WYD: thousands of young people discover the spirit and missionary commitment
In preparation for the World Youth Day, the Philippine parish of the Shrine of the Holy Christ is concentrating its efforts on getting one of its young people to Rio de Janeiro. The coordinator of the parish group speaks of "an extraordinary example of generosity and sharing the result of a bond matured over the years."
"The young people, about 120, are very happy to help Rex - says Marlon Antolin, coordinator of the parish group Kadang Dominiko - many of them have been part of our parish since they were children, it was not difficult to transform them into one big family ". The inaccessibility of travel costs has pushed Marlon Antolin to choose only one of the 5 young people who were supposed to go to Rio de Janeiro as delegates. On his return he will share his experience with the whole group. In preparation for July 22 - the beginning of the week long World Youth Day gathering - his companions are helping him to raise the funds necessary for the journey.
Rex Russell Tan is 23 years old, and works for a famous chain of restaurants in the Philippines. He will be the only young of the parish to go to World Youth Day. "I have great hopes for Rex - says Antolin - I'm sure he will be able to share his experience to explain what he has learned."
A raffle, a youth concert, the sale of second-hand items in a private garage are among the activities organized by young people to raise the necessary funds to help Rex for the journey. Earvin John, a member of the original group, donated the money he had been saving for the trip to his companion, while Marlon Antolin has taken steps to raise the money needed to pay the 265 dollar registration.
World Youth Day will be held in Rio de Janeiro July 22 to 29. Rex was helped in his spiritual preparation by Marlon Antolin, who in his life time has already participated in five WYD events.
Itaiupu - Accompanying young people participating in the World Youth Day in Rio De Janeiro to "get to know and fall in love with the missionary spirit": is the goal of the Pontifical Mission Societies in several Latin American countries, which, as reported in Fides, take part in World Youth Day. In preparation for the event, in past days thousands of young people participated in the "Missionary Week" organized by the local churches that welcomed young people from around the world in Brazil. In Belo Horizonte, the "Missionary Week" opened with the participation of 20 thousand young people. In Petropolis the opening of Missionary Week involved thousands of young people and the largest group was from Chile. According to data sent to Fides by the Conference of Bishops of Brazil, among the non-Brazilian enrolled in the "Missionary Week," there were more than 30 thousand young Latin Americans and also from other continents, welcomed in 150 Brazilian cities. Although it is not possible to give a definite number of young Brazilians participating in this "Missionary Week" in preparation for World Youth Day, it is estimated that over 500 thousand Brazilians took part.
Among the experiences reported to Fides, on July 16, the youth of the Youth Mission , movement of the Pontifical Mission Societies , from Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Angola participated in the "Missionary Week" in Sao Goncalo . And, to deepen the spirit and missionary commitment, visited the Community of Santos Anjos, in Itaiupu, oceanic region of Niterói to learn about their mission and their charisma. The community, which gained diocesan recognition, is a new experience of Christian life for families and lay". The community was founded in 1993 by a retired engineer, Paulo Diniz and his wife Livia. Celebrating 20 years of mission, the community now has about 100 members in six cities of the Archdiocese of Niterói. Community members assist about 100 families in need. "We work in concert with parishes, but we try to go to places where the parish cannot go", says Paulo Diniz in the note sent to Fides by the PMS in Brazil.
Source: asianews.it, news.va (Jul 19, 2013)
