For many of these delegations, participation in the meeting required a real journey, some even with stretches via canoe along the rivers; however, this has not been an obstacle for these boys and girls, who await this congress with great expectation every year. This year, moreover, the coincidence of the beginning of the congress with the feast of Mary Help of Christians has greatly amplified the atmosphere of joy, fraternity and spirituality, with the names of Jesus and Don Bosco always sung with great devotion.
The main activity of the first day was the Marian night, for which an altar was built that protected the statue of Mary Help of Christians. The young people, some of them wearing the traditional shuar dress, accompanied her in procession, to pay homage to her with songs and prayers.
In the following days all the activities - dynamics, formative talks and group work - continued trying to convey the central message of the appointment, centered on the theme of the Rector Major's Strenna for 2019: "holiness for you, too." For this reason, the model of an exemplary Christian life in daily life, to become saints in ordinary life, has been proposed to all children, always taking into account the culture of these Amazonian communities.
The Congress ended on Sunday 27 May with a Eucharist during which several young people received the sacrament of Confirmation.
The Shuar Youth Congress is possible only thanks to the collaboration of many people endowed with a missionary spirit who are committed to ensuring that the young Shuar can live an enriching experience for their lives; and above all thanks to the organization of Fr José Delporte, Director of the Salesian community of Taisha, who started this project in 2002.
https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/8092-ecuador-shuar-youth-congress-jesus-and-don-bosco-live-in-hearts-of-young-people#sigProId497f512a03