During the International Eucharistic (IEC) Congress which was held in Cebu last January 2016 we were given a vibrant view of a universal Church that is eager to dance with the flow of the New Evangelization. But what is more amazing is the organization of an IEC Youth day, which is a first in the history of all IEC international gatherings. It shows to us that youth ministry is already alive in the Catholic Church especially in the Philippines. Of course, one thing is the presence of young people yet another is how solid is their formation in the youth ministry in the face of the new challenges?
The Commission on Youth Ministry (CYM) of the Philippine South Province has been giving youth orientation talks to the different groups, parishes, vicariates, and commissions in order to educate these active young people in the journey of faith. The primary principle behind these seminar-workshops is “Teach them the right principles in youth ministry and they will have a ministry aligned with the Church.”
CYM offers three progressive Youth Ministry (YM) modules:
- YM 101: Youth Ministry Orientation using the CARE Framework based on the Ka-Lakbay, Philippine Primer on Youth Ministry, and the Gospel of the Emmaus. It is a weekend seminar-workshop.
- YM 102: On Youth Planning. Taking off from their knowledge about youth ministry, this seminar-workshop will give them some skills in scheduling, calendaring, and planning small and big events.
- YM 103: On Group Building Activities and Module Making. Groups of this generation are not so much with chalk-talk kind of formation but with fun and adventure plus the most essential thing, the processing. In this seminar-workshop, the groups are taught how to create modules for their group building activities.
Each year, the CYM organizes at least two sessions from different locations and every time it is convened, the youthful dynamism of the leaders is just wonderful. Aside from the prepared modules, the CYM also accepts invitations from the diocese especially through its different parish youth day festivities and formative sessions. Still, CYM is a regular invitee on St. John Paul conferences held annually in Lawaan, Talisay City, Cebu especially designing talks for the the youth and its ministry. This is the way, we Salesians, contribute to the formation and vibrancy of youth ministry in the private and as well as in the diocesan contexts.
The CYM team is composed of Fr. Joriz Calsa, SDB, FIS Delegate and is a licentiate degree holder in Youth and Family Ministry. Assisted by Ms. Patlyn Antonette Pañares and Ms. Jayriel Cui, CYM FIS secretaries.
