Even if the CBCP Year of the Youth (YOTY) draws to a close today, the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) said there is "much work" to be done for the youth ministry, especially to reach out to the "unchurched" young people.
ECY chairman and Legazpi, Albay Bishop Joel Baylon said while the Church reminisced the milestones of its work with the youth for the last 25 years during the YOTY, it realized various challenges to overcome for the next 25 years.
"The biggest challenge for us is to make sure that the YOTY does not end as it is this year. We hope that the YOTY will continue at least in spirit, as we continue to look back and gaze forward to the future of the youth ministry," he said.
"While we were able to celebrate this YOTY with year-filled activities, we are also aware that there is still much to be done because a great number of youth are still in search of their way leading to the Church," he added.
Baylon admitted the youth's continued detachment to the Church, apathy in social and moral issues in their local setting and the growing influence of digital media in their lives are only among the prevailing challenges that the Church has to learn to address and remedy.
"We are continuing to attend to these challenges, making use of digital media to evangelize and providing modules for catechesis, among others, to help make the journey of the youth more meaningful," he said.
The prelate called on the Filipino Catholic youth to continue to cherish and share their experiences with the various activities held during the YOTY, reminding them that the work of youth ministry goes on.
The CBCP announced 2011 as the YOTY as the ECY celebrates its 25 founding anniversary.
Since last year, the ECY facilitated the tour of the Youth Cross in various dioceses nationwide and spearheaded the holding of forums on relationships, "especially on being faithful to the Church teachings by being pure and chaste in relationships," Baylon said.
Aside from heading a huge delegation of Filipino pilgrims to the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain last August, the ECY also launched a tree planting activity with school-, parish-, and diocesan-based young people. The environmental project committed the planting of a million trees from the youth.
"Hopefully our tree planting activity continues beyond this year as a tree-growing initiative for the sake of our environment," Baylon added.
The prelate also asked for the youth to help the Church reach out to their peers who have been aloof from the Church.
He urged them to share their reflections on Sunday Gospel readings in their blogs and websites, to "make God present in cyberspace" and also draw readers to reflect.
"Try to respond to social and moral issues in the community. Be instruments of peace to others. And use social networking to evangelize others," Baylon suggested.
For the ECY's part, Baylon said the Church will double its efforts to strengthen the youth ministry structures from the national to the grassroots level. (YouthPinoy)
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