MANILA (UCAN) -- Young Catholic Asians are more interested in mission work in their own countries and beyond, but Asia's Churches must minister to and engage young people more effectively, according to the woman who heads youth work for the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

To help nurture young people's missionary spirit, Jessica Joy Candelario, associate secretary of the Youth Desk of the FABC Office of Laity, says she plans to establish links between her office and Religious congregations, parish organizations and charismatic movements.

When she spoke some time ago with UCA News, Candelario, 39, cited Religious congregations in the Philippines offering young people the opportunity to serve in NGOs, parishes and communities around their country. She also commended charismatic groups for their role.

Besides her FABC work, Candelario serves as consultant to the episcopal commissions on youth, mission and biblical apostolate. She also coordinates youth programs for the Immaculate Heart of Mary Fathers at their Bukal ng Tipan (covenant spring) mission pastoral center in Taytay town of Rizal province, east of Manila, where she is based.

The interview with Candelario, conducted at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in Manila, follows:

UCA NEWS: What steps have been taken to develop youth programs in Asia?

JESSICA JOY CANDELARIO: Many, even if we gather only once every two years for Asian Youth Day (AYD). The Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) of the CBCP gives formation to youth ministers by having them participate in the planning and implementation of programs.

We help in countries where Catholics are a minority. Seeing a big group of Catholics gathered at the AYD inspires them. In the last 10 years, we have imparted the spirit of faith, the celebration of faith and life among the young. There is collaboration and networking among countries. The Philippines has programs to offer, so other groups contact us.

Of course, we are still working on making bishops realize that young people are important in missions.

Are young Asians interested in mission?

Certain countries have programs that send young people out as youth missioners. In the Philippines, we have Jesuit and Lasallian youth volunteers who serve indigenous peoples, farmers and fisher folk in the provinces.

Religious organizations have established many volunteer associations. We also have charismatic communities such as Ligaya ng Panginoon (joy of the Lord), Christian Youth in Action, Elim Community and Singles for Christ. They send young people interested to do volunteer work in various areas. These programs are very popular in the Philippines.

The charismatic communities or Religious orders that send students or young lay volunteers to other countries adhere to the charisms of their congregation or community, and send volunteers to countries where the order was founded. Others, like the Jesuit or Lasallian volunteers, are more local.

Young people in other countries do mission work overseas, but not long-term. They stay two weeks or a month with foster families or dioceses. This is very popular with people from Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which are more affluent. Those from Hong Kong and Taiwan join a group in the Philippines for exposure, such as the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City (northeast of Manila).

Catholic schools in these countries have student-exchange programs. This immersion-exposure is a kind of mission work for students. Aside from getting to know what is happening, it helps them get involved. They also serve in Cambodia and Laos on seasonal or short-term programs.

What needs do young missioners respond to?

Usually economic. These youth groups have the means and can right away raise funds for a particular community. They help materially in setting up school centers or medical missions. Several like ICPE (International Catholic Program for Evangelization) also do formation. This lay organization now has a base in the Philippines and many young missioners come from Singapore and Malaysia. It does formation for the young in depressed or rural and urban-poor communities.

Do they coordinate with the episcopal youth commission or the FABC youth desk?

I don't think so. They do it directly with the communities involved or go through the bishop of the diocese.

At the last AYD (July 28- Aug. 5 in Hong Kong), we invited international youth movements for the first time to participate as workshop facilitators in the programs. After the workshops, we gathered them to brainstorm and they came out with the need to further links with one another.

In May, we are organizing a meeting with Asian youth organizations and movements to address these things. First is how to work together for Asia, then how to share resources and organize, since each organization is already doing its own mission work for its own region.

We also need to look at how to have a common mission direction for young people, especially those directly working for the youth. If they are working to build the local Church through mission activities, we hope it goes along with the participatory Church vision of the FABC. The meeting this May will attempt a kind of dialogue. It will bring youth leaders together with some bishops and representatives from the national structures or the bishops' conferences.

What obstacles are there in sending out young Filipino missioners?

Before sending them in mission, we need to evangelize or re-evangelize them, to help them discover the youth community in the parish and make them feel they belong. On average, only 10-15 percent of Catholics attend Sunday Mass, and only 1-2 percent of them are involved in Church work. We can use the same statistics when we talk about youth ministry. Before we even think of mission, we have an awful lot of work to do here! It is not happening, even to now.

Most youth or Church leaders look at youth ministry as organizing events, one activity after another for young people, but ministry does not happen that way. It is a continuous process.

The ECY's Ka-lakbay directory for youth ministry in 2004 gives us a clear vision toward the Church's missionary nature. [Ka-lakbay: Directory for Catholic Youth Ministry in the Philippines, a 208-page book that presents the context, vision and mission of youth ministry in the country, identifies the ministry's components, strategies, human resources and targets. "Ka-lakbay" means "travel companion." Candelario was a consultant on the project.]

How has the Church responded to young people's need to be heard?

More and more bishops' conferences in Asia are establishing youth offices or commissions. Church leaders in this century appreciate the need to minister to young people, and to have a concrete program and full-time minister to deal with young people.

In our youth gatherings, I see young people being empowered or sent to represent their country and to handle the coordinating work. Many Church leaders are becoming aware of the gifts young people can offer. Churches are starting to allow the young to take the stage.

Young Churches, as in Turkmenistan and Mongolia, are willing to develop young people. These very young, small Catholic Churches send representatives to conferences and are eager to set up youth desks.

However, at the Asian Mission Congress (Oct. 18-22 in Chiang Mai, Thailand) there were only youths involved in the technical work. Among the participants, there were no youths in their 20s. The significance of the youth voice is still not ingrained in people. It is as if when you say "mission," you send only Religious, priests and bishops.

How can more young people get into Church life and mission work?

First is by opening space in the Church for young people. They have particular needs, concerns and interests. We are not forming bonds with them, or they do not see the Church as listening to what they have to offer. We need to listen and be with them.

I'm not so familiar with Fondacio, but its school of formation of youth leaders is one way to really form young people, very concrete. [Fondacio, an international lay association active in 20 countries, runs a formation center for lay Asian youth leaders in Quezon City.]

To form missioners, schools such as St. Scholastica's College, Assumption College and the Salesian schools have very good missionary spiritualities.

Three college graduates sent as Salesian youth ministers to Papua New Guinea were assigned to a very remote area. They were part of the Salesian Youth Movement. There was a space for missioners in Papua New Guinea, which opened that space for laypeople. Some are still there, but some have returned. All were women from the Makati Salesian Youth.

Charismatic communities such as Ligaya ng Panginoon have young missioners in Udon Thani, Thailand, playing a very important role, not only there but also for (neighboring) Laos and Cambodia. Charismatic communities, Catholic schools and Religious congregations should open such programs for young people.

What are the FABC Youth Desk's plans for this year?

The second BILA (Bishops' Institute on Lay Apostolate) on Youth in November will review what has happened for youth ministry at the Asian level during the last 10 years and look at what needs to be done. This aspect of mission will come out because we would like to link up with the Asian Mission Congress, which tackled mission in particular, and Asian Youth Day, which covered the aspect of family. With the help of the bishops, we can draft plans. Part of the meeting will cover how to coordinate efforts of various Catholic groups to empower young people for mission work to various countries.

Some Asian Churches are seeking FABC help to send youths in mission. Filipinos in Laos and Cambodia say the local Churches are open to young people doing apostolate work for some months or a year. The ECY is looking into it.

Are you also exploring other missions?

I am particularly interested in migrant workers. My father and siblings are all migrant workers. My father was in Saudi Arabia for a long time. My sister is in Canada, one brother in Iran, and another in Saudi Arabia. A lot of my relatives are the same, and some are in the United States.

When I was in Rome to study for a few months, I met with migrant workers. I attended a prayer meeting and I cried because I then realized what my father's life had been, a lonesome life dealing with discrimination. There is a big need for this ministry to migrants and I wish I can also do some work on that.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)