From January 8 to 11, Fr. Miguel Melo SJ, International Vice Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, made a pastoral visit to Albania to observe the reality of the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM) closely and accompany its local communities.
The visit took place in the cities of Tirana and Shkodër, where the Movement is present through a parish entrusted to the Jesuits and a school. In this context, Fr. Melo was able to share in the daily life of the groups, listen to their experiences, and learn about the mission’s challenges and opportunities in the country.
One of the central moments was the meeting with the children and youth participating in the EYM, as well as a training weekend addressed to the leaders, held between Shkodër and Tirana. These spaces were marked by shared prayer, fraternal dialogue, and reflection based on the Letter to the EYM Leader, strengthening the sense of service and leadership within the movement.
The visit focused primarily on accompanying the grassroots communities, recognizing the richness of an experience that, while small in number, is dynamic and deeply committed. The EYM in Albania proved to be a living reality, sustained by young people with a strong charisma of leadership and a rooted faith.
This visit allowed for the renewal of ties of communion between the local communities and the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, reaffirming that the EYM is part of a broader mission, lived in different countries and cultures, at the service of the Church and the challenges of today’s world.
