By Isabella H. de Carvalho
“We’ve already started packing our bags, we can’t wait to travel!”. Gladness Mashumbuka Lobina’s excitement is palpable over the phone, as she speaks to Vatican News at the end of July, a week before she is due to travel to Italy. The 35-year-old Youth Commission Chairperson, from the Archdiocese of Pretoria, is one of almost 160 young people coming from South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini to attend the Jubilee of Youth, taking place in Rome from Jul 28 to Aug 3.
Despite 70% of sub-Saharan Africans being under the age of 30, making Africa the continent with the youngest population in the world, many young people had difficulties raising money to be able to fund the pilgrimage to Rome. Nonetheless, the dioceses have been organizing many activities and events for people to experience this Holy Year locally and the youth who are coming are taking the dreams and aspirations of their cohort with them and hope to return to their respective countries with a newfound energy.
“The youth has prepared well during this Jubilee Year”, Bishop Siphiwo Paul Vanqa of Queenstown, South Africa, told Vatican News in an interview. As the Liason for Youth of the Southern African Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) – which covers South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini – he has seen the preparations for the Jubilee up close. “The jubilar theme ‘pilgrims of hope’ has very much been taken on in the dioceses of southern Africa”, he explained, adding that between 2000 and 3000 young people attended a local youth pilgrimage earlier in the year.
Organizing events to prepare for the Jubilee Year
Gladness has seen the same level of enthusiasm in her own diocese, where the Youth Commission launched the initiative “A Road to the Youth Jubilee” featuring different activities and projects. These included masses, rosaries and other spiritual events centered around “pilgrim symbols” that travelled around the Archdiocese of Pretoria, novenas and social media campaigns focusing on the Holy Year, and monthly meetings with discussions on different topics from the perspective of the theme ‘pilgrims of hope’. These subjects ranged from reflecting on what it means to be a pilgrim, to focusing on serious issues that affect South Africa, such as gender-based violence and femicide.
During those events for example “we would also hold special prayers, as pilgrims of hope, to remember those who lost their lives because of gender-based violence and femicide. We would pray for them and their loved ones but also for the conversion of the perpetrators”, Gladness said.
Some parishes have also launched their own initiatives to prepare for the Jubilee, such as helping the elderly as part of living the Holy Year concretely. “It has been quite an amazing journey, young people are excited”, she continued. “It is so refreshing to see the youth wanting to do more for the Church”.
Taking the hopes of their cohort with them
Gladness and her travel companions will be in fact taking with them the aspirations of their fellow young South Africans who will not be able to attend. During one of the preparatory events in the Archdiocese “we had this hope room where the young people could write down their dreams and aspirations on a ‘hope cloth’. At the Mass with the Holy Father we will carry this cloth with the intentions of our fellow young people here in South Africa to pray for them”, she explained. “We hope that God will indeed grant them their aspirations, their dreams and their hopes”.
These different initiatives are also a way to help whoever can’t travel to Rome to live the experience of the Jubilee locally. “We’re trying to encourage the young people and show them that, even if you can’t afford to go to Rome, in your own space you can be a ‘pilgrim of hope’,” Gladness said.
The challenges faced
In fact, in a country like South Africa where over half the population lives below the poverty line and wealth inequalities are stark, many could not gather enough funds to come to Rome. “There are some dioceses that aren’t sending anyone because they couldn’t fundraise enough”, Bishop Vanqa said, highlighting that even his own diocese was unable to send pilgrims to the event due to economic limitations.
Gladness echoed similar issues. “Finances have been one of the major challenges as most of our pilgrims come from modest families”, she said. However, she underlined that several young people did organize fundraising initiatives to raise money, such as making and selling rosaries.
For her, another stressful aspect of this trip was visa application processes as “they were quite lengthy, with tight timelines and some backlog”. About half her group was still waiting on their visas a week before their trip. Gladness’ positivity is, however, unshakeable: “the logistics just require a lot of dedication and teamwork, but we are winning, regardless of the challenges. This is what gives us the reassurance that God has been with us from the start of the process up until now”.
A young and energetic population despite the issues
Gladness acknowledges that being a young person in South Africa is not easy. “It’s challenging considering the socioeconomic issues of our country. Our unemployment rate is very high, which affects our young people”, she explained. The youth unemployment rate in the first half of 2025 was 46%, according to the South African Department of Statistics. Gladness also highlighted other problems such as gender-based violence or mental health issues.
However, she also insists that there are a lot of opportunities. With the median age in the country being 30-years-old, young people are very “energetic and full of life”, she said. She for example highlighted that many young people in the Church are active in trying to organize career events or other initiatives that can help respond to the needs of the youth. “We also have democracy and freedom of rights, we can express ourselves and practise our faith freely”, she underlined.
“There are challenges that as young people we find ourselves exposed to. But I believe, as we are pilgrims of hope, we will continue to be hopeful as hope does not disappoint”, she said, citing St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
Coming back with a new energy
This type of energy is what Bishop Vanqa has seen young people take back to their countries after other pilgrimages and he hopes this Youth Jubilee will produce the same effect. “They come back from these trips rejuvenated and re-energised”, he said. “They can always help us to give that spark to others to love and work for the Church. The young people can also share with others their experiences”.
“I’m looking forward to participating in the mass with the Holy Father and doing a pilgrimage to the Holy Doors, to pray at the tombs of Sts Peter and Paul”, Gladness said. “For our young people, most of us, we’re just looking forward to our faith being renewed”. – Vatican News
