Bùi Chu marks Palm Sunday with 14,000 young people
Participants gathered for the diocesan Youth Day, marking a return to life after the break caused by the pandemic. Urged to be aware of familial love and called to bring “the joy of God to everyone,” they were full of enthusiasm.
Hanoi (AsiaNews) – Youth Day was held at Đại Đồng parish on Palm Sunday in the Diocese of Bùi Chu centred on the theme “Light up family’s love” (Thắp Sáng Tình Yêu Gia Đình). Some 14,000 young people came.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual diocesan event for young people took place for the first time in two years. Thus, for the community of faithful, the ceremony was a symbol of reawakening.
Father Joseph Phạm Văn Hy, vicar of Đại Đồng, urged the young participants to work together in the parish “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit”. The young faithful were asked to relive the Passion of Christ in order to experience Holy Week in a meaningful way.
The meaning and value of love in the family was the central theme of the day. Fr Martino Nguyễn Đại Lộc helped young people from the various parishes to become aware of the importance of familial love.
For many participants, this teaching was “profound and close to their daily experience”. In Vietnamese culture, the family is “the cradle, the school and the place to return to, in the loving arms of loved ones.”
To prepare for the ceremony on Palm Sunday, the young diocesans received the sacrament of confession. Bishop Thomas Vũ Đình Hiệu of Bùi Chu reminded them that “Jesus renounced glory and came among us to redeem humanity thanks to his death on the Cross.”
The prelate urged the young faithful to imitate the people of Jerusalem in welcoming the Lord. “They believed in God and placed their faith in Him. They built their happy families, becoming an example of love.”
At the end of the day, the young people of the diocese went home enthusiastic about “bringing the joy of God to everyone.”
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