By Julie Ann Loong
Four days away from the end of the calendar year, the Diocesan Youth Commission kicked off the very first Youth Camp Night and Music Fest, where the youth of our diocese who are called to be modern day saints came together and celebrated the fact that “Christ is alive” (Christus Vivit).
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Bishop Ryan and the members of the clergy at 4PM. During his homily, Bishop spoke about the Nino visitations going on during this season of Christmas and made an important point: if we welcome Jesus Christ, we are able to see him. He then proceeded to ask a question which we should all consider.
“Can you look to the people to your left and to your right and see Jesus Christ? Jesus is present and alive.”
After the mass, there was a segment of the event where the youth were given an opportunity to ask Bishop Ryan the questions, they were most curious about. This ended up becoming a special moment of addressing important topics within the church. It was also a time for the youth to see that not only is he our bishop, but that he is also our brother in Christ especially in getting to know him through testimonies of his personal experiences. From here, it was clear that he had a desire to instil and encourage the faith in the youth
By sunset, the music fest portion was kicking into full swing and performers from the parishes did their best in showcasing their talents through singing and dancing.
The Youth Commission of the diocese had been planning this Youth Camp night for months and were glad to see it successfully take place. Don Taisacan, a member of the commission, claimed that the experience of attending was superb.
“Though we’ve had weekend-long Youth Camps these previous years, this was the first time that the commission decided to style it after a sort of concert for the youth. Although the original plan was to include other Christian denominations, we didn’t have the chance to do this. We do look forward to this happening in the future. I especially liked the Q&A with Bishop.”
Ending the night with a closing prayer, everyone left in high spirits. For those who were able to join, it was a wonderful way to spend one of the last days of the decade. Saint John, a man who answered God’s call and had the courage to do His will, was definitely an intercessor for that day because in being together as a church, the youth, who are the present and future of our faith, were able to see at least some of the joy of being a Catholic today. All were reminded that Christ is alive in us because, as written in the Gospel of Matthew, “Where two or three gathers in my name, there I am in their midst.”
