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Father Grassi retrieved the values displayed by young Argentinians

"Youth walks on with might and is not afraid of sacrifice"

Transmitting the 28th Youth Pilgrimage from Lujan, the Spiritual Father of Felices los Niños Foundation declared tonight that Argentine youths "gather under the banner of unity". He said that these youths "have strength and goals" but that regrettably there "are issues" which distract them on their way through life, like drugs and school dropout. "Today more than ever we need to believe in what our youths say", he declared.

Buenos Aires, Sunday, October 6, 2002. Father Julio Grassi, the founder and Spiritual Father of the Felices los Niños Foundation, declared tonight that "our youth has goals, walks on with might and is not afraid of sacrifice, as has been proved today in Lujan."

"Ours is a youth which gathers under the banner of unity. There has been no gesture in Lujan which doesn't line up with unity in our country, he said from Lujan in his weekly column in the "La Manga" broadcasting which he conducts for ten years now at Radio Rivadavia (AM 630 kHz, Sundays from 02:00 to 05:00), which covered the 28th Youth Pilgrimage on foot to the basilica of the Patroness of Argentina.

"Youths partaking in this Pilgrimage are solidary above all. The first gesture they were asked for was to bring some non-perishable food to the starting point, the St. Gaietan church, and the reply was massive."

"Our youth has strength and goals", insisted the Spiritual Father of Felices los Niños Foundation, a common welfare entity which gives comprehensive assistance to 6,200 children and teenagers at risk through 51 works in 20 localities. A total of 51 Works is composed of 19 dwelling homes, 15 day-care centers, 9 schools, 6 refectories, 2 mobile teams, in addition to 33 job training workshops.

However, he annotated that "regrettably there are issues which distract youths on their way though life, as it happens in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, by going places where Big Bad Wolves bring forth drug, generate crap by means of cheating TV programs, bring disorientation by inviting them to drop out of school and even let them abandon their families in order to find alleged certainties which turn into total ruin"

Coming back to the large number of young people who pilgrimaged to the Shrine between yesterday and today, Father Grassi explained that "many believe that is an expression of an anticipated spring amid the social winter which Argentina is living through, which is seared by the first frost."

"These sprouts of our youth we are looking at will remain much longer if we actually understand we must believe in what our youths say", he stated. "Today more than ever we need to believe in what our youths say", he finished.

One hundred youths of the Felices los Niños Foundation took an enthusiastic part at the Pilgrimage to Lujan.

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