 Lasallian Youth Meet at BJT College, Keesara, India: On August 20th and 21st, BJT College was the venue for a Lasallian Youth Meet for the young people of the different parishes in the Nandigama Vicariate. The event was organized by the Brothers and their lay partners from the College and St. La Salle High School. About seven hundred and fifty boys and girls followed the two day programme.
The theme of the gathering was set by Br. Ferdinand, Director, in his welcoming speech. He said that young people today are the hope of the Church and Indian society. Their faith, life, vigour and ideals are essential ingredients for the future success and happiness of any institution. He mentioned that the meet was an integral part of events taking place in the Church as he spoke – namely, the Eucharistic Year; The World Youth Day in Cologne, and the Lasallian Year of Pastoral Ministry of Youth. He encouraged the boys and girls to follow the proceedings carefully.
On the first day there were a number of guest speakers leading the boys and girls through a variety of topics, ranging from self-knowledge to the Beatitudes, and eding with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Everybody was spellbound by the songs and the sermon. It was a first ever great prayer experience for many.
The second day began with a short reflection on the Gospel of the day. The young people were asked to consider the question “Who is Jesus for us today?” Is He our brother, friend and hope in times of trouble? Is he our shepherd, the very meaning of our lives? As they thought about these questions, perhaps they would discover many more names for Jesus. The young people were then encouraged to see Jesus present in all the events of their lives.
The meet concluded with a concelebrated, sung mass. In his closing speech, Br. John Fernando, President of the Delegation, asked the boys and girls to reflect on what they had learned during the two days. He re-iterated the theme of the gathering, namely, that young people are the hope of the Church and society. Since we were all one body he said that there should be a fraternal relationship among ourselves. We should promote justice in society and express our solidarity with the poor. We can imitate Jesus by opening our hearts to all people, no matter where they come from, no matter what the difficulties are. This, he said, is especially relevant in our dialogue with peoples of other religions. For it is only through this openness of spirit that we can communicate and share with everyone the essence of God’s love. He maintained that something good happens in our life as a community when we notice the people around us. He concluded his talk by saying that we should express these ideas in our prayer life as well.
(Br. Arockia Doss, Principal) |
lasallew@lasalle.org