“We’re All Making This Camp Happen”: 96 Families Prepare to Welcome Pope Leo XIV in Luján

Photo caption: Maite Grimaux de Rol with her family during activities organised to welcome Pope Leo XIV to Argentina in November 2026. The family poses with the Vatican flag. Photo: Courtesy of Maite Grimaux de Rol.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Maite Grimaux de Rol was six years old when she saw Pope John Paul II during his visit to Argentina. She remembers walking hand in hand with her parents and siblings through streets where people had spent the night waiting for the Pontiff. Now, she wants her own children to have a memory of their own.

She is among the organisers of a family camp that will bring together 96 families — 534 people in all — ranging from a six-month-old baby to an 81-year-old grandfather. They are due to arrive at a retreat centre in Luján on the morning of Tuesday, November 10, and stay until Wednesday afternoon, November 11.

The families belong to a school community that provides Christian formation inspired by the teachings of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei.

Our Lady of Luján, Argentina’s patron saint, holds a central place in the country’s popular religious traditions. Her story dates back to 1630. According to the shrine’s tradition, a cart carrying a small statue of the Immaculate Conception stopped near the Luján River and could only continue its journey after the crate containing the image was removed. Those present interpreted the event as a sign that Mary wished to remain there.

Nearly four centuries later, devotion to Our Lady of Luján continues to unite generations. One of its best-known expressions is the annual youth pilgrimage from Liniers, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, to the Marian shrine every October.

Walking together, supporting one another and bringing family intentions to the Virgin are all part of this tradition. The camp organised by Grimaux follows in that spirit, with a night of prayer before the families make their way to the basilica.

The papal visit also comes amid debate over Argentina’s economic direction and its social consequences. President Javier Milei’s government has defended cuts in public spending as necessary to bring inflation under control, while sectors of the Catholic Church have raised concerns about the effects on the country’s most vulnerable people.

According to Argentina’s national statistics agency, INDEC, 32.3% of people living in the 31 urban areas surveyed were below the poverty line during the first half of 2026.

Against that backdrop, Grimaux hopes the Pope’s visit will help build bridges of unity.

According to the official itinerary, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate Mass in the square outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, before continuing his journey to Peru.

The previous night, the families will sleep in tents. The programme includes games, shared meals, the Rosary, Mass and Eucharistic adoration. The following morning, they will walk approximately four and a half kilometres to attend the papal celebration.

In an interview with Press Crux, Grimaux describes how the families are preparing for the occasion.

How did the idea for the camp come about, and how did you manage to bring so many families together?

When we learned that the Pope was coming to Argentina, we began thinking about where and how we could see him. Once it was confirmed that he would be going to Luján, we felt it was a unique opportunity.

For Argentines, Luján is a very special place. It is home to the basilica of our patroness, a place of deep devotion where Our Lady brings us together.

We were talking with several couples whose children attend the same schools as ours, and we kept saying, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be in Luján when the Pope comes?”

But we knew that getting there with our families that morning could be difficult because of the crowds and restricted access. One possibility was to spend the previous night there.

There is a retreat house in Luján, and we thought, “What if we asked to use the grounds?” So we went ahead and asked, and they very generously made them available to us.

At first, it was going to be a camp for just a few families who were friends. Then we said, “Why don’t we invite all the families in the school community?” The grounds were large enough, and we could make better use of the space.

We designed a flyer with an initial limit of 60 families. We shared it among the classes, and in less than half an hour all the places were taken, with a waiting list already forming.

At one point, we had 120 families registered. We were amazed by the response. There was an enormous desire to be with the Pope and to prepare for his visit together.

Who will be taking part?

Most are families with school-age children. There are also young adults who have already graduated and are coming with their parents and siblings. Some families are bringing grandparents.

The youngest participant is a six-month-old baby, and the oldest is an 81-year-old man. There are people of every age in between.

As a mother, what does it mean to share this encounter with your family?

I remember when John Paul II came to Argentina. I was six years old, and I have never forgotten walking through the streets holding my parents’ hands so that we children wouldn’t get lost.

There were people sleeping in the streets, keeping vigil. We saw him from my father’s office, which overlooked the avenue where he was celebrating Mass.

That memory stayed with me forever.

My husband and I want our children to experience something like that. We both took the day off work. We put our activities on hold so we could be there.

We know there will be so many people that we might only be able to see him on the screens. Even so, we are tremendously excited.

It is also about feeling that we are part of the Church, taking to the streets because our shepherd is coming to visit us, and joyfully showing our faith in public.

I tell my children that we need to have our hearts ready.

We can go with a little coffee cup to receive God’s graces, or we can go with a huge bucket. I want our hearts to become that enormous bucket, ready to receive everything God wants to give us.

What has moved you most during the preparations?

Four couples got together and decided to embark on this adventure.

What amazed us was that, as soon as families signed up, they began asking, “How can I help? What can you count on me for?”

We said from the beginning that we are all making this camp happen, not just the eight people on the organising committee.

We set up teams to organise the grounds, clean the bathrooms, manage electricity, coordinate access, ensure security and provide medical assistance.

We have eight fathers who are doctors, and they will be available if any health issues arise.

There are also teams responsible for the liturgy and music. A priest from Opus Dei will accompany us, hear confessions and celebrate Mass.

That is what generosity looks like: everyone contributing to make this possible.

Even the preparations have felt like a celebration. Organising everything has not been a burden.

What will the day and night before the Pope’s arrival look like?

We will arrive at the grounds on Tuesday morning and spend the entire day and night there.

We want to arrive early because, according to the information we have received, access to Luján will close after midday.

We imagine a day together outdoors.

The children will play football, take part in sports and bring games. The parents will drink mate under the trees, talk and share lunch and afternoon snacks.

Activities will be informal. The children know one another well because they attend the same schools, and they enjoy spending time together.

But we will also have moments dedicated to prayer.

At four in the afternoon, we will pray the Rosary, accompanied by a serenade and songs to Our Lady.

At six, we will celebrate Mass, and at nine in the evening, we will have Eucharistic adoration.

The most important thing is to prepare our hearts for the encounter with the Pope and to pray for the fruits of his visit, so that it may transform the hearts of Argentines.

What intentions are the families bringing, and what does it mean to gather at the feet of Our Lady of Luján?

That is something each family carries in its own heart.

We will certainly bring our worries, thanksgiving, intentions and hopes to lay at the feet of Our Lady.

We want to share that sense of unity and bring it all together with the Pope.

What unites us is a great love for the Pope and the Church.

As St. Josemaría used to say, “All with Peter, to Jesus through Mary.”

For us, it means all with Peter, to Jesus through Our Lady of Luján.

It is something deeply our own, deeply Argentine, and it fills us with even greater joy and anticipation.

What would you like your children to take away from this experience when they return home?

I would like them to remember an experience of generosity and self-giving.

All the families are coming with a spirit of service.

There will be sacrifices: sleeping in tents, probably having limited access to water, walking several kilometres with small children and then making the journey home.

But we want to do it with everyone serving one another, so that together we can make the whole experience one of lasting joy.

There is also the celebration of experiencing this as the Church.

I imagine the square in Luján and that avenue filled with yellow and white.

We will all be there, with the Pope, at the feet of Our Lady.

I hope they never forget it, just as I have never forgotten seeing John Paul II.

And then there is what we cannot see: the graces poured into every heart.

Over time, we will begin to discover what the Lord planted through this visit.

We hope it will bear abundant fruit for our families, our children and all Argentines.

Pope Francis was never able to return to Argentina as Pontiff. How do you feel about Leo XIV’s visit?

I think not being able to return must have been one of Francis’s greatest sacrifices.

He no longer belonged only to Argentina. He belonged to all Catholics and to the entire world.

I am sure he would have dearly loved to return to his country.

We are very happy that Leo is coming now.

We hope his visit will transform the hearts of Argentines, help us become builders of bridges of unity and guide us towards peace.

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