Friendship with Jesus: A Camp with A Difference

        Excitement and enthusiasm filled the air as 33 young people from the Church of the Immaculate Conception assembled at Stella Maris, Penang for a bonding and fellowship with Jesus.   It was held on 25 - 27 November 2012 and was facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan, IJS with her team of facilitators, Florita Tan Buenaobra, Valentine Gill, Jelorie Peroja and Asella Jessica Goon.  

       A Bible Enthronement, facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan, set the mood for a prayerful  and meaningful introduction to be nourished by God’s Word during the whole camp.

      The awareness session was done very creatively by Jessica Goon where participants were asked to pick their secret friend and to encourage them to write positive notes of affirmation.  


      The session on the sense of belonging and acceptance was conducted by Valentine Gill.  The participants were given the opportunity to reflect on their sense of belonging to self, family, friends and God.  To emphasize the sense of belonging, two movies were shown, “The Outsider” and the “Children of Heaven”.  These were followed by a Movie Forum conducted by Sr. Gertrude Tan.   This helped the participants to reflect on the movies and to share on their life experiences. 

     The praise and worship, games and campfire were facilitated by the older group led by Daniel Cheong , Jessica Goon and Janell Ng from the Church of the Immaculate Conception.  These really helped in the bonding where many innate gifts were discovered.

 

         A Taizé prayer was a moment of quiet time with God which provided the participants a space to be united with the Lord in songs and mantras.  Tea candles were lighted in the form of a cross reminding them of the love, suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord.

After the Taizé Prayer

       The final ritual is a summary of what they have learnt during the camp.  This is an  opportunity to remember the sacred moments of their experiences of bonding and friendship.  

      This was done through a simple ceremony by the facilitators in honoring each participant with a blue ribbon, symbolizing his or her uniqueness - “Who Am I Makes A Difference.”

        Hands together to Fr. Michael Cheah and the Parish Pastoral Council for the financial support and prayers.  A heartfelt thanks also goes to Florita Tan Buenaobra and her assistants for the enthusiasm and support in organizing this friendship camp without forgetting Catherine Tan who helped in the planning as well as the parents who came and shared the pot bless with the participants. 

by:  Jelorie

Youth Leaders Prepare for PDYD 2

It was with great enthusiasm and joy that 28 youth leaders from the five districts of the Diocese of Penang gathered at the Church of St. Anne in Bukit Mertajam to plan for the second Penang Diocesan Youth Day (PDYD 2) which will be held on the 16^th – 19^th of November 2012 in Penang island.

The 2-day meeting was organized and facilitated by the Pre-PDYD 2 committee composed of the staff of the Penang Diocesan Youth Network (PDYN), WYD 2011 pilgrims, representatives from CHOICE Penang and members of Islander´s Tamil Youth Network (ITYN). 

The Bible Enthronement, led by Sr. Gertrude Tan, IJS, highlighted the Word of God as the source of inspiration and wisdom.   Each participant offered a lighted candle as a symbolic gesture of openness and commitment.  

Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu, the director of PDYN, cheerfully welcomed the participants and presented the theme for PDYD 2 celebration.  The reflection on the theme, Rejoice in the Lord always! (Phil 4.4) was facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan where participants were asked to reflect and share in small  groups the sources and hindrances of abiding joy, love and trust in Jesus and the experiences of hopelessness and ways to overcome it.

A  beautiful and touching testimony from the World Youth Day (WYD) 2011 pilgrims followed where varied experiences of joy, conversion and  encounter with God were highlighted.   Michael Peter Foo wrapped up the sharing with the line, “The spiritual journey in the WYD is an invitation to focus our gaze on Christ.” 

The invitation to focus our gaze on Christ was the central point of the planning for PDYD 2 which was facilitated by Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu.  Proposals made by the Pre-PDYD 2 committee were presented and participants discussed them in small groups.  The final plan was presented and accepted by all the participants. 

The experience of outpouring commitment and generosity ended with ritual on lights, facilitated by Sr. Gertrude Tan,  reminding them of their responsibility to continue to share their experiences.  Members of the PDYD 2 committee were presented to the group and Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu asked the participants to join him in blessing the youth leaders who generously accepted the responsibility to make PDYD 2 a reality. 

By: Jelorie

Malaysian Catholic Youth Ministers' Committee Meeting