PASIG City, August 29, 2012—More than 500 young people from the diocese of Pasig deepened their awareness on faith, mission and vocations through workshops during the 1st diocesan youth day (DYD) held August 18 at the Pasig Catholic College.
The chosen topics for workshops ?faith, mission and vocations?were inspired by the life of Pedro Calungsod, the soon to be 2nd Filipino saint while taking into account the Philippine Church’s celebration of the Year of the Pontifical Missions, the upcoming Year of Faith and Vocations.
Cocoi Javier and Jermer Cruz, both members of Youth for Family and Life (YFL) talked about faith and mission, while a seminarian, Fr. June Sanchez of Sta. Martha Parish, a couple from the Marriage Encounter group who were also the couple-coordinator of the Vicariate of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Family & Life Ministry, and two religious nuns shared on the topic of vocations.
Cruz shared his experiences as a delegate during the last World Youth Day celebration in Madrid, Spain hoping to encourage young people to join the upcoming WYD in Brazil as missionaries sharing the gift from God by being Catholics.
He also emphasized that in order to celebrate the Year of Faith young people must always evangelize their fellow youth and renew their faith.
Cruz encouraged the youth participants to ponder on the word FAITH, which for him means Foster friendship, Attend gatherings, Initiate, Testify and Hold firm, to your friends but most importantly to God.
Those who shared on the aspects of vocations, meanwhile, emphasized that vocation is always a story of love, it involves a mystery where it has become a personal response and is always a way to life.
Aside from the workshop, other activities include a Taize prayer, confessions and gallery walk exhibit of past youth activities in the vicariate level.
YouthPinoy! president Eilleen Esteban was also present to promote Blessed Pedro Calungsod as well as Peter Pardo, the NCR regional youth coordinator who shared about the RH bill.
Actress Dimples Romana also gave her testimony encouraging the youth to be always grateful for all the blessings given them by God.
“As a youth of today, we are lucky because there are programs laid down to us to equip us for the future. We should thank the Lord always for all the blessings we have received and breathe in the blessings of God and must breathe it out to share those blessings to others,” Romana said.
Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara celebrated the culminating Mass reiterating in his homily that the youth should be happy and always be hungry for the Lord for He is the bread of life. (Jandel Posion)
