The Pilgrim Cross and Icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani passed through UMinho, UCP and IPCA.
The Pilgrim Cross and the Icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani were welcomed this Tuesday, in an atmosphere of celebration, joy and communion, by the three higher education institutions of Braga: the University of Minho (UMinho), the Catholic University of Portugal ( UCP) and the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA).
The university communities thus lived a day full of symbolism, which well demonstrated the power of the symbols of World Youth Day (WYD). At the first moment of the day, the symbols were received at the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Philosophy of the UCP, where the dean of the Regional Center of Braga, João Duque, showed his satisfaction with the fact, stressing that «as a home for young people, the UCP is more than ideal for this welcome», and inviting students to reflect on their meaning.
Still at the UCP, there was still time to listen to the testimonies of Vicente Goes and Tiago Torres, who participated in the WYDs in Kraków and Madrid, as well as an analysis on the History and meaning of the symbols by the Philosophy student, Beatriz Lisboa. After a moment of prayer, the symbols were later taken, on pilgrimage, and to the sound of music, to the Camões Building, where a gathering took place.
In the early afternoon, the party marked the handing over of symbols to UMinho students, with a small procession taking place between the INL Rotunda and the campus. Arriving at the statue of Prometheus, on a route animated by the Bomboémia, the welcome was given by the Tuna Universitária do Minho. The moment was also marked by the creation of a wheel, around the symbols, made by students of various nationalities, who placed bricks bearing “their” flag on the spot. In the end, the young people held hands, as a sign of unity around the symbols.
At the IPCA – Escola Técnica Superior Profissional branch in Braga, the symbols were received in the front of the building by a group of students and teachers to the sound of musical interpretations by the academy's tuna. The Board of IPCA considered this moment "very important" for the Institute and took the opportunity to talk about its inclusive project, with the presence of four students who attend special education classes. At the IPCA, 89 students are enrolled with accompanied status.