On October 25, 2025, the Provincial Delegation in Portugal celebrated “Tau Day,” an annual gathering of young people associated with our Conventual Franciscan Delegation, to mark the beginning of the new pastoral year.
The event took place in the small village of Buleiros, near Fatima. Some sixty young people from various communities participated. The theme, “From Rome to Fatima, Mary, Star of Hope,” guided the day, which unfolded in simplicity, fraternity, and the joy of the Gospel.
Moments of prayer, testimony, and discussion revealed the beauty of a young, living, and concrete faith. During one spiritual moment, each young person received a biblical word of hope. I received Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the Lord—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” Looking at these young people, I saw that this is indeed the case: it is the beautiful work that God is doing in their lives and in their hearts.
As Pope Francis recalled in his Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit (cf. par. 64), young people are not only the future of the world, but also its present.
Tau Day made this reality visible: young people evangelizing other young people, bearing witness to a God who continues to sow hope in the world.
Friar José Carlos CERDEIRA MATIAS
