Fraternity and Evangelization: a look back at the EEYM in Bratislava

This year, the European Emmanuel Youth Meeting, the family & friends meeting of Emmanuel youth, took place in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Around 150 young brothers and sisters and close friends of the Emmanuel Community from the European zone came together from December 28 to January 1 for a meeting on the theme of mission, in a school in the heart of Bratislava.

Otto Neubauer, member of the International Council of the Emmanuel Community and director of the Academy for Dialogue and Evangelization in Vienna, prepared the young adults for the first two days with the theme “Mission possible” for the joint street evangelization in the city centre of Bratislava on 31 December.

In addition to young people from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Belarus, Egypt, Canada, India, the USA, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, Rejoice, the Emmanuel School of Mission in Altötting (Germany) and 13 young men and 2 priests from the Maison St. Joseph in Namur also took part. An international team of brothers and sisters prepared all the content of the meeting, including internationally mixed exchange groups, which were greatly appreciated by the participants. We were welcomed by the Slovakian brothers and sisters, who spoiled us with many large and small gestures and made us feel very welcome.

11 priests from many different countries celebrated beautiful masses with us and were available for conversation and confession. Worship and liturgies, as well as beautiful evening programs were organized by an international music team around Rejoice.
A highlight was the street evangelization on New Year’s Eve afternoon, which we prepared in the morning with various workshops. Sent out in pairs, the missionaries invited people to an open church with animated adoration. Another team tried to get into conversation with people with street dance interludes in the pedestrian zone, which was a great success!

 

Here are some testimonies from some participants

Internationality, Evangelization, Music

“EEYM was a very surprising forum rich in encounters, a discovery of fraternity, which is not limited to our border, but which reveals itself independently of our nationality. A beautiful entry into 2025 with the Holy Spirit, beautiful dialogues, beautiful evangelizations and good music with Rejoice ! The beautiful thing is that Christ has truly united us all during this EEYM !” Thomas (Maison St. Joseph, Namur)

“We met an Orthodox couple. And when we said we are from Emmanuel Community the man said: “That’s a good name. Emmanuel, God with us.” It was a nice conversation where I received a lot.”

“It was a great joy to get in contact with the people in the streets through the songs and the dancing and spread the Gospel”

“During the Street-Evangelization, I was singing in the church, but I was a little bit sad, because I wanted to go to the streets, to speak with people. But in the evening program, when Father Korbinian thanked us for the singing, I instantly knew, these were the healing words for me given by God.”

“We met so many kind people, who had no problem talking to us – I thought it was going to be much harder.”

“We met 3 Muslim people, and they wanted to come to the church.”

“The mission helped me overcome myself, my fears and concerns. I did it for the first time and was quite uneasy in the morning at the workshops. But I realised that there is great joy in showing the people around us the joy we have in the Lord, especially in the singing and spontaneous dancing on the street. When we were returning to the church and singing “O Happy Days”, it started snowing: I had the impression that the grace of God was falling down from heaven.”

Praise and evening programs:

“I felt so much love during the adoration. This was new for me.”

“The Praise was breath-taking. The quote of a Sainte hit the nail on the head, I needed to hear it.” (Evening with Sainte Therese de Lisieux)

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