Blessing of the folders ceremony brought UC students together in the New Cathedral
The traditional event marking the end of students' university journey took place on Sunday, the 16th of June.
The Bishop of Coimbra, Virgílio do Nascimento Antunes, addressed the hundreds of University of Coimbra (UC) students present with a message of "hope" and a challenge.
" You have great opportunities for your future and an infinite capacity to seize that future," he said during the "Benção das Pastas" - Blessing of the Folders ceremony of the Queima das Fitas 2024 (Burning of the Ribbons).
The ceremony, held in the New Cathedral of Coimbra, brought together the students with their families and friends to celebrate the completion of their university studies.
Sitting next to her classmates in the cathedral, Patricia Martins, a student from the Department of Sports Science and Physical Education at the University of Coimbra, stressed the importance of "saying goodbye to each other and to the course in a ceremony that means a lot to the students", adding that she had "found a family at the university and learned that studying is much more than reading a book or a paper".
Next to the students from the UC Faculty of Economics, holding his white and red ribbons, sat Samuel Silva, who said that the Blessing is "a moment of reflection to be remembered in the future. It's the end of a cycle, after a positive journey with ups and downs, but always learning".
