The Episcopal Commission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines will conclude the celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth through a liturgical celebration on December 15 at the Manila Cathedral.
The concluding rites will be presided by ECY Chairman and Legazpi Bishop Joel "Bong" Baylon, DD.
Bishop Joel Baylon in an interview over church-run radio Veritas said that Dec. 15 is the right date to celebrate the national closing ceremony of the celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth.
“This is a national thanksgiving mass of the youth and youth ministers all over the country. Dec. 16 on the other hand is the traditional date of celebrating the national youth day in the local level and the last day of the youth ministry awareness week,” Baylon said.
The bishop stressed that the commission prayed from the start that this year 2011, may help form the youth in serving God and the Church.
“We pray that the youth will understand, receive or embrace and celebrate their responsibilities in the Church and for them to see that they are important and blessed by God. We in the youth ministry are hoping that those youth events can be of help to the young people in order for them to grow spiritually,” Baylon also said.
Opportunities to ponder
Baylon explained that lots of opportunities and blessings were given by God to the youth through various activities like the national youth cross, regional youth forum up to the national youth day celebration, the responsibility of planting trees for the 1 million tree project and many more.
“Activities like these can help our young people see their responsibility in the community, to their fellow youth and to the Church. Because of these activities, the youth will now appreciate their role in the Church,” he added.
The bishop reiterated that the youth must be encouraged to feel that they are in need of the Church and that the Church needs them.
“There is more systematic manner in doing youth ministry; we can make our young people help the church. Ministries must be well organized and what really matter is that, it has a diocesan youth character,” the bishop also explained.
He asked for the cooperation and the help of the leaders in the community, Church leaders, youth ministers and bishops.
“These young people of today who will be agents of transformation and who will be inheritors of the church; where they are part of the life and dreams of the Church, that we must support them through our various programs in the Church and in the youth commission,” he said.
Liturgical materials
Meanwhile, downloadable materials for the simbang gabi on Dec. 16 and the closing liturgy of the celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth on Dec. 15 are available in English and Filipino language in www.youthpinoy.com, said Melanie Santos, a volunteer staff of ECY-NSYA.
The commission has also released the formation program of the National Youth Day celebration which was sent to youth ministers in all archdioceses and dioceses, and organizations under the Federation of the National Youth Organization (FNYO) via mail and email.
The youth commission is encouraging all the young people all over Metro Manila to attend the closing liturgy of the celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth. (Jandel Posion)
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