July 28, 2023, Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes – The youth center of Lourdes Parish held its BUSKO Bingo for the different Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) sodalities and youth groups. The bingo game is renamed after St. John Bosco. Around 100 young people from 9 youth groups vied for the prizes in the game.
The youth center regularly opens its facilities for the sodalities and other youth every night for games and formation. The pandemic saw a drastic decline in attendance and life. Together with the Parish Youth Coordinating Council, the youth center is seeking to revitalize the youth ministry of the Youth Center and the different Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) of the parish.
Part of the thrust of the Provincial, Fr. Fidel Ma. Orendain, SDB, is the rethinking and reinvention of the youth center setting. Apart from the traditional oratory and playground setup, youth centers are challenged to innovate its implementation to better meet the needs of the post-pandemic Gen-Z youth. Lourdes Parish will seek to establish a study center soon to assist the poor and marginalized learners and to revisit the form of youth ministry in the chapels.
While challenges remain for youth ministry, these also provide new opportunities and invite reinvigorated zeal for Salesians and youth alike.
