The reunion with their families and the farewell to their colleagues was emotional, joyful and full of hugs and tears. The Monastery of Los Jerónimos, home of the Universidad Católica de Murcia, hosted the end of the journey for the UCAM volunteers who participated in the World Youth Day held this summer in Lisbon. Despite the fatigue after so many days of volunteering and experiences, combined with the final journey across the entire Iberian Peninsula, the faces of these university students who participated in Pope Francis' meeting with young people did not hide the satisfaction of having lived an unforgettable experience.

María Dolores García, UCAM President, wanted to be there to receive the volunteers and, as she welcomed them, she felt ‘very proud and happy to see how they arrived. I thought they were going to be exhausted and defeated, and it turns out that they come with a fresh spirit, full of energy and enthusiasm after the meeting with the Holy Father.’

María Mendoza, member of the Board of Trustees of the Fundación Universitaria San Antonio and head of the expedition, defined the participation of the UCAM volunteers as a true encounter with Jesus Christ: ‘We come back renewed, with a great desire to convey other young people that the Church is very much alive and that God loves everyone just as they are, with their strengths and their shortcomings.’