six of the same month. It was promoted by Father Mourad Migialla, Provincial Minister of the Franciscan Fathers in Egypt, led by Father Mokhles Masri, head of the march council and by a group of friars and nuns. The days of the march were divided into two parts, the first part took place in the convent of the Franciscan Fathers at Mokattam, the second part in the desert monasteries of Wadi Natrun. The opening took place where we received the young people, and it was a lively and joyful welcome, full of the joy of the young and a great deal of willingness to set out resolutely towards the goal.

Among the many moments lived together, the young people were struck by the celebration of the rite of penance at the Church of Our Lady of Carmel of the Franciscan Fathers in Bulacco. It was a moment of light that had a great resonance in the hearts of young people, many of them expressed the joy of the grace received after several years of not approaching the sacrament of reconciliation.We also had a different experience of its kind, “an evening under the stars” in the desert of the Dighla Valley. From nine in the evening until three in the morning, in the silence of the night, of the mountains and of the sky full of stars, we learned to listen to the voice of God whispering within us; we have learned to listen to what surrounds us and how we can control our senses, how to get out of the noise of the world to enter the silence of nature that announces the glory of the Lord and spreads its greatness.This experience helped me personally to reflect on three points:1. We cannot hear God's voice in the din of daily life and in internal and external noises. To listen to God's voice it is necessary that we calm down and empty ourselves to meet him and to allow him to whisper within us and in the depths of our hearts what He wants to tell us.2. The ground we were walking on was full of boulders and stones, and this made me think about the need to focus and pay attention first to my steps and not to those of others.3. The echo of the voice of those who guided us taught us that the words we hear, we will hear them another time in our life.At the end of the march, during the Eucharistic celebration, we thanked God for having guided and cared for us in these days. Each of us returned to his country, carried in his heart the joy and love of Christ encountered in this experience, but also the hope of meeting next year for a new journey, God willing.

                        Sr. M. Chiara Nemr