English-Speaking Youths To Spread the Good News

at the registration table

On 16^th November 2012, the English-speaking youth gathered at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Penang for the Opening Mass and Launching of the Penang Diocesan Youth Day 2 (PDYD2).  They were warmly welcomed by the members of the welcoming and protocol committee amidst a flurry of activities as busloads of participants arrived and volunteers made the final preparations. 

After a night of praise and worship led by the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Shalom group, the participants were divided into language groups for the briefing on the activities for the next three days and accommodation sites.  The 347 English-speaking youths were housed in different accommodation sites which included the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit which was also the main venue for their activities and sessions.  Some of the youths were also taken cared of by the foster families who provided them transportation and a home for 2 days.

 

         Fr. Jude Miranda, the parish priest of Taiping Catholic Church, was the first presenter on the second day, 17^th November 2012.  He gave the session on “Come and See” in relation to the year of faith.  In his talk, he encouraged the youths to discover themselves, to deepen their faith in Jesus and to go out into the world and to tell the Good News.  A mass was celebrated by Fr. Jude to close the morning session.

Talk on My Brother from Another Mother

        

In the afternoon, the participants gathered at the Parish Hall to choose the topics of their preference.  There were three topics to choose from namely: My Brother from Another Mother: Reaching Out to the Needy, Emerging Trends from Media; Facebook and Friends and Getting Down with God: Deepening Our Relationship with God.  The presenters for the topics are Mr. Francis Pragasam from SSVP-Penang, Fr. Elias Moses, OFM and Mr. Ramesh Victor, respectively.  Mr. Francis Pragasam focused his sharing on the four elements of reaching out to the needy such as our knowledge of the needy are in our society, our motivation, telling the story of Jesus and the different ways of reaching out. Participants said they found the sessions helpful and enlightening. 

For those who are not from Penang, a tour of the Churches and historical places was a welcome treat and an opportunity to visit the tourist attractions.

The day ended with a Talent Night where participants showcased their talents in various areas, singing, acting and playing musical instruments. Everyone had a good time in camaraderie with participants and volunteers alike.

Day 3 dawned bright and sunny, which the participants started with formation session on “Go and Tell” by Father Dominic Santhiyagu at the Church of the Assumption.  It was a gift to have Fr. Mark Michael as a presider for the Eucharistic celebration that followed.  The presence of the parishioners of the City parish during the mass made the celebration more significant.  Fr. Mark started his homily by saying that he saw before him future priests and nuns and highlighted the general observation that the current times are extremely challenging for the youth.  He urged and encouraged them to forge a close and deeper relationship with Jesus so as to stay on the right path always.

After lunch, the English-speaking youth joined all the other participants in a pilgrimage walking from the Church of the Assumption all the way to the Jetty.  The participants then took the ferry to cross to the mainland where they again walked until they reached the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Butterworth.  From there, the bus took them to the Church of St. Anne in Bukit Mertajam.

This significant event in the lives of the young people in the Diocese of Penang will not be realized without the hospitality and generosity of the families who took care of the participants, the Capuchin Fathers and the parishioners of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Church of the Divine Mercy and Church of St. John Britto.  Our heartfelt gratitude to Msgr. Bernard Paul, Fr. Martin Arlando, Fr. Joe Matthews and Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu as well as the foster families for providing the participants a place they called home during the whole duration of PDYD 2.

By: Rebecca Santhanasamy

Tamil-Speaking Youth Rock PDYD 2

The Church of the Risen Christ in Air Itam, Penang burst with joy and activity when 214 Tamil-speaking youth arrived in the evening of 16^th November after a much-attended and well-celebrated Opening Mass and Launching of PDYD 2 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. 

           


 The activities that followed gave the participants an opportunity to deepen on their understanding of the faith and their roles as members of the Church, to reflect on the different issues the young people are facing today as well as to visit the significant and historical places in the island.
 

           
         On Saturday, 16^th November 2012, Fr. Arulnathan Joseph gave a session on “Come and See” in relation to the year of faith.  In his talk, he emphasized the importance of the involvement of the youth in the Church as they are the Church of tomorrow.  The Church needs them, with the aid of the new technology, to make the Church a modern and vibrant community. He concluded by explaining the six disciplines of solitude, silence, prayer, reading the scriptures, sacraments and community which are the basis of a deep spiritual life with Jesus.  A mass was celebrated to close the morning session.

This was followed by two very relevant sessions on “Reaching Out to the Needy” and issues on youth suicide and addiction given by Mr. Selastin and Mr. Adaikalaraja, SSVP-Penang members, and Dr. Uma Sunthari Manickam, respectively. The sessions were aimed at helping the participants to recognize the issues that may affect them and how to handle these issues effectively.

Mr. Selastin talked about reaching out to the needy based on the two Commandments, love God above all and love your neighbor as you love yourself.  He also reminded them that “the harvest is great but the laborers are few” (Lk 10:2).  He encouraged them to be more conscious of the needs of others and added that “the inspiration to reach out to the needy does not come in forth night.  However, it is developed through the experience and the spiritual life of each individual.”  Mr. Adaikalaraja, on the other hand, shared about the nature and mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Malaysia and in society in general. 

Dr. Uma, in her talk, gave the participants the complete information on suicide including the statistics of cases according to gender, ethnicity and employment status.  Her talk gave the participants the knowledge on the possible causes of suicide and the signs and symptoms that could help them help persons with suicidal tendencies.  Most importantly, she advised the youth to go on healthy diet, allot time for exercise and recreation as well as to seek professional help if needed. 

The sessions were interlaced with praise and worship which was conducted by the volunteers themselves.  After the afternoon sessions, the participants went for a tour of the Churches in Penang as well as the heritage sites in the town area.  In groups of six persons, they visited Churches in the island where a parishioner assigned to welcome them also shared to them the history of the Church as well as its significance in the faith life of the community.  The day ended with a Night of Praise which was facilitated by Vincent Amalaraj and his team.  It began with an opening dance and a prayer led by Simon Joseph.  The one-hour praise gave the participants the opportunity to express their gratitude and to worship God as a community of young people.

On the third day, participants welcomed Fr. Victor Louis who shared to them his reflections on the topic “Go and Tell”. He started with a prayer and Gospel reading, moving on to Q and A session with the participants. He also provided suggestions on how to execute the “Go and Tell” part, hoping the youths will live their lives according to the Bible and be the instrument to repent and return to God.

              After the sessions, participants attended mass and then were brought to Assumption Church to join the other language participants for the pilgrimage to the Church of St. Anne.

By Rebecca Santhanasamy