(ANS – Vatican City) – What remains at the end of an experience such as the Youth Jubilee, held in Rome on the last weekend of April 2025? We leave the answer to two young people who participated in the Youth Jubilee in Rome, two members of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM).

The first testimony, from a young man from the SYM in Triveneto, reports:

‘575 people left from our province. The different groups left from Palma Nova, Conegliano, Mestre, and Verona, travelling on organized buses.

We arrived in the capital on the evening of April 25. All the participants gathered at the parish of Sant’Ugo, in the north of Rome, for a great moment of animation, welcome, and explanation of the program for the days ahead.

Afterwards, the various groups settled into the accommodation provided by some Roman parishes. On April 26, after an early wake-up call, the young people went to St Peter’s Square to attend the Pope’s funeral. It was a very moving moment, full of historical and spiritual significance, which left a deep impression on the hearts of all those present.

In the afternoon, divided into small groups, the young people were able to visit some of the most important places in the Eternal City, passing through the Holy Doors at the basilicas of St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls, thus fully experiencing the Jubilee.

Sunday, April 27, ended with participation in Holy Mass presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The celebration took place between St. Peter’s Square and Via della Conciliazione, bringing all the groups together in a moment of great unity and prayer.

After the celebration, in the afternoon, the various groups left to return to their homes, their hearts filled with joy and gratitude for the days they had experienced.

Fr. Emanuele Zof and Sister Paola Vendrame, who coordinated and accompanied all the groups, emphasized how spiritually beautiful the days had been. The young people were able to enjoy a unique experience at a time when the Church, following the path indicated by Pope Francis, wishes to bring a message of hope and closeness to the least among us.

The second testimony, from Daniele, a young man active in Civitanova Marche, seeks to read even more between the lines of the experience:

‘It was undoubtedly an experience that will remain forever etched in the hearts and minds of all those who took part: if the premise was to spend three days together with teenagers from all over the world to experience God’s mercy in the gift of the Jubilee, the sad news of Pope Francis’ passing changed everyone’s plans and catapulted us into a situation that was unimaginable just a few weeks earlier. Rome welcomed a multitude of faithful who had come to pay their last respects to the Pontiff, and we found ourselves among them, happy to be there but also a little disoriented by the magnitude of what was happening around us.

In this context, having a safe haven to retreat to when tired, represented by the Salesian Don Bosco Cinecittà house, was a great support for everyone: Here, the Salesian Youth Movement of Central Italy was a home that welcomed each of the young people present, most of whom were experiencing life outside their own place for the first time. In the eyes of the participants, we saw reflected that loving kindness so dear to Don Bosco, a sign of a well-organized environment dedicated to the care of all young people, who thus experienced more fully how true it is that in every Salesian house, one feels at home.

One final consideration: for many of the young people, this was their first event of the Catholic Church, which gave them the opportunity to discover the young and universal face of the Gospel and to understand that they are not (and never will be) alone on their journey of faith. In St Peter’s Square, and more generally in the Eternal City, the whole Church has gathered in recent days, coming from every corner of the planet, and perhaps this is the greatest treasure that we take home with us: having experienced what it really means to be part of a community that walks with Jesus, recognizing him in the difficulties and joys of every day.

In conclusion, the 2025 Youth Jubilee was a moment of faith, hope, and community. The Salesian Youth Movement was able to accompany all the young people in this experience, offering them the tools to fully live the meaning of being ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ The hope is that, every time they think back on what they experienced during these days, they will feel like the two disciples at Emmaus, after they realized they had just met the Risen One, and will be able to say with joy: ‘Were not our hearts burning within us?’