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WYD08 Update

By Penny Kerr with updates

from David Kerr

Overall

The photos here are from the truly wonderful Stations of the Cross held in three locations on Friday.

Stations of the Cross

 

The biggest group of Solomon Islanders is located at Oak Hill, to the West of Sydney. It is quite cold out there but people have been provided with warm clothing. Unfortunately, lots of youth caught flu and about 50 people were kept isolated there so it would not spread to everyone. This was unfortunate because they missed activities. However, the good news now is that they are all much better.

 

The group sponsored by the Dominican Sisters is staying a little closer to the city and things are going well. They have been amazed by the huge shops, vast crowds of people (sometimes as many pilgrims as the total population of the Solomon Islands! Sr Teresa has been heard to say "FEARFUL" several times!

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More Benefit from “Doing by Learning—Learn by Doing” Material.

 

50 youth participants from the 7 parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Gizo  participated in the Youth leadership training seminar held Monday 19th May, here in Gizo parish.

The facilitator Fr. Shanti Chacko Puthussery PIME who is from India had spent most of his time with Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and with his designed learning material helped to assist youth to organize themselves in their own respective village communities. This is to bring them closer and  to learn the 2012  material “Doing by learning and learning by doing”.

 

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Fr. Shanti said that the young people should not wait for who is going to teach them but come together, make available oneself in the youth group and do everything with a sense of responsibility. Therefore, he said, prove to oneself that she/he is capable of participating in the youth group regularly and ready for ‘doing by learning’ and ‘learning by doing’.

 

 Fr. Shanti Chacko P. PIME, is secretary of Commission of Youth and is now working with the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and SI, Goroka PNG.  

 

 

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Italian Youth 2nd Youth Visit to the Diocese of Gizo

 

To make the Church young and alive was one of the principal aim of the Catholic Diocese of Gizo while working closely with the young people of the diocese.

 

 
   

 

Last year on July 2011 youth pastoral team from Pedrengo Parish, Bergamo, Italy were here to set up our youth center, exchange views and experience among the youths around the diocese. 

 

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Youth Encounters Training, Northern Deanery, Moli Pastoral Center.

 

A total of up to Eighteen YE facilitators/ participants have just completed the YE seminar, which was conducted at Moli Pastoral center for the Northern Deanery on the 12th—15th May.

 

      

 

 

The program which was facilitated by the YE team, Br. Augustine, Joseph Jio, Celestine, Arnold Arabatu and the Diocesan Youth coordinator Nascia Pae; has its impact sessions which gave time to the participants to evaluate and plan for possible ways to improve YE in the future.

The program gave opportunities for each parishes on how the YE program was implemented, with feedbacks from each parishes, challenging them to look for possible ways to carryout YE in their respective areas.

As part of the review program, the team prepared the twelve sessions to refresh some of the participants and others who are new to the program.

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Knights of the Altar Weekend Encounter

 

Encountering  each other and to be closer to the Lord Jesus was an experience felt by the twenty –one young Knights of the Altar (KOA) of St Peter the Apostle Catholic Parish, Gizo, on the weekend of 25th and 26th of February, 2012.

 

     

 

 
         
   

The program begins with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, celebrated by the Bishop of Gizo – Most Rev Luciano Capelli SDB, who called on them and challenged them to be brothers and friends to each other and to come close to Jesus in their everyday service at the Holy Mass. He further called on them to be the model of service in the community.

These young boys, ranging from 8 to 15 years, welcomed each other as brothers of young Christ followers, came together to experience what it is to be friends and brothers and be more close to the Lord in their service as the Knights of the Altar. Through their participation in the activities organised for them, which includes; some inputs and practices on knowing all that is inside the Sacristy room and to care for them, having reverence for their service at the Sanctuary, assisting new ones in their role to serve at mass as well as praying together, having meals together, watching the movie of “home alone” and playing challenging games of soccer table and futsol, gradually build their relationship with each other as brothers and friends and be more closer to the Lord.

The young boys have drawn up their monthly activities to continue their experience of each other and to be strong in their faith at the wonderful service of the community for Christ.

The weekend encounter was facilitated by Fr. Stephen Te’e, the Parish Acting Administrator, Aquinas Tanuqu, our seminarian who is doing his pastoral year in Gizo and Joseph Lalaubatu. The success of the encounter was the great contribution and support given by parents and guidance and the volunteered service of cooking and availability of our youths of St Peter and our great mothers. We thank our Bishop, for the use of such great facilities that our young boys loved so much.

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Solomon 6 to Pittwater for WYD08

Sydney Harbour at start of WYD08

We know the parents are wondering about how the youth are going here in Australia. They are spread all over Sydney and most of them will probably not meet other groups unless they happen to see each other at the big Papal Mass or some other event. There could be as many as 500,000 at the Papal Mass. This is the same as the population of the whole Solomon Islands, all in one place!

 

We can tell you about the six pilgrims sponsored by Pittwater Parish on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

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World Youth Day 2011 Celebration, Diocese of Gizo.

 

More than 100 youth from the Southern Deanery, Wagina, Noro and Gizo parish attended the three-day world youth day celebration in the Diocese of Gizo from the 12th to 14th of August.


procession match with the wyd cross

      

 

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Youth Encounter Formation still Alive

 

This year [2011] the 4th to 6th March the first YE Formation program in Gizo had registered 22 young people chosen from few zones around Gizo parish.


 Originally the YE formation program is a program inherited from the Philippine and designed especially for the youth. Out of the three Catholic dioceses in the Solomon Islands Gizo Catholic Diocese was fortunate to get this YE formation program through the Filipino priest that were here previously.

 

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In the past the facilitators of this formation program used to go around to other parishes in the diocese to give this YE formation program to our young people. This year we were taught to set an example to other parishes by starting this program in our own parish and make our parish to be a model for other parishes.


Most of the youth who attended this weekend YE formation program can read and write. Most of these youth show great interest in their discussions, trying to understand each of the questioned asked. Most of them responded well to this YE formation program, when they tried to understand each sessions and eager to share what they learned with others.


During the sessions they realized that many times in their lives they have been putting on masks, and they have been put down because people see them in the way they are.  However after attending this YE formation program they were satisfied to discover all their goodness’s, their strengths and the weaknesses they have.


The interaction of the youth during this YE formation program really allowed for the spirit of the youth encounter to come alive again. As they have shared they really experienced the spirit of youth encounter which is the spirit of openness care and trust for each other .The Atmosphere of reflection AND moments of silence during this YE formation program is really touching and moving. They said that it was a nice experience for them after many of them were taught on the simple ways on how to meditate and reflect on the talks that were given to them.

 


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