10/08/2026
GECO – The Youth Gathering in Aix
From 5 to 9 August, a group of thirty-nine young people along with Oblate priests and sister from different European countries was welcomed at the Foundation House in Aix-en-Provence. They came to discover and experience the “voice of St. Eugene de Mazenod, the Founder and Father,” as Fr. Janith, OMI, described it.
Throughout their stay, they were invited to experience the different stages of St. Eugene’s life by following in his footsteps, discovering the spirit of his missionary commitment, witnessing the realities that shaped his mission, and touching the traces he left behind.
They participated in conferences, prayed together, shared their lives in fraternity, and made missionary pilgrimages to Fuveau. They then offered their personal testimonies at the tomb of the Founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod.
It was truly a spirit-filled and moving experience for the young people. They felt a profound sense of unity, gathered together under the same charism and united by the common mission of evangelizing the poor.
We wish them a fruitful beginning to their missionary journey and hope that they will carry with them beautiful and lasting memories of Aix-en-Provence, the heart and cradle of the Oblates.