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Delegates Reflect On Holy Spirit Ahead Of World Youth Day

Updated: July 01, 2008 06:05 AM GMT
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The Holy Spirit is a "hacker," a group of delegates to the World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08) celebration in Australia declared at a preparatory session. pr_makati_city.gifYouth ministry workers from Paranaque diocese compared their experience of the Holy Spirit´s movement in their life to someone breaking through computer and network security. Once he penetrates, "we lose control of ourselves," are "re-programmed" and "we restart our lives," group members said. The youth group from Paranaque, south of Manila, recited this declaration at the end of a reflection session on the first day of a preparatory gathering the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) conducted June 28-29 for members of its delegation to Sydney.   Activities centered on the theme of the July 15-20 WYD08 celebration: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Pope John Paul II began the annual observance of WYD in 1984, and international celebrations have been held every two or three years since then. About 500 WYD08 delegates, single Catholics 13-39 years old from various dioceses and groups, attended the ECY program in Makati City, southeast of Manila. They filled the open courtyard of Salesian-run Don Bosco Technical Institute with laughter, applause and music, and quiet moments of prayer. Students, teachers, school personnel, youth ministry workers, young workers, seminarians, priests, nuns, and Church and NGO group members introduced one another. They viewed WYD slideshows and discussed in small groups about what it means to be Catholic. The Paranaque diocese group was one of several that discussed the action of the Holy Spirit in their daily life and what "gifts of the spirit" each person can share with others. Some described encounters with the Spirit as "enlightenment," "feeling encouraged," or being "motivated" or "inspired." Norma Beatriz, 32, told UCA News the Holy Spirit helps her become a "better" Christian Life teacher at a parochial school in Quezon City, northeast of the capital. "It is not a popular subject among teenagers, and school officials expect much from a Christian Life teacher," she noted. She believes praying helps her stay patient and allows her to think up "creative" ways to teach values. Later, a Salesian priest told a session he "affirmed" his vocation to the priesthood when he joined World Youth Day in Manila in 1995 as a seminarian unsure about entering the priesthood. Today he ministers to Salesian Youth Movement members. A delegate who belongs to the Chi-Rho Youth Movement recalled overcoming "preconceived notions" about Protestants when she met, dialogued and prayed with other Christians during the WYD 2005 celebration in Germany. ECY chairman Bishop Joel Baylon of Masbate reminded the delegates they are going on a "pilgrimage." WYD, he said, is "not only a global but also a personal event." Aside from the formal activities, he explained, "something is going on inside us and we want you to be very aware of that." Nonetheless, he voiced his hope that WYD pilgrims will grow "holier not only in the sense of private piety, but also that God will appear to us and will be made present to others through us." Practical guidelines the ECY team gave delegates included packing warm clothes and umbrellas, bringing radios to pick up language translations and keeping in touch with their small group leaders. Its WYD Orientation Kit estimates the commission´s delegation will number around 800. Delegates will visit four parishes in Melbourne archdiocese July 10-14, before going to Sydney for the WYD08 opening Mass and the July 16-18 catechesis sessions, festivals, Stations of the Cross, vocation expo and other activities. ECY facilitators advised delegates to attend the Fifth Asian Youth Gathering on July 16, organized by the Youth Desk of the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops´ Conferences) Office of Laity and Family. The gathering will discuss the Fifth Asian Youth Day, being planned for 2009 in the Philippines, among other things. On July 17, delegates are to welcome Pope Benedict XVI at Sydney harbor´s Barangaroo area. They will join the pope again on July 19 for a "vigil under the stars" at Randwick Racecourse. The Holy Father is to lead the closing Mass on July 20. END

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