My campus fidei

Years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity of standing a few meters away from Pope Francis during the Vigil on the occasion of the World Youth Days in Rio de Janeiro. There we were, excited young Catholics, asking Our Lord to make that day memorable for us. And it was!

We were gathered on the iconic Copacabana Beach, but the Vigil was supposed to have happened at another place named Campus Fidei. However, construction had not finished on time (what a surprise!) for the place to be used.

I was very curious about what the Pope would tell us about the inconvenience. And this is what he said:

Today too, as always, the Lord needs you, young people, for his Church. My friends, the Lord needs you! Today too, he is calling each of you to follow him in his Church and to be missionaries. The Lord is calling you today! Not the masses, but you, and you, and you, each one of you. Listen to what he is saying to you in your heart. I think that we can learn something from what has taken place in these days, of how we had to cancel, due to bad weather, this Vigil in the Campus Fidei, at Guaratiba. Is the Lord not telling us, perhaps, that we ourselves are the true field of faith, the true Campus Fidei, and not some geographical location? Yes, it is true – each one of us, each one of you, me, everyone! To be missionary disciples means to know that we are the Field of Faith of God!

You can check out his full speech here. It's great, and not too long.

So, welcome to my campus fidei. I hope this becomes a place of encounter with Jesus Christ, for me and for you.

Feast of the Epiphany of Jesus Christ, 2025