by Melani Manel Perera

90 boys and girls walked 27 km from Balangoda to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption, Thanjanthenna. Fr Hariharan Rajappriya: ‘Pilgrimage to understand life’. Accompanied by concern for the environment with the participation of Buddhist monk Wekandawala Rahula Thero. Bishop Croos: ‘Young people united thanks to new and diverse work’.

Ratnapura (AsiaNews) - ‘Our whole life is a pilgrimage. When we walk a long way, a journey of many hours and many kilometres on our own two feet, we can understand this,’ Fr Hariharan Rajappriya, director of the Youth Federation of the diocese of Ratnapura, told AsiaNews. ‘On a pilgrimage on foot, you can understand life more than you think.’

On 8 and 9 August, the diocese of Rathnapura organised the ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ pilgrimage. A journey of about 27 km from St Joseph's Church in Balangoda to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption in Thanjanthenna.

About 90 young Tamil and Sinhalese boys and girls from the diocese took part in the two-day walk. During the pilgrimage, which began at 10 a.m., knowledge about faith, mental health, physical fitness and environmental justice was shared.

On the road, as in life, one goes through a wide range of emotions. ‘There is enthusiasm, we feel physical discomfort, difficulties, hunger and thirst. We feel sadness, we feel happiness,’ added Fr Hariharan. And we experience true providence through the people we meet along the way.

‘People ask us questions about our journey and some come to our aid. They ask us what we need. It teaches us that our help is needed by those who are on the road. Our journey through life is more beautiful than we think.’ This is an awareness that the young people will surely take with them after the experience of a few days ago.

‘The present moment in which we are taking these steps is a time when the entire animal community, including human beings, is suffering from a series of environmental crises,’ explained Ulpatha Wekandawala Rahula Thero, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, environmentalist and human rights defender who participated in the pilgrimage, to the young people.

The invitation extended to the Centre for Environment and Nature Studies (with which he is associated) to participate denotes ‘openness to dialogue and discussion to achieve environmental justice and raises optimistic hopes for the future.

“Pilgrims of Hope” is a great investment in the tomorrow that has yet to be born,’ he explained. ‘To protect our universe and save it for the future, we must work even harder. We must organise ourselves. For this reason, we pay tribute with love and respect to the sweat and toil that you, Fr Hariharan and Fr Jeewantha, have put into organising the journey,’ he said.

Peter Antony Wyman Croos, Bishop of Ratnapura, addressed the young people who arrived at 8 p.m. at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption in Thanjanthenna at the end of the first day. ‘We are travelling in this world: we are all pilgrims living here temporarily,’ he said.

Pilgrims of hope emphasise through their journey that we must protect this temporary world, protect the environment so that a new generation can enjoy the environment that surrounds us.‘

’It is generally said that it is very difficult to involve young people in the work of the Church, but I have a very positive feeling about these two days,‘ added the bishop.

’The priests responsible for the diocese of Ratnapura have managed to unite their young people in this way. This is new and diverse work.‘ It also takes into account the innovative ideas that the new generations bring with them, which stem from the difficulties they face in adapting to practices and visions that are considered too traditional.

’This is an important example for us religious leaders," Sister Deepa Fernando, a social activist who gave a short presentation on environmental justice to the young participants, told AsiaNews.

‘I believe that during these two days, through their stories, the ideas exchanged, their cooperation, their enthusiasm, the love and respect shown to everyone, they have made a good pilgrimage. These two days have been an excellent opportunity for reflection,’ added the nun.

‘We had never walked even 2 km in a row and we were very scared at the idea of having to walk 25 to 27 km,’ Angelo Adrian Jayasuriya, a young man from the parish of Yatiyanthota, told AsiaNews. ‘Even though none of us had ever made such a long journey on foot, once the group got together, we found some strength and decided to continue.’

The young participant in ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ said that during the walk he also learned ‘many things about the environment’ that he did not know, thanks to the information provided by Ulpatha Wekandawala Rahula Thero.

Ayesha Devimini, from the parish of Dehigahapitiya, said that the experience of these two days was very important and unforgettable.

‘During this journey, which took us many hours, we had the opportunity to meet new people, accept them, learn unity and brotherhood, listen to them and experience peace and harmony.’ It was a ‘rewarding’ pilgrimage on foot, which left ‘a deep mark on the lives’ of all the participants.

‘The most beautiful gift we received from the diocese of Ratnapura in the jubilee year,’ she said.