SYD4 Into Its 4th Day

Article by Julita Kantod

Photos by SOCCOM Tawau

Tawau : The 4^th  day, 9th June  commenced with the 7.30 am Morning Prayer using the Lectio Divina method  in their respective groups  followed by catechesis on Mother Mary and the the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The sessions on Mother Mary for the 3 main groups; 15-19 years, 20-25 years and 26 years and above were facilitated by Sr Judith fsic, Sr Liza Augustine fsic and Mrs Eva Siruno respectively.

The sessions on the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy right after the session on Mother Mary for the 3 main age groups were presented by Mr. Denis Patrick ( 15 -19 years ),  Mr. Dominic Lim ( 20 -25 years old ) and Mr. Theodolfo ( 26 years and above.)

The afternoon activity which began at 2.00 pm was the 'Journey of the Cross' coordinated by Sr. Evelyn fsic and team. The activity was held at the Church compound and the Mission School area of both the St. Ursula and Holy Trinity Secondary Schools. The  participants at both venues were divided into 7 groups each. 7 in Scripture symbolizes fullness, completeness and perfection.

The Journey of the Cross was aimed to help participants to experience the mercy of God in the salvation history. The experience gained would strengthen them spiritually and move them to remain faithful to the Catholic faith as well as to be merciful like the Father.

Though it rained mid-way but that did not in any way dampen their spirit. They braved the rain and participated till the end, a sign of faithfulness.

The Eucharistic celebration for the 4th day was presided over by Fr. Rooney Mailap, con celebrated by  Fr. Sunny Chung and Fr. Jeffrey. 

Fr Rooney in his homily, hoped that SYD4 would not be a superficial celebration but an occasion to experience a deeper understanding of self.  Spiritual transformation is a process and can only happened if you so desire. He shared that some of the young priests are the fruits of previous SYDs. He hoped that the experience here in SYD4 will be good ground for growth and that at the end of the day will bear fruits.

He continued to say that God works through our imperfections. We are all imperfect being but do not let that be  an excuse for not getting involved in Church.  Indeed, He is working something in us that we may not be aware. Pray, experience and continue to discover the meaning of new life so that we may encounter His mercy.

A total of 97 guitarists from across Sabah, including a few Franciscan Sisters shared  their talent to accompany the choir throughout the celebration. Their impressive music uplifted the spirit of the people. It was marvelous seeing so many young people coming together to offer their talent to God. It was awesome and amazing.

The  evening session was the 'Thematic Night,' themed 'I am a Catholic. I am alive.' There was a medley of sketches touching on the realities of family, youth and faith issues encountered by families in the current situation. Participants were asked to reflect on the sketches.

The drama was about the difficulties and challenges encountered  between husband and wife, members being neglected by family, conversion to other faith and pregnancy crisis out of wedlock. It gave the youth the space to think of the difficult moments that the family has to go through if such were to happen to anyone in the family.

The 5-day event would soon draw to a close. Members had spent much time together; relationship built and bonding established. The reconciliation session after the thematic night moved the participants, the main and local organizing teams as well as volunteers to tears and joy as they hugged each other to say how much they appreciate and value their companionship and sought pardon for any wrong done.

The session ended with personal reflection and a Closing Prayer led by the Worship Team.