© Vatican Media / Missio Svizzera
Fribourg (Agenzia Fides) – The three Star Singers from Switzerland returned home still deeply moved after participating in the New Year’s Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope Leo XIV. They were joined by 19 other Star Singers from Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Anna (13), Giulia (12), Larissa (8), and Fabian (11), from the parish of St. Martin in Arbon, in the Canton of Thurgau, participated in a special way in the offertory procession, dressed in their festive attire, accompanied by Leticia Schäfer, a collaborator of Missio Suiza (Pontifical Mission Societies in Switzerland), and her family. “Participating in the offertory of the first Mass of the year with Pope Leo was profoundly moving and unforgettable. He was very warm and affectionate with the families, and his words touched our hearts. We carried the host and paten to the altar, and we experienced this gesture as an invitation from God to offer Him our work and everything we do, so that He may transform everything into something sacred,” Leticia Schäfer told Fides.
The day before the New Year’s Mass, the Star Singers of Arbon and the other delegations had participated in the Wednesday general audience with Pope Leo XIV. In a warm and joyful atmosphere, the Pope spent time with the children, listened to them attentively, blessed them, and thanked them for their commitment to children living in difficult situations around the world.
In addition to the audience and the New Year’s Mass, the stay in Rome included other significant moments.
The Arbon delegation was received at the Swiss Embassy to the Holy See and visited the headquarters of the Pontifical Mission Societies at Palazzo de Propaganda Fide, where the universal dimension of the Star Singers’ commitment was highlighted.
Furthermore, the meeting with Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, was particularly meaningful. The Swiss Cardinal thanked the children and young people for their dedication and emphasized the special strength of the Star Singers’ tradition: that children bless adults is a powerful sign of lived faith. “To bless means to speak well, and that is precisely what you do,” the Cardinal affirmed, encouraging the Star Singers.
Another especially significant moment was the visit to the Pontifical Swiss Guard: the guided tour, the shared meal, and the heartfelt thanks for the Star Singers’ annual blessing made this encounter an unforgettable experience. Kristina Kleiser, head of the Young Missio campaign, emphasizes the significance of these days in Rome: “The Star Singers’ journey sends a powerful message of peace and solidarity. Around the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1st, they bring their message of hope to the heart of the universal Church. The Star Singers represent a living tradition in which children take on responsibilities, offer blessings, and commit themselves to other children around the world, beyond borders, in the pursuit of peace.” While the meetings in Rome represent an opportunity for exchange with delegations from other countries, the Star Singers’ work continues simultaneously in Switzerland: right now, more than 10,000 Star Singers are traveling throughout the country, bringing blessings to homes and collecting donations to help children in various parts of the world living in very difficult situations (see Fides, 20/12/2025). (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 6/1/2026)
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