MANILA, January 7, 2012— More than 500 young people gathered for the annual diocesan youth day of the Diocese of Antipolo last December 27 to 29, 2011.
Participants represented four parochial schools, three youth organizations, and 49 parishes all over the diocese.
Organized by the Ministry for Youth Affairs of the diocese, the event was hosted by the Vicariate of Our Lady of Aranzazu and held at the San Isidro Labrador Parish, Marikina.
Diocesan youth coordinator Dani Villanueva revealed that participants had undergone a whole-day preparatory session for the diocesan youth day last November 27 at St. Matthew College in San Mateo, Rizal.
He said the Pre-DYD spiritual preparation included catechism, workshops, orientation and important reminders.
Antipolo Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes and Auxiliary Bishop Francis De Leon presided the opening and closing Mass, respectively, at the San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila School gymnasium where the closing diocesan celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth was also held.
The DYD was highlighted by a vocation festival which was an adaptation of the World Youth Day festival on vocation held last August 2011, in Madrid.
Villanueva said the festival aimed to promote religious and priestly vocation among the youth and provide them opportunities to develop skills on discernment.
“Another uniqueness of this year’s DYD,” according to Villanueva, “is the concurrent sessions with some 20 workshops designed to cater to the needs of the youth ministry spread throughout the entire youth days. These workshops are to be facilitated by the selected youth ministers of the diocese, region, FNYO and ECY.”
Villanueva said the diocesan event for the celebration of the CBCP Year of the Youth was the 1M tree planting project of the Episcopal Commission on Youth that aims to concretize the youth's love for the environment.
“A total 356 seedlings shall be added to the number of trees planted this year. Seedlings shall be planted along the Marikina River in Baranggay Nangka.,” he added.
The DYD culminated with the Diocesan Youth Ministers’ Meeting on December 29 and 30. The two-day lived-in meeting was consultative in nature, and served as a pre-planning workshop for the Annual MYA Planning and Evaluation to be held within this year.
“Ministry for Youth Affairs of the Diocese of Antipolo soars high in 2012 as we give much focus on the Formation Programs and assistance to youth ministries in newly-created parishes. We anticipate the official declaration of the Year of the Pontifical Mission Societies as our diocese [will] host the National Mission Festival,” Villanueva said. (Jandel Posion)
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