Vatican City: As the Jubilee of Youth approaches, young pilgrims from South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini are preparing to travel to Rome not just with luggage in hand, but with the hopes, prayers, and aspirations of thousands of their peers back home.
For Gladness Mashumbuka Lobina, Chairperson of the Youth Commission in the Archdiocese of Pretoria, the countdown is filled with both excitement and purpose. “Our bags are nearly packed, and our hearts are more than ready,” she told Vatican News just a week before departure. Gladness is among nearly 160 young representatives from Southern Africa heading to the Eternal City for the Jubilee from July 28 to August 3.
Despite the joy, the journey has not been without obstacles. In a region where youth unemployment exceeds 45% and many families live in economic hardship, funding an international pilgrimage has been a formidable challenge. Still, that hasn't dampened the spirit of the Church’s youngest generation, who have rallied through community fundraising, rosary-making, and tireless organizing to make the trip a reality.
In her archdiocese, Gladness helped launch “A Road to the Youth Jubilee,” a year-long program of spiritual formation, monthly dialogues, and community outreach. From carrying “pilgrim symbols” across parishes to holding intercessory prayers for victims of gender-based violence, the youth transformed their diocesan space into a living pilgrimage.
“Each gathering became more than preparation,” Gladness said. “It became a witness to what it means to be a pilgrim of hope even for those who can’t travel to Rome.”
Some parishes organized initiatives like helping the elderly or visiting shelters as part of embracing the Jubilee’s call to mercy and solidarity. Others engaged in social media campaigns to reach youth who felt distant from the Church or who were dealing with issues like mental health struggles or social isolation.
One of the most moving preparations was the creation of a “hope cloth,” on which young people across Pretoria inscribed their dreams, struggles, and prayer requests. That cloth will now be carried to the Mass with Pope Leo XIV in Rome, symbolically bringing with it the longings of an entire continent's youth.
“For those who couldn’t go, we want them to know they are with us,” Gladness said. “Their words are stitched into our mission.”
The financial burden was only one of several hurdles. Lengthy visa processes left half the group waiting for approval just days before their flight. Bishop Siphiwo Paul Vanqa of Queenstown, the youth liaison for the Southern African Bishops’ Conference, noted that some dioceses couldn’t send anyone at all due to cost limitations.
Still, he remains deeply moved by the determination he has witnessed. “Even with these struggles, the energy and faith of our youth have never wavered,” he said. “They are pilgrims not just of hope, but of courage.”
Being young in South Africa today comes with a complex reality. “Yes, we face unemployment, violence, and inequality,” Gladness said. “But we are also filled with drive, creativity, and faith. We believe that as pilgrims of hope, we have a mission to build up the Church and bring light into dark places.”
Young people have been organizing everything from career support programs to spiritual retreats, all aimed at creating a sense of possibility in a context where many feel left behind. “We live in a country where, despite its struggles, we can express our faith freely. That is a gift we don’t take lightly,” she added.
Bishop Vanqa has seen the transformational power of these global encounters. “They return renewed. They carry back a spiritual spark that ignites others in their communities,” he said. “That’s the power of shared faith. The pilgrimage doesn’t end in Rome it begins again when they return.”
Gladness, too, is eager for that return. “I can’t wait to step through the Holy Doors, to pray at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul, to be present at Mass with the Pope,” she said. “But more than that, I look forward to coming home with a heart recharged, ready to serve, to lead, and to give hope.”
And as she carries the hope cloth through St. Peter’s Square, she carries with it the quiet but unwavering belief of an entire generation: that hope, even in the hardest places, still rises.