THE upcoming celebration of the National Youth Day highlights the potential of the youth to contribute for change amidst social problems confronting church and society today, an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference said.
Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Youth said NYD 2011is also a challenge for church leaders to recognize the need to prioritize concerns affecting young people today.
PCP II tells us that the Church acknowledges and recognize that there has to be a preferential option for the youth, Garganta said.
“[But] the question here is: have we really reached that stage or level that we can claim that we have placed our priority for them?” he asked.
He said the national event is also an invitation for bishops, priests and religious to place more priorities in ministering to young people, seeing that the young people is a significant component of church and society.
Agents for change
Garganta added that the youth can become catalysts for change.
“I feel they are only waiting to be able to share more and to contribute more to be responsive to issues that affect the church and society as a whole,” the priest said.
He believed that the youth on their part, wants to be acknowledged and given opportunity to be heard, have their views respected and be taken as part of shaping the society or community.
“We train them, we prepare them, but that it is still to be seen in terms of how we really allow our young people become active members [who are] really shaping and forming a community that is responding to the call of the gospel,” Garganta said.
The priest said there has to be “a mutual expression of this need from our young people and from those [who are] tasked to lead them.”
Each has to complement one another, so that the gifts that our young people have― their dynamism, enthusiasm, fresh ideas―will be put to good use, Garganta explained.
Social issues highlight NYD
Among the issues NYD will tackle are the many social concerns that affect today’s youth, such as drug addiction, out of school youth and gender issues, Garganta said.
The priest said the gathering will also stress on the youth’s capacity to respond to issues that would have impact on them, one of which is the reproductive health bill.
Although local dioceses already came up with their own statements on the RH bill, the NYD delegates are expected to draw up a unity statement that would support the church’s stand on the issue.
Evangelizers to fellow youth
The youth event will also give attention on the need for our young to be evangelized and become evangelizers to their fellow youth.
That’s the rationale behind the foster family program of the NYD, according to Garganta.
“It is our desire that the delegates truly benefit from their stay with their host families, not only to be evangelized but become evangelizers themselves, through their encounter and interaction with the foster families.
The NYD has three-day catechesis that would include workshops and sharing with respective host families.
Garganta explained that the sharing is part of the program as it is structured. He said the whole-day catechesis from November 15-17 will end at 6:30 p.m. to give time for family sharing.
“This is quite a challenge because we would like our delegates to hold to that goal that enough time will be spent significantly with the foster families,” he said.
Doubly significant
The NYD celebration this year is doubly significant as it is celebrated during the celebration of the Year of the Youth as proclaimed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
All dioceses have been given 50 slots each but can send more delegates if they wish.
To date 3,329 delegates have already registered but Garganta said they are expecting around 6,000 participants for the gathering.
The delegates will be equally distributed in six festival sites in the metropolis: Mary Help of Christians in Parañaque, Miraculous Medal Shrine in Sucat, Don Bosco in Tondo and Mandaluyong, Claret School in Quezon City and St. Joseph Parish in Las Piñas.
The culminating highlight of the NYD event will be the awarding on November 18 of youth ministry award or John Paul II award to outstanding youth ministers and youth organizations across the country.
