Migrant and Refugee Festival – Sunday, October 5, Pechina
Hello, dear reader,
Last Sunday, October 5, we celebrated with great joy the Feast for Migrants and Refugees. It was a day full of life, encounter and fraternity.
About 200 people participated, most of them migrants from Níjar, Los Vélez, Roquetas, El Ejido and other nearby areas. We came in two buses and several private cars. Among the attendees were people from Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Algeria, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador... a beautiful diversity that reflected the spirit of the day.
The walk had three very significant moments:
First stop: in front of the Evangelical Church, where we share a prayer accompanied by songs.
Second stop: in Pechina Square, where a young Muslim offered us a reading of the Quran, first in Arabic and then in Spanish.
Third moment: in the Parish Church, where we were all invited to enter… and we all did. It was a beautiful gesture, full of meaning and unity: welcome, fraternity, bridges that are built between cultures and the gaze of a single God who loves us tenderly.
Then came the big party.
The mayor surprised us with 400 sandwiches (cheese with turkey, chorizo and sobrasada), soft drinks and water for everyone. While we were sharing the food, the music began to play: several groups participated with songs very in line with the theme of the day. One of them was the group of lay people and volunteers from La Fuentecica, a neighborhood with a large Moroccan and Gypsy presence; and another, the 200 from Roquetas, accompanied by their parish priest, an African missionary of the White Fathers.
The atmosphere was pure rhythm, joy and encounter. At one point, Vero couldn't resist: she got up from her chair, went on stage and started dancing. The applause and cheers encouraged many more, and thus the party broke out. It was a moment of communion, joy and shared freedom.
By late afternoon, around nine, we started back. Many had to get up early to go to work in the greenhouses, but we all returned with a full heart.
Dear sisters, we wanted to make you participate in our joy and this meeting so full of life.
