San Luis Potosí – “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. This call is for you. The mission is not small. It is not comfortable. It is not safe. It is universal. Wherever you are—in schools, universities, neighborhoods, families, and even in digital spaces—you are called to cast the net of the Gospel into the vast sea of humanity.”
With these words, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization , addressed more than six thousand young people who travelled to San Luis Potosí from dioceses throughout Mexico to celebrate the 15th National Missionary Youth Congress .
From July 23 to 26, the Archdiocese of San Luis Potosí became the center of missionary animation for Mexican youth. Under the theme “With Mary, Virgin of Expectation, Young People Bearers of Hope Through Mission!”, the Congress—organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies of Mexico, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of San Luis Potosí—was an ecclesial experience of communion, formation, and prayer. It showed a new generation the beauty of being transformed by the joy of the Gospel and of witnessing to Christ’s salvation, experienced personally in their own lives.
Held in the context of the centenary of World Mission Day and the 75th anniversary of the Mexican Missionary Youth League, the 15th CONAJUM offered an opportunity to contemplate the continuity of the Church’s evangelizing mission and to look with hope toward the future. In this context, young people rediscovered that the missionary vocation is not reserved for specific groups within the Church, but springs from the gifts of grace received through Baptism.
“From the moment of your Baptism, you have been sent. You have been entrusted with a mission: to make Christ known, to love him, and to follow him,” Archbishop Nwachukwu said. Referring to the Gospel passages in which Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee and calls Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to become “fishers of men,” the Archbishop continued:
“These men were accustomed to casting their nets in familiar waters. Yet Jesus invites them to something much greater: the vast and unpredictable sea of humanity. You are not sent into an ‘aquarium’—a small, safe, predictable, and controlled space—but into the open sea: vast, deep, and sometimes stormy.”
In his address, the Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization also highlighted three essential qualities of the missionary: detachment, understood as the ability to leave behind everything that prevents a person from fully following Christ; encounter, which places people before ideas; and acceptance of the Cross. Mission, he explained, necessarily involves sacrifice. Results are often not immediate, yet missionaries are called to remain faithful—even in suffering and even when they do not see visible fruits.
“The sea of humanity is vast. The world needs missionaries. The Church needs you. And Christ calls you. Do not be afraid to set out into the deep. Do not be afraid to give your life. Do not be afraid to trust in God,” Archbishop Nwachukwu concluded, asking the young people: “For this reason, I ask you from the depths of my heart: Are you willing to sacrifice something in your life in order to bring the face of Christ to others?”
Antonio de Jesus Mascorro Tristán, MG, National Director of the Mexican Pontifical Mission Societies, recalled that these congresses are part of a process begun in 1982 and represent an ongoing journey of missionary formation. The program was carefully designed to offer an integral experience combining doctrinal formation, spirituality, liturgical celebration, sharing, and mission.
During the four-day event, participants took part in conferences, round tables, testimonies, Eucharistic celebrations, the Missionary Rosary, the Vocational Expo, and various moments of prayer and encounter.
One of the main innovations of the 15th CONAJUM was the introduction of a specific space dedicated to digital evangelization. The panel of Digital Missionaries, accompanied by a conference by Father José Juan Montalvo on evangelization in the “sixth continent,” brought together twelve Catholic content creators who shared their experiences, challenges, and opportunities for proclaiming the Gospel through social networks.
The XV National Missionary Youth Congress concluded with the Missionary March and the closing Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, who conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s closeness and blessing to the participants.
However, the true conclusion of the Congress was not marked by a farewell, but by a sending forth. As the National Director of the Mexican Pontifical Mission Societies recalled in his message, no one had been called merely to attend an event, but rather to become an authentic missionary disciple who returns to his or her own community, willing to share the joy of the Gospel.
Link correlati :ADDRESS by Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu
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