Haiti – From a young man to young people: "Let's take advantage of every moment and every opportunity that Christ offers us through His Church"

11 April 2019

(ANS - Port-au-Prince) - Four young people from different countries brought the testimonies of the eight saints and blessed patrons of WYD in Panama 2019 to Pope Francis. It was last January 24 and the honor of presenting the "Father and Master of Youth", St. Giovanni Bosco, fell to a young man from Haiti, Jackson François.

What did you feel at that moment?

I let myself be guided by the Holy Spirit to be able to do everything well, with the help of God, with ease and simplicity.

How did you get to know the Salesians in Haiti?

I have known them for a long time because I attended the center of Gonaïves in the north of the country for a while. And I also met their various, important work in many fields, in favor of young people.

Remind us again what you said to Pope Francis:

My name is Jackson François and I come from Haiti. I would like to present two other patron saints of our World Youth Day.

Saint John Bosco, who made of his life a gift of light for young people. With overflowing joy, he understood that young people needed a God who was loving, patient, close and full of blessings for all. How we so need this joy in a world like ours, marked by sad and hopeless faces, which teaches us to proclaim the victory of good and the triumph of humble patience!

Blessed Maria Romero also accompanies us on the World Day. She shows us that the service done with love can render a life full, that devotion to the poor frees us from our selfishness, fills us with peace, makes us servants of mercy and motivates us to answer according to our vocation to the call to holiness. May she help us to be merciful like our God.

A message for young people?

Hold tight, don't give up, we must prepare for our future. The Church counts on us because its future depends on us and we must allow ourselves to be used by God and the Church as effective tools for giving and imagining solutions to the various problems we are facing. Let us take advantage of every moment and every opportunity that Christ offers us through His Church; let us allow ourselves to be inflamed by the new breath of resurrection sent by the Holy Spirit to awaken us from torpor and lethargy, so that we can finally take up the commitment of baptism, so that we no longer fear to express our faith, to affirm ourselves as Christians.

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