The national youth cross

The National Youth Cross is having its stop at Don Bosco Canlubang on November 11, 2011 (11-11-11). And everyone, especially the young people, is invited to attend. I made some research about the Cross and here's what I got. 

Here are some pieces of information about the National Youth Cross. Thanks to this site for the information and My Calbayog Diary for the above photo.

• The Youth Cross is made of mahogany in celebration of episcopal commission on youth's 25th anniversary.

• The images and figures on the surface were hand painted; youthful in style & color, & the persons garbed in Filipino get-up.

• The vertical part of the Cross depicts the scenes of the story of the Road to Emmaus [Lk 24:13-35].

• The horizontal part shows 14 different faces of youth, representing the 14 regions in Philippine Catholic youth ministry.

• The Youth Cross of the Philippines goes on a pilgrimage in the country in celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth.

• As this year focuses on the young people, the journey of the Cross sends out a message of hope to the youth.

• The Youth are then encouraged to gaze on the Cross & receive the many blessings & graces that come from this symbol of Christ’s love.

• This way, the journey of the Cross becomes a true pilgrimage of prayer, reflection & grace for all, especially the youth.

2011 is National Youth Day!

I grabbed the logo of the ECY from Youth Pinoy. The news comes from the website of the Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

This is really a positive news for all the youth ministers working in the country!

MANILA, Dec 5, 2010—The first Mass of the traditional Misa de Galo or Simbang Gabi every December 16 marks the start of the special nine-day novena of Filipinos in preparation for Christmas Day.

But this year’s first Simbang Gabi will be extra special especially for the Filipino youth since it will also usher in a year-long celebration of their significant contribution to the life and activity of the Church.

This as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will formally launch on that day the start of the “CBCP Year of the Youth,” which is meant to dedicate the incoming year in generating efforts to raise awareness about the youth and promote the youth ministry.

Aside from overlapping with the start of the traditional Simbang Gabi, the dawn of the “CBCP Year of the Youth” also coincides with the arrival of the relics of St. John Bosco, considered as the father and teacher of the youth, in the country.

According to CBCP Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY), this visit of St. John Bosco’s relics is a most fitting way to launch the “CBCP Year of the Youth” as it “highlights the spirit of the saint who has offered his life for the young.”

ECY Chairman and Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon said ushering in the New Year as “CBCP Year of the Youth” will be a double celebration for the Filipino Church since it will also concur with the 25th founding anniversary of ECY on July.

Incidentally, it will also cover the 26thWorld Youth Day (WYD) slated in Madrid, Spain come August.

“During this ‘CBCP Year of the Youth,’ let us together work to intensify awareness about the youth and their importance to the life and activity of the Church. By our witness, let us help the young in our midst—in our homes, schools, communities, etc.—to find God in their lives and generously answer His call to service and love,” Baylon said.

“Let us pray that there may be wider participation and greater dedication in youth ministry, leading to a meaningful and fruitful service that is undertaken with the fullest attention and highest priority in every way by all in the Church,” he added.

Baylon also urged other bishops to spearhead the diocesan level of observing the National Youth Day (NYD) on December 16 and the “CBCP Year of the Youth” thereafter.

In a letter dated November 18, 2010, Baylon urged those involved in youth ministry to echo out the ECY’s NYD 2010 Formation Program, the Liturgy for the Eucharistic Celebration on December 16, and the ECY-composed Prayer for the Youth to the parochial and transparochial levels to reach the Filipino youth and their ministers.

After the observance of the National Youth Day in the diocesan levels this month, the year-long nationwide pilgrimage of the National Youth Cross will follow.

While members of the CBCP will convene for a workshop on Youth Ministry during their plenary assembly in January, youth ministers will have their retreats with ECY bishops as retreat masters from February to June.

There will also be a National Youth Coordinating Council 2011 meeting slated on April and the recognition of outstanding persons in the youth ministry will be simultaneously held until November.

After the ECY sends its delegation to the WYD in Spain by August, it will spearhead the celebration of the National Youth Day 2011 by October. A book on the youth ministry success stories will be launched come November, just before the “CBCP Year of the Youth” closes in December 2011.

But the youth ministry awareness campaign for the “CBCP Year of the Youth” will stretch until 2012 with the Congress of Youth Directors in January 2012 and the National Conference for Youth Ministers in October 2012. (Kris Bayos)

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10 Challenges to Youth Ministry in the 3rd Millennium

This is the first part of the talk of Fr. Mario Baclig, SDB when he addressed the Salesians and youth animators of both FIN and FIS provinces last November 29. The second part of his talk can be found here.

1. We are in the "Third Wave," says Alvin Toffler. Digital technology has brought the Information Revolution, and given us easy access to information. These are the best of times for everyone! In the words of Thomas Friedman, "the world is flat." For anyone and everyone, there is an equal opportunity to unfold and grow, to develop and bloom, to mature and bear fruit.

St. John Bosco said: "The fact that you are young is enough reason for me to love you!"

How then do we make this 3^rd Millennium the best of times for young people?

2. We are in the age of globalization. The world has become a global barrio because of developments in transportation and communication. We are discovering the diversity of persons and cultures, and find it easy to establish and sustain interpersonal relationships in the midst of so much diversity.

St. John Bosco was a born communicator. He would have enjoyed these times.

How do we maximize our interpersonal relationships to build a united world in this 3^rd Millennium?

3. We are entering "the age of spirituality," says Patricia Aburdene. We realize how limited is modern technology and how fragile are our economic and political systems. Hence, we turn to the spiritual world and draw strength from our deep inner sources. We allow our values to guide and energize us from within.

St. John Bosco lived with tireless enthusiasm and passed on this inner energy to the young.

How do we enable young people to enter into the inner spiritual world and empower them from within?

4. John Paul II challenged us to put Christ at the center of this Third Millennium. He is not just one more idea to discover, or one more gadget to acquire. He is a person—the most important one—to be "known, loved, and imitated."

St. John Bosco had one clear goal: to form the young into good Christians.

How do we lead the young people to Christ?

5. John Paul II challenged us to make "the spirituality of communion the guiding principle of education" wherever persons are being formed. The synergy generated by growing communities is most effective in transforming persons and sustaining their growth.

St. John Bosco wanted to form upright citizens, able to fulfill their role in building up society.

How do we form the young into community-builders?

6. The family is the basic unit of society and the Church. In the sanctuary of the home, life unfolds and develops. Love becomes real and bears fruit.

St. John Bosco knew what it means to lose a father in childhood and to grow under the loving care of Mamma Margaret.

How do we reach out to the young in the basic setting of the home and family?

7. The Church desires to return to the vitality of the beginning and foster the growth of basic ecclesial communities after the example of the early Christians in Jerusalem. Jesus said it clearly: "They will know you are Christians by your love for one another."

St. John Bosco wanted every center and school to be a community, exuding the atmosphere of a family.

How do we reach out to the young in the setting of the parish and its basic ecclesial communities?

8. Schools and training centers are privileged settings for children and youth. Through the total curriculum of these educative communities, growth is best fostered and sustained.

St. John Bosco was an educator par excellence; he developed and lived the Salesian system of education.

How do we reach out to the young in the setting of schools, including the public school system and college/university campus?

9. Modern media of communication, in all the different forms, carry messages back and forth at faster speed and with broader reach. In the Third Millennium, they make a powerful 24/7 impact on persons, individually and in mass.

St. John Bosco was at the vanguard of the media of his time.

How do we reach out to the young in the modern setting of the media?

10. Young people want to be welcomed and accepted as they are, with their longings and dreams, their needs and interests, their lights and sounds. Youth centers, in whatever form, provide such welcome to the young, who flock to shopping malls and entertainment centers or spend the day in farms and workplaces.

St. John Bosco opened the doors of his heart to the young and welcomed them.

How do we reach out to the young in the setting of renewed youth centers?

10 New Paradigms for the Salesian Youth Movement

The Salesian Youth Movement in the Philippines turned 20!

To mark the occasion, the two Salesian provinces that comprise the Philippines marked out a date to re-launch it. It took place last November 29-30. And because time was a luxury for us, we failed to attend the rest of the activities. But we did make it for the talk of Fr. Mario Baclig, SDB.

Fr. Baclig is "the" expert when it comes to Youth Ministry.

We came late. He was already halfway of his talk when we arrived but I had the access to the soft copy of his talk. I'll be posting the first part here. Thanks, Ate Fe! I promise to post the second portion if I have the chance.

Fr. Baclig gave me the go signal to share this here for the benefit of those who may have the need to update themselves as regards youth ministry particularly in the context of the Philippines.

Enough of the tales. Here are the new paradigms, according to Fr. Baclig:

1. The world is flat! More than ever, the young are a special treasure in the Church and in society. When they are formed, organized, and mobilized, they become a dynamic force ablaze with youthful energy.

SDBs should come down from the podium and give the floor to the young. Let SYM-Philippines unfold into a movement of youth, accompanied at every step by lay and SDB animators.

2. Money and guns have not transformed the world. Today, we need the vision and dreams of young people. We can build God's kingdom and change the world if the young take up their role as agents of transformation in society.

Twenty years are more than enough to grow and mature. Let SYM-Philippines take seriously the mission of social transformation, and progressively involve the young in social issues and commitments.

3. Jesus Christ calls each young person by name and awaits a response of responsible commitment. Today, we need young people who have fallen in love with Christ and are willing to commit their whole lives in his service.

Enough with sweet talk and freebies! Let SYM-Philippines lead the young to the heights of volunteerism and become the fertile ground for vocations to lay leadership, priesthood, and religious life.

4. The Salesian system of education works on human reason, cherishes the dignity of the human person, and engages all the inner resources of the young.

We need not bright luminaries but vision-led persons, not ideas but values, not books but growth-processes. Let SYM-Philippines empower the young from within and foster the development of values.

5. The Salesian system of education is founded on religion, acknowledges the primacy of God's grace, and fosters among the young a relationship of loving faith in God.

Who says that young people are not interested in prayer? Let SYM-Philippines be a school of prayer, with meaningful liturgies and prayer-experiences for children and youth.

6. The Salesian system of education unfolds in an atmosphere of loving kindness and family spirit, in the setting of a living and loving community.

Not only activities, but above all, activities and loving relationships! Let SYM-Philippines form community-builders by fostering the dynamics of group-life.

7. God's Word is not one of the many signals and messages in today's Information Age. God's Word is God himself, alive, loving, and powerful.

The Sunday Eucharist is our source of spiritual nourishment. Let SYM-Philippines take the Bible seriously and use "Word and Life" as the weekly formation program of the different groups.

8. The greatest form of poverty in today's world is the reluctance of persons to reach out to those in need. Our greatest treasure then is our willingness to serve others.

Not a distinct group of lay volunteers, but volunteerism in all groups. Let SYM-Philippines lead the children and youth to the heights of volunteerism and service.

9. In 1986, the bishops of the Philippines accepted and endorsed the Youth Encounter (Virac model) as the basic formation program for all young people. This is God's gift to the Filipino youth.

Here is a program made especially for the Filipino youth, unlike others that are mere adaptations of foreign programs. Let SYM-Philippines embrace and share the Youth Encounter (Virac model).

10. A new phenomenon called "Appreciative Inquiry" is rapidly becoming an effective catalyst for change in persons, organizations, and society—in fact, a way of life. It fosters the involvement of every person and creates a forward-looking movement.

We need optimists, not pessimists; positive leaders, not problem solvers. Let SYM-Philippines enrich its programs with the paradigms of Appreciative Inquiry.