štirje, če ne štejem trenutkov molitve in neformalnega druženja.
Vsakega izmed štirih festivalskih dopoldni je uvedel msgr. David Macaire (nadškof francoskega čezmorskega ozemlja Martinique) s polurnim nagovorom, s katerim je želel razvneti ogenj v srcih navzočih. Ni izvajal teoloških predavanj, temveč je pod navedenim geslom razvnemal občudovanje božjega načrta za vsakega od nas. To mu je med drugim s svojo sproščenostjo, ravno pravšnjo mero hudomušnosti in predvsem s pronicljivo vsebino na véliko uspevalo. Štiri zaporedni polurni nagovori (njim je zadnji dan dodal še povzetek), ki jih študentska publika sprejme kot hranljive, niso mačji kašelj. Biti poslušalec in prejemnik njegovih besed pa je bilo čisto veselje. Njegov prispevek se je izkazal za dobro premišljenega in utemeljenega na Ignacijevih štiri tedenskih duhovnih vajah. Klasični strukturi je dodal še sklepni, pêti vzpodbudni nagovor pred nedeljsko evharistijo. Dogajanje me je spominjalo na izvajanje milanskega škofa sv. Ambroža, ob čigar govorih se je ključno izoblikoval sv. Avguštin. Dejansko se nadejam številnih notranjih preobratov prisotnih in sicer prav zaradi škofovih govorov. Razen tega pa smo duhovniki na robu zelenice preživeli dolge ure; k nam so pristopali mladi z željo po zakramentu spovedi, po podelitvi njihove trenutne situacije, po skupni molitvi ali s prošnjo za nasvet. Sem torej ena izmed prič, da se je v notranjosti mnogih zgodil resnični pretres in preobrat.
Udeleženci so bili razdeljeni v vaške skupnosti. Četudi je festivalsko dogajanje pestro in všečno, vendarle v sebi skriva nevarnost, da se manj vključeni udeleženci počutijo izgubljene v množici ljudi. Pri 1400 udeležencih se to zgodi hitro. S tega vidika so bile vaške skupnosti kraj, v katerem so mladi preživeli lep del dogajanja. Najprej in predvsem so v njih preživeli trenutne kar tako: zbiranja, iger, obedov, včasih so poležavali. Vaščani so bili razdeljeni v manjše skupinice, v katerih so si vaščani vsak dan povedali kaj in kako preživljajo Forum. Vaške skupnosti so delovale zemljepisno: kraj posameznikovega študija v prihodnjem akademskem letu je določal njegovo ali njeno vaško skupnost. Vsaka izmed njih je imela določen kraj zbiranja, zastavo, starešine in seveda – vaškega župnika, ki je je bdel nad tem, da so imeli mladi priložnost poglobiti ali razčistiti katerokoli podrobnost škofovih govorov.
Delavnice so bili ključni trenutki za rast v poznavanju odgovorov na vprašanja vere in sveta. Ena in ista delavnica se je vleka čez štiri festivalske dneve ter s tem omogočala zadosten čas za poglobljeno misel in razčiščenje vprašanj. Na eni strani so bile zelo praktične delavnice in sicer za tiste, ki si niso želeli pretiranega intelektualnega napora. Na voljo so bili ples, glasbena kompozicija, slikarstvo, pisanje dnevnika in rap. Na drugi strani so bile vsebinske delavnice: vprašanja/odgovori o Jezusu, mati Cerkev in njeni škandali, okrožnica Fratelli Tutti, povezan in hkrati svoboden, šola molitve ter vprašanja o ljubezni in spolnosti. Delavnic nisem doživel od znotraj, sem pa sprejel marsikaterega udeleženca, ki je prišel k meni … zaradi pomembnega spoznanja, ki ga je želel ovrednotiti.
Večerni program je prvovrstni trenutek, ko festivalsko dogajanje izkaže ves svoj čar. Vsak izmed petih zaporednih večerov je bil obarvan nekoliko drugače, vsakič z dosti razlogov za praznovanje. Enkrat je skupina mladih ustvarjalcev pripravila plesno-literarno predstavo na temo iz teme v svetlobo, izhajajoč iz prvih poglavij Geneze. Drugič je svojo zgodbo spreobrnjenja z vsemi podrobnostmi povedala mlada žena, ki je skupaj z možem iz primeža drog v eni milostni noči prestopila v svobodo Kristusa. Tretjič je bil na sporedu koncert mladih francoskih glasbenikov. In seveda véliki večer usmiljenja z čaščenjem, molitvenimi skupinami in številnimi spovedmi.
Mislim, da je to vse. To je bil moj najboljši poletni dogodek.
English
The best summer event
The best summer event was the Youth Forum in Paray le Monial between August 17-22 under the motto Light will rise from the darkness. The French page of the Forum can be found here. A little more than 1,400 young people, aged between 18 and 25, gathered in an extensive park just behind the local basilica. The four-day event is called a forum after the Roman concept of public space. Our forum wants to be an open meeting place where young people have the opportunity to think, express, and debate, as well as celebrate and silently pray. There are actually two days more to the forum, the first evening and the concluding morning. A kind of festival that happens every summer. Its key elements are four.
Each of the four festival mornings was introduced by Msgr. David Macaire (Archbishop of the French Overseas Territory of Martinique) with a half-hour address to ignite the fire in the hearts of those present. He did not give theological lectures, but he stirred up admiration for God’s plan for each of us under the motto. He widely succeeded with his relaxed attitude, with just the right amount of humor, and, above all, his insightful content. The four consecutive half-hour speeches (to which he added a summary on the last day) that the student audience accepts as excellent spiritual nourishment might seem like herding cats. Being a listener and a recipient of his words, however, was pure joy. His contribution proved to be well thought out and based on Ignatius’ four-week spiritual exercises. He added a concluding, fifth encouraging address before the Sunday Eucharist to his classical structure. The events reminded me of St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, during whose speeches St. Augustine received the essential Christian formation. In fact, I hope for many such things in participants’ hearts, precisely because of the bishop’s speeches. But not only that. I can also confirm it as I (among many priests) was sitting at the edge of the grass, receiving numerous young people who wanted to confess. Or simply share their situation, pray with a priest, or hear a bit of advice. So I am one of the witnesses that a fundamental change in the hearts of many happened.
Participants were divided into villages. Although the festival events are varied and enjoyable, there is a danger that the less involved participants will feel lost in the crowd. With 1,400 participants, this happens quickly. From this point of view, the villages were a place where young people spent a good part of their time. First and foremost, they spent their random moments: socializing, playing games, sharing meals, and sometimes simply being there. The villagers were divided into small groups to have an opportunity to share whatever happened at the forum. Villages operated geographically: a location of someone’s studies in the coming academic year were determinating for their village community. Each of them had a specific gathering place, a flag, elders, and of course – the village priest, who oversaw that young people had the opportunity to deepen or clarify any detail of the bishop’s speeches.
The workshops were crucial moments for growth in knowing the answers to the questions of faith and the world. Each workshop lasted the four days of the festival, thus providing enough time for in-depth thinking and clarifications of issues. On the one hand, there were convenient workshops for those who did not want excessive intellectual effort. Dance, music composition, painting, diary writing, and rap music were available. On the other hand, there were substantive workshops: Q&A about Jesus, the Mother Church, and her scandals, the encyclical Fratelli Tutti of the pope Francis, connected and free, a school of prayer and questions about love and sexuality. I did not participate in the workshops, but I listened to many of the participants who came to me… because of the vital point they wanted to evaluate.
The evening program is a first-class moment when the festival events show all their charm. Each of the five consecutive evenings was colored slightly differently, each one with plenty of reasons to celebrate. Once, a group of young creators prepared a dance-literary performance on a theme from darkness to light, based on the first chapters of the book of Genesis. Another time, a young woman told a story of conversion. She, together with her husband, passed from the grip of drugs into the freedom of Christ. Another night, a concert by young French musicians was on the agenda. And, of course, a great evening of mercy with worship, prayer groups, and many confessions.
I think that’s it. This was my best summer event.
stalno na poti 