The Blessed Virgin was a constant inspiration throughout the Diocese of Tarlac's Youth Day, which gathered 1,500 young people.
TARLAC, Oct. 28, 2013—Being in step with the times, the Tarlac Diocesan Youth Day (DYD), which was held from October 25 to 27, focused on key issues like the effects of media on young people, as well as chastity issues like pre-marital sex and pornography.
“It’s because the youth today are scattered,” Jay Sevilla, an adviser to the Tarlac Diocesan Youth Council, said in an interview, explaining why the organizers of this year’s DYD chose to focus on the different influences drawing young people away from the Church.
‘New Heart, New Spirit’
Some 1,500 youth leaders from the different vicariates, the Federation of National Youth Organizations (FNYO), as well as schools and universities in the Diocese of Tarlac attended a series of DYD workshops on ‘Youth, Family and Mass Media’ and ‘Human Sexuality and Personality Development’, which were facilitated by resource persons from Radio Maria and the LivePure Movement.
The DYD, which was hosted by the vicariate of San Sebastian Cathedral, was inspired by the theme ‘Cor novum, Spiritus novus’ or ‘New Heart, New Spirit’.
The program also featured plenary talks on the community life of the Church, specifically the youth, as well as how the Eucharist is at the center of total renewal.
Personal testimonials and sharing about vocation were also part of the DYD sessions.
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart
Last Saturday, more than a thousand youth had a ‘Youth Walk’ from different venues like the Don Bosco Technical Institute; College of the Holy Spirit of Tarlac; and the St. Sebastian Cathedral parish, converging at the Tarlac City Plazuela where they had Taizé prayer.
This was followed by festival-inspired presentations from the different vicariates and groups.
After saying goodbye to their host families last October 27, the delegates listened to a personal sharing from Kabataan Mediatrix member Gailbert Vito Bosea on true devotion to Mary as the fastest, surest and easiest way to Jesus.
Finally, as a closing to the DYD, the delegates consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in support of the national consecration recently announced by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Chancellor and Secretary to the Bishop of Tarlac, Fr. Melvin Castro led the blessing and imposition of the holy scapular on the participants to seal off their renewed commitment to serve Jesus and Mary. [Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz]
