WYD and after… Meeting friends and visiting places
Category Philippines
Meeting of the Dehonian Youth
All of the pilgrims from different SCJ parishes around the world are already in Poland. Prior to the main celebration of the World Youth Day in Krakow they met together in Pliszczyn.
One of the first groups of young people, that arrived in Pliszczyn, were the Canadians from Toronto. They were followed by the young people from Brazil, Indonesia, Spain, Germany, Philippines, Slovakia and from the SCJ parish in Houston in the United States.
In Pliszczyn there were: warm welcome of the delegates, presentations, prayer and the Eucharist, fun, shared meals and tours. Most of the young people from Spain, Italy, Albania and Portugal, were accommodated by foster families from the Good Shepherd Parish in Lublin.
In Lublin, they have learned about the history of the city and visited the former concentration camp at Majdanek.
Most of them visited the open-air Village Museum and the Catholic University of Lublin, where once a lecturer was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. They listened to the story of Professor Fr. Andrzej Szostak about the history of the university and its relationship with the Pope from Krakow. They also met at the roadside shrines located in the area of Pliszczyn with the local population and together they participated in the Holy Mass.
On Saturday, July 23, 2016, the young people took part in the central event of World Youth Day of the Diocese of Lublin at the Arena Stadium under the slogan: “Kraków begins in Lublin.” They arrived at the stadium through the city streets in a grand and colorful parade. On the site they saw the presentation about Abraham and the staging of the history of Lublin, which seven hundred year foundation falls next year. The main point of this Prayer and Art event was the solemn Eucharist presided by the Ordinary of the Diocese of Lublin, Archbishop Stanislaw Budzik.
On Sunday, the youth from Pliszczyn and Lublin went to Stadniki, where the Sacred Heart Seminary is located and where they were joined by other delegations, namely from Moldova, Finland and France.
On July 25, 2016, the young people met with the General Superior of the Congregation of the Priests of the sacred Heart of Jesus, Very Rev. Fr. Heiner Wilmer, SCJ.
The Philippine group is being accompanied by Fr. Andrzej Sudoł, SCJ, a former missionary in the Philippines and in charge of the Dehonian Youth, who designed the program of their visit and took care about all details including transportation, accommodation and sightseeing trips.
From Poland with Love – World Youth Day 2016
World Youth Day is a youth-oriented International event that takes place every two to three years. The event itself is a celebration of Catholic Faith among the world’s youth, but the invitation is extended to youth of all the world regardless of religious convictions. World Youth Day was initiated by St. Pope John Paul II in 1985 with the first encounter being held in Rome in 1986.
Each international World Youth Day attracts thousands of young people from around the world to gather in a festival of unity and color. World Youth Day is not just a day, but a week of festival, celebrating the faith of young people. World Youth Day presents an opportunity for young people of different cultures and backgrounds to come together and share in the faith and culture of others. It has become tradition that the groups of young people carry various colors, flags and symbols to distinguish who they are and where they come from. This is also done through songs, chants and music. Throughout the course of the event, young people trade these symbols, flags and colors to keep as souvenirs of their time at World Youth Day and as memories of the people they met.
History of World Youth Day
Although World Youth Day has become a week of celebration, the pinnacle of the festival is the open air mass held by the Pope on the last day. This is officially ‘The World Youth Day’. All the other activities are a build up to this event. The smiles and joy, singing and dancing, culture upon culture and nation upon nation, proudly holding flags high, greeting one another, trading tokens, humbly realizing how small we are in a world of people, and strengthened to witness so many who share our faith with all its difficulties and challenges, is all part of the build up to this massive International Mass, celebrating youth with their enthusiasm and joy.
There have been a total of 12 International World Youth Days since 1986. The most recent World Youth Day was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2013.
- Buenos Aires (1987)
- Santiago de Compostela (1989)
- Częstochowa (1991)
- Denver (1993)
- Manila (1995)
- Paris (1997)
- Rome (2000)
- Toronto (2002)
- Cologne (2005)
- Sydney (2008)
- Madrid (2011)
- Rio de Janeiro (2013)
Dehonian Youth Encounter
Since the WYD in Cologne in 2005, the Dehonian Youth from around the world meets together to share the richness of the spirituality of Venerable Fr. Leo Dehon and simply to celebrate. As this year, the World Youth Day is held in Krakow, Poland, the representatives from different countries are gathered around the centers of SCJ presence in different parts of the country. The youth connected with the SCJ Philippine Region is composed of 17 young people plus 3 priests and 1 SCJ seminarian. After arrival in Warsaw on July 20, 2016 and visiting some interesting places there, the group moved to Pliszczyn, Diocese of Lublin, where the SCJs have their parish and Postulancy house. After some common activities and visiting countryside they will move to Stadniki and then to Krakow to participate in the Vigil and the Mass with Pope Francis on July 30-31, 2016. The participants from the Philippines will also have an opportunity to visit some important places before their departure for the Philippines on August 9, 2016.
New SCJ Presence in Diocese of Antipolo
On June 26, 2016, the Holy Cross Chapel located in Sitio Bukal, Barangay Tandang Kutyo, Town of Tanay in Rizal Province, was officially declared a parish. The Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo, Most Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, DD., entrusted this new parish to the SCJs.
The Holy Cross Parish is composed of ten (10) chapels, and formerly was a part of San Idefonso de Toledo Parish in Tanay.
The ceremony of erection and induction of the new Parish Priest took place during the Holy Eucharist presided by the Bishop Coadjutor, Most Rev. Francisco M. De Leon, DD. At the start of the Mass, the Parish Priest of San Idefonso de Toledo Parish, Rev. Fr. Noeh E. Elnar, read the decree of erection and of appointment of Rev. Fr. Marcial C. Aguirre, SCJ, as a Parish Priest, which was followed by the “Profession of Faith” by Fr. Marcial.
The new Parish Priest will be accompanied by a Deacon Rev. Dennis Macasero, SCJ, and a seminarian on exposure Fra. Justreel Tuburan, SCJ.
The celebration was flocked by many parishioners and guests, including the Mayor, Vice Mayor and Barangay Officials of Tanay. The SCJs were represented by members of the Dehon House Community, Bagong Silang, and the Regional Superior Fr. Francis Pupkowski, SCJ.
Installation of New Parish Priest in Bagong Silang
The Ceremony of Induction is an occasion when a new Parish Priest is formally presented to the parish in a liturgical context. The ceremony is so arranged to remind priest and people of their responsibility together before God to serve Christ in his Church, and by their holiness and the example of their lives, individually and as a local community, to promote the mission of their Lord.
On June 17, 2016, the Bishop of Diocese of Novaliches, Most. Rev. Antonio R. Tobias, DD, has installed Fr. Elpidio Luza Jr., SCJ as a new Parish Priest in San Roque Parish in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. Fr. Elpidio, who has already served for one year in the parish as an Assistant Parish Priest, replaced Fr. John Karl Cabaluna, SCJ.
The ceremony took place during the Holy Mass and was attended by many parishioners, who came to say “thank you” to the outgoing Parish Priest and welcome the new one. Several SCJs and some other religious and diocesan priests were also present. Fr. Elpidio will be accompanied by his two assistants: Fr. Marlo Piloton and Fr. Sergio Matumoto.
At the end of the Mass, Fr. Francis Pupkowski, SCJ. the SCJ Regional Superior wished all the best to the new Parish Priest and thanked Fr. “Nonong” for his work and all accomplishments, especially for his “compassionate heart” for the poor, sick and abandoned. Among many different projects started by Fr. John Karl are the feeding program, providing lunch six days a week for almost 200 children and elderly people, and kindergarten for more than 40 children.
SCJ Philippines Region 