Sulawesi: Indonesian Youth Day comes to a close
Thousands of people and 18 local bishops attend the closing Mass. Prayers, testimonies and moments of exchange between the young and clergymen filled the days. Two brothers from Taizé spoke yesterday, and participants went to confession. For one Catholic youth, being treated as “a brother or a sister” was worth all the travel.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The second Indonesian Youth Day ended today (2-6 October) in Manado, a city in North Sulawesi.
Almost 3,000 young people took part in the five-day event sharing prayers, testimonies and hospitality with some 15,000 locals. Eighteen of the country’s bishops celebrated the final Mass in the Emmanuel amphitheatre of the local Catholic centre, in Lotta, some 10 kilometres north of Manado (Photo 1).
On Tuesday, during the formal opening, youth from 37 Indonesian dioceses marched in a parade on Manado’s main street, covering a distance of two kilometres and a half until Klabat Stadium, set up for the occasion.
Young people received the greetings of the city’s mayor and the North Sulawesi governor, both of whom are Christians. Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, apostolic nuncio to Indonesia, and Agus Sriyono, Indonesian ambassador to the Holy See, were also present.
The stadium, set up for the occasion just the day before, was packed with many participants forced to sit on the ground.
Yesterday the bishops present – including Mgr Suwatan, bishop of Manado, and Mgr Pius Riana Prabdi, of the diocese of Ketapang – gave a lecture to groups from various dioceses. Young people were able to ask questions and discuss with the clergymen.
The evening was characterised by prayer and the ritual of confession. Everyone lived through a shared moment of repentance, aided by the testimony of two Taizé brothers from France. Dozens of priests were at hand for confession, and only around midnight did the line up of penitents come to end.
The thousands of young people who came from every part of Indonesia were hosted for free by local families, Catholic and non-Catholic, often different in ethnicity. Everyone said they were warmly welcomed in a friendly manner.
"Being different is a grace,” said Andreas Yoga Setiadi, from the parish of Pekalongan (Central Java). “I experienced this trait of Indonesian society during this period and it was beautiful. "
"This is the second time I participate in Youth Day,” said Theresia, from the province of East Kalimantan. “All the efforts I made to come have paid off by all the people I met here. Faith becomes relevant when you meet people who treat you like a brother or a sister. "
Felicitas, a Catholic woman, worked for the event from behind the scenes, taking care of fund-raising in the diocese of Manado.
"I am very happy to have contributed this way, and fortunately everything went well,” she said. “During the procession it did not rain even though the weather was very bad. The roof of Emmanuel amphitheatre was completed just a day before the opening . . . Many small miracles occurred."
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