In October, the Saint Lawrence youth centre celebrated their inauguration mass of the pastoral year, which coincided with the beginning of the academic year in Rome.

The Eucharistic celebration was presided by P. João Chagas from the Youth Section at the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and concelebrated by many other priests.

In his homily P. João reflected that the centre, as a place entrusted with the symbols of World Youth Day (the Cross and the Icon of Mary), is also entrusted in a certain sense with the “flame”, the spirit of the international gatherings with the Holy Father and the youth. Benedict XVI, in his Christmas speech to the Roman Curia in 2011, spoke about some important dimensions of WYD: universality, volunteering (gift of self), adoration, reconciliation and joy. Pope Francis, in his first general audience after his trip to Brazil, talked about the spirit of welcome, celebration and mission, which are particular to the World Youth Days.

These dimensions underlined by Pope Francis and his predecessor are precisely those that the Saint Lawrence Centre is called to cultivate in its activity.

After the inauguration mass, the new director of the centre, Katja Tootill, a young lady from Slovenia, was presented. She, along with other volunteers from the Emmanuel Community will coordinate the Centre over the next couple of years. After the mass everyone was invited to some refreshments in the courtyard and then to experience street evangelisation.