The Burkinabe Catholic Priest further said that for young people in Burkina Faso, “WYD is a moment of inner renewal that will enable them to make new decisions and envisage new horizons.”
In the June 26 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Sakougri highlighted preparations for the global event in Portugal, saying that the official delegation of Burkina Faso comprises 47 people, including Archbishop Gabriel Sayaogo of Koupéla Archdiocese, five Priests, four nuns and 37 Catholic youth.
“About a year ago, Burkina Faso set up a WYD organizing committee. This committee has drawn up the broad outlines of its organization and began its work with communications and awareness-raising in Dioceses and Parishes,” he said.
The member of the Clergy of the Archdiocese of Ouagadougou continued, “After the registration and file review phase, preparatory meetings were held every month to resolve visa issues and the spiritual, technical and moral preparation of the young people.”
“Every last weekend of the month, young people gather around their Chaplains to pray and prepare for their pilgrimage through catechesis, games, learning the WYD anthem, intergenerational meetings, and tree planting,” he said.
The 47 Catholic delegates have acquired their respective passports, applied for visas, and are awaiting interviews, the National Youth Chaplain in Burkina Faso told ACI Africa.
He encouraged young people in the West African nation to “participate assiduously in the various preparations for the WYD that we are organizing, and to follow the instructions we give them.”
“We also urge them to prepare spiritually for this event and to learn English, (a language that will be used a lot at WYD),” he added.
Fr. Sakougri went on to call upon young people to “remain united around their Chaplain and to show solidarity with their fellow participants. We remind them that they are on a mission and must carry high the torch of faith and the colors of the nation.”
On June 25, 47 young people preparing to be part of the August 1-6 WYD in Lisbon participated in Holy Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Parish Pabré of Ouagadougou Archdiocese.
