TAIPEI (UCAN) -- Young Catholics who joined the local Church's recent youth gathering say it deepened their faith and they are ready to answer God's call.

Wang Hsiao-wen, participant at the Fourth Taiwan Youth Day celebration, was deeply moved by an overnight prayer vigil during the Aug. 22-26 event. She told UCA News on Sept. 3 that she talked to Jesus and cried before him all through the night.

She felt as though he was telling her, "My child, come follow me." This " enables me to think over my vocation," she said. "Even though it might not be a religious calling, I believe God will show me the way."

Wang was among about 400 young Catholics, mostly university and high school students, from all seven dioceses in Taiwan who took part in the event at the Youth Activity Center near Tseng Wen Reservoir in Tainan, 265 kilometers southwest of Taipei. The youth desk of the Taiwan episcopal conference's pastoral commission and Tainan diocese's youth commission co-organized the gathering.

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Chung An-zu of Taipei, head of the bishops' youth desk, told UCA News on Aug. 31 that the event was aimed at deepening young Catholics' faith and also at encouraging them to join the international World Youth Day (WYD) celebration scheduled July 15-20, 2008 in Sydney, Australia.

The Taiwan celebration had the theme Pope Benedict XVI chose for WYD 2007: "Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another" (John 13:34).

Bishop Chung, 55, said one of the activities had the young people walk more than 13 kilometers, from the reservoir to the Causa Nostrae Laetitiae Marian Shrine, and greet passers-by along the way with the words: "God bless you. God loves you."

This four-hour walk gave them the chance to proclaim their religious belief openly, and some passers-by responded with delight, "Oh! They are Catholics," the bishop reported.

Winnie Su Yu-ying, secretary of the youth desk, told UCA News on Sept. 4 that Catholics of Tainan diocese warmly welcomed the participants for a home-stay program. It was the first time during a Taiwan Youth Day event that Catholic families received people from outside their diocese, she noted.

The five-day event included 11 workshops on such issues such as family, ethics, gender relations and vocations. Participants of past international WYD gatherings and other youth events were invited to share their experiences.

One of these veterans, Wang Chia-yin, assured participants that language differences at those events are easy to resolve, because "God is our common language." She encouraged them to interact with their counterparts from around the world, so that local young Catholics will realize they are not alone in their faith life.

Through her workshop, "Hope is at the corner: My future is not a dream," Wang shared her participation at a world youth forum in Rome in March.

She told UCA News that in people's daily life, secular affairs often have a higher priority over their search for God. "We cannot live a fulfilled life unless we understand God's plan for us first," she insisted.

Chen Chung-yu, president of the youth group of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Tainan diocese, told UCA News on Sept. 3 that he joined this year's Taiwan Youth Day with the intention of working for God and learning how to love his neighbors, family and friends.

Chen said he felt the Holy Spirit enkindle him when he played the role of Jesus in the play "Real-life Path of the Cross." The play made him feel united with Jesus' pain. He also said he felt Jesus telling him not to be afraid to follow in his footsteps.

According to Bishop Chung, all seven dioceses and some Religious congregations in Taiwan contributed in the preparations for the youth event. He also said he hopes the Taiwan Youth Day will become an annual event. The previous event was in 2004.

International WYD gatherings are held every two or three years. Pope Benedict kept up the tradition of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in attending the international WYD 2005 celebration in Cologne, Germany. The pope is also scheduled to attend the 2008 celebration in Sydney.

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