Cesar-stock, Hope becomes an anthem

The fourth Cesar-stock youth camp will take place from July 11th to 20th, 2025, in the mountains of Val Maira, in Chiotto, a hamlet of Celle Macra, in the province of Cuneo.
The meeting was titled “Signs of Hope.” The days were marked by a spiritual journey to better understand Hope and by intense work on the Cesar-Stock Hymn.
The spiritual journey, at the request of the young participants, developed with a deeper understanding of Pope Francis’s bull announcing the Jubilee, “Spes non confundit,” and an analysis of hope, revisited from its relationship with our deepest self, with God, with others, and with the world.
The other goal of the camp was to create a melody and write lyrics that would capture what the young people on the Cesar-Stock journey are experiencing, unite them, and compose a song that everyone could identify with and that would introduce the group. At the end of the nine days… mission accomplished!
The spiritual journey was helped by the testimonies of wonderful people who addressed unexpected topics. Fabrizio Motta, a physician who provides palliative care, answered the question “Hope in the face of incurable disease”; Alessio and Valentina, a married couple who have welcomed two children into their family, addressed the topic “Hope and Me: The Joy of Living”; Nicolò Cassano (Caritas director of Cuneo) and Giuseppe (with experience of prison and being a fugitive) accompanied the reflection on the theme “God and Hope: Different Judgments.”
Giampy Sandri, confined to a wheelchair by the after-effects of the polio vaccine, touched everyone’s hearts by sharing his joy for life and the enthusiasm of his faith, starting with the theme, “Others and Hope: What It Means to Truly Love Another.” Giorgio Falco, a doctor and volunteer with Operation Dove, shared his experiences on war frontiers, addressing the theme, “People and Hope: Humanity in Conflict.”
Between reflection and prayer, a couple of trips… the second almost “epic” on Mount Tibert at 2600 meters… a real challenge courageously won by all!
Work on the Anthem has gone very well, and soon you’ll be able to listen to it, and if you like, dance it along with the young people of Cesar-stock… here’s a preview of the chorus…; we imagine it as a message from Caesar to all of us:
“Let’s form a mosaic of living fragments,
colors and patterns, precise interlockings,
you will find the courage to fill the space,
on this journey.”