Sulawesi: 2,600 youth take part in second Indonesian Youth Day
Centred on ‘The joy of the Gospel in Indonesia's plural society’, the meeting will end on 6 October. Tomorrow is the official opening. Seminars, catechesis, processions and sharing of testimonies enrich the agenda. The youth are hosted for free by local Christian and Muslim families.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Some 2,600 young people from across Indonesia are meeting in Manado (capital of the province of North Sulawesi) for the second Indonesian Youth Day centred on ‘The joy of the Gospel in Indonesia's plural society’.
The event, which began on Saturday (1 October), will end on Thursday (6 October) with the participation of some 16,000 Catholics from 37 Indonesia dioceses as well as two foreign delegations: one from Kota Kinabalu (Malaysian state of Sabah) and one from East Timor (Asia’s most Catholic nation).
For participants, the spirit of the meeting is one of hospitality and unity in diversity. Symbol of this is the fact that thousands of youth are being hosted for free by local Christian and Muslim families.
Santa Monica Ngantung, a young woman from St Anthony of Padua Parish in Tataaran (south of Manado), is one of the event’s many organisers.
Her task was to find accommodation for 58 participants, two priests and four nuns from the diocese of Tanjungkarang (Lampung province, Sumatra).
"I am very happy to serve them because this interaction between Catholics from various dioceses enriches my life," she told AsiaNews.
Indonesians warmly greeted Catholics in Kota Kinabalu who expressed their gratitude for the hospitality.
One local couple, the Lulys, opened their home to the pilgrims. "We are very excited to host these people,” they said, “because our eldest daughter received the same treatment when she participated in the first Indonesian Youth Day in Sanggau (West Kalimantan) in 2012."
The days include moments of prayer and meditation, Mgr Joseph Theodorus Suwatan, bishop of Manado, explained.
Young people will also discuss issues such as dialogue, mutual cooperation and solidarity with people of different faiths.
Last May the parade organised in preparation for the Day was welcomed with joy by local residents who belong to different ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, the prelate added.
Media centre organiser Fr Rheinner Saneba noted that the first three days consisted of parish activities, organised in homes where the young people are hosted.
Indonesian Youth Day will be officially inaugurated tomorrow, to be followed by seminars, catechesis, processions and sharing of testimonies.
The diocese of Manado, with the collaboration of Catholic congregations and the local government authorities organised Youth Day.
Fr Terry Ponomban, the priest in charge of the planning, said that the work done for the event will also serve as preparation for Asian Youth Day set for Yogyakarta (Semarang) from 30 July to 6 August 2017.
.png)
11/01/2008
