Pope to Young: Follow Jesus in the Footsteps of Our Lady

"Through her pilgrimage of faith and charity on earth, the Virgin Mary reveals in her person the true face of the Church, bride and handmaid of the Lord."

VATICAN CITY (Zenit) - Benedict XVI is telling young people that following in the footsteps of Mary is a path that will not disappoint.

The Pope said this in a message he sent to the 1st International Marian Festival, held Thursday through Monday in Paray-le-Monial, France.

The initiative was launched by young people between the ages of 20 and 35, one of whom told ZENIT that they had "experienced a moving meeting with the Mother of God that has changed our lives profoundly. Some were already believers, but others were not."

In his message sent through the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Holy Father "assured all the participants of his spiritual closeness," and said he was "pleased to see them gathered around the Heart of Jesus, under the guidance of Our Lady."

"Through her pilgrimage of faith and charity on earth, the Virgin Mary reveals in her person the true face of the Church, bride and handmaid of the Lord," he said. "In the journey of the People of God toward holiness, Mary was the first to start on the road. She is also the first to have received the crown of everlasting glory, having been raised to heaven in body and soul by the power of God."

The Bishop of Rome invited young people to have "the courage to go forward, following in the footsteps of the Virgin Mary, with the sole object of giving themselves to God and neighbor."

"You may be sure you will not be disappointed," he said.

Promoting Mary

Some of the youth who helped organize the festival have also developed other Marian initiatives. For example, one youth founded a group called "Abba," dedicated to weekly Eucharistic adoration with Our Lady.

Another young man founded the Heart of Jesus and Mary Rosary Group, which prays a living rosary in the chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Paris and other parishes of the French capital.

This first international festival, which was attended by several thousand people, was organized with the cooperation of the Emmanuel Community.

That community provides spiritual support for pilgrimages to the town where the festival was held: Paray-le-Monial. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), who received revelations from the Lord about his Sacred Heart, lived there.

The festival was also attended by several Church leaders, including retired Archbishop Henri Teissier of Algiers, Algeria, and Father Giovanni d'Ercole, of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The youth also intended during the festival to discover and help promote new Marian communities that have emerged around the world.