Filipinos in Madrid to experience the unity of the Church to encounter Christ
More than 2 thousand Filipino young people attend the Youth Day. Fr. Garcia, Filipino priest of the Mariam Missionaries of the Holy Cross, emphasizes the importance of helping young people experience Christ's message. "When young people understand the greatness of Christianity it is no longer difficult for them to offer their lives for the Cross".
Madrid (AsiaNews) - "The experience of World Youth Day is an opportunity to experience communion with the Church and to encounter Jesus Christ”, Fr Garcia, Filipino priest of the congregation Mariam Missionaries of the Holy Cross, who accompanied some young people in his parish to Madrid, tells AsiaNews.
Over 2 thousand Filipinos travelled to Madrid to participate in WYD. Of these, about 400 are part of the delegation sent by the Episcopal Commission for the youth, the rest are young people and priests from various parishes and dioceses in the country. Some of them even made the journey alone.
Fr. Garcia explains that at WYD the young people have a great opportunity to experience faith and unity, which helps them to offer their lives to Christ and the Church. "In the Philippines - he says - we have no trouble catechising young people. Our country is deeply Catholic. But John Paul II invited the bishops to teach the faith to new generations in a simple way, through music, sport and other ways to help people better understand the Christian message". According to the priest experiencing the beauty of Christianity can help young people come to gain a deeper understanding of the faith, as pointed out by the Pope in his opening speech. "When young people understand the greatness of Christianity it is no longer difficult for them to offer their lives for the Cross. We don’t have to convince them of this, but they must be able to touch with their own hands what faith can generate within the secular society of today. "
The Philippines, together with East Timor, is the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia. The presence of a living and active Church has allowed in recent years for the formation of many priests and religious who have been sent abroad as missionaries, serving immigrant communities and parishes to help in foreign countries grappling with the crisis of vocations .
Fr. Joaquin is a young priest, a native of the Philippines Negros Occidental (Visayas), but who has been following the youth of a small parish in Los Angeles (United States) for several years. He arrived in Madrid with 34 young people, of various origins, including Filipinos and Mexicans, for the first time at WYD.
Despite the melting pot of races and languages present in Madrid, Fr. Joaquin says his young people have had no difficulties in communicating and relating with other young people. "I think that there are no barriers between the Catholics - he says - although it is hard to understand the words, we understand the gestures. However, the feeling is that of a universal unity. We all want to know who these people are, what they do in life and why there here". He stresses that because of these global events "young people understand that they are not alone in their experience of faith."
Over 2 thousand Filipinos travelled to Madrid to participate in WYD. Of these, about 400 are part of the delegation sent by the Episcopal Commission for the youth, the rest are young people and priests from various parishes and dioceses in the country. Some of them even made the journey alone.
Fr. Garcia explains that at WYD the young people have a great opportunity to experience faith and unity, which helps them to offer their lives to Christ and the Church. "In the Philippines - he says - we have no trouble catechising young people. Our country is deeply Catholic. But John Paul II invited the bishops to teach the faith to new generations in a simple way, through music, sport and other ways to help people better understand the Christian message". According to the priest experiencing the beauty of Christianity can help young people come to gain a deeper understanding of the faith, as pointed out by the Pope in his opening speech. "When young people understand the greatness of Christianity it is no longer difficult for them to offer their lives for the Cross. We don’t have to convince them of this, but they must be able to touch with their own hands what faith can generate within the secular society of today. "
The Philippines, together with East Timor, is the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia. The presence of a living and active Church has allowed in recent years for the formation of many priests and religious who have been sent abroad as missionaries, serving immigrant communities and parishes to help in foreign countries grappling with the crisis of vocations .
Fr. Joaquin is a young priest, a native of the Philippines Negros Occidental (Visayas), but who has been following the youth of a small parish in Los Angeles (United States) for several years. He arrived in Madrid with 34 young people, of various origins, including Filipinos and Mexicans, for the first time at WYD.
Despite the melting pot of races and languages present in Madrid, Fr. Joaquin says his young people have had no difficulties in communicating and relating with other young people. "I think that there are no barriers between the Catholics - he says - although it is hard to understand the words, we understand the gestures. However, the feeling is that of a universal unity. We all want to know who these people are, what they do in life and why there here". He stresses that because of these global events "young people understand that they are not alone in their experience of faith."
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