As we all know, people from all over the world attend this Gathering. Here are a few who tell us a little about their story and experience.
Egidius Vareikis and Rozvita Vareikienë, 66 and 65 years old, are a retired Lithuanian couple on their second participation in an international Gathering of the Team of Our Lady: ‘we are on our second experience, previously we were in Fatima. We have been part of the Team for ten years and in Lithuania we are among the ‘oldest’, given that the movement has only been present in our country for about twenty years. We are also here to get to know other couples from other countries who share our ideals and with whom we can compare ourselves; in our country there are not many of us’.
Yannick Boisvert, 50 years old in August, is a Canadian electrician: ‘This meeting is fantastic. It is impressive to see so many people from so many countries sharing the same vision. These days will definitely be an inspiration to urge us to grow the movement in Canada’.
From Australia we have Michael, a health researcher, who accompanied his mother Janet: ‘I am not officially part of the movement, but I was able to attend the gathering exceptionally so that I could accompany my mother and help her. I think this is one of the most beautiful and important international gatherings organised by Catholics. I hope it can spread more and more throughout the world to draw closer to the Lord and to further increase this large family’.
Esther, a forty-seven year old primary school teacher, and Mattais, a sixty year old former university librarian now retired, are a couple from Malawi with four children and a granddaughter: ‘this is the first time we have come here to Europe, we have found all the people very kind and welcoming. We are here to meet other couples, but also to witness the fragility of our country. In Malawi, we meet every month with our community, to whom we will certainly take back our experience here in Turin, which was certainly inspiring, and once a year with the members of the Team of Our Lady of the region to which we belong. In addition, a national meeting is organised every four years for all Malawian Team Members’.