ANTIPOLO City, Dec. 7, 2012—The Diocese of Antipolo will hold its annual Diocesan Youth Day (DYD) on December 27-29 aimed at helping the young update their skills and deepen awareness on social issues affecting the youth.
The three-day event will include an immersion activity, a musical play about the life of San Pedro Calungsod, plenary sessions and workshops.
The sessions will focus on topics regarding social issues and concerns that the youth are currently facing, especially in the diocese.
Themed “Rejoicing in the Lord” (Philippians 4:4) which is also the theme of the local World Youth Day celebration in Rome this year, the 14th DYD will take place at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Teresa, Rizal focusing on topics of social issues and concerns.
Dani Villanueva, the diocesan youth coordinator, said that aside from the parish, they will be using the facilities of Teresa Elementary School for plenary sessions and workshops.
He also said a preparatory session was held last December 2 to prepare the youth attendees for the upcoming DYD.
Added to the sessions and workshops, the 2nd day of the event will be dedicated as vocation festival wherein religious congregations of men and women present in the diocese are invited.
The 470 youth and 102 volunteers who attended the preparatory session were given a glimpse of what will happen during the three-day youth event, said Villanueva.
“And we also gave them insights on what kind of social issues to be discussed,” Villanueva added.
The DYD delegates will be accommodated by foster families in the parish. Around 500 youth participants are expected to attend the event.
Before the three-day event begins, delegates will experience a Day in the Parish, an exposure on parish life that will be held in different parishes under the vicariate of St. Rose of Lima Parish.
Villanueva clarified that the Day in the Parish is different from the immersion activity because on the latter, the delegates will be divided into 3 clusters where they will have a taste of community exposure.
When asked about the difference of this year’s DYD than the previous one, Villanueva explained that in terms of program, this year’s event is highlighting social responsibility on issues like the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, HIV/AIDS, poverty, environment, flood-control and the like.
Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes will celebrate the opening mass on the 27th while Antipolo Auxiliary Bishop Francisco de Leon will celebrate the closing mass. (Jandel Posion)
