April 2022
Youth Conference 2022 - An Overview
The Youth and Young Adults Office organised a Youth Conference for all youth leaders and youth group members from the 11 to 14 of March 2022. It was based on Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You) and themed “Where Divinity and Humanity Meets”.
Friar Mike kicked off the conference, and using the example of the anointing of the sick, he reminded us that Jesus, the ‘Divine’, meets us at our humanity, through our wounds, sicknesses and weaknesses. Through the simple act of touching the hands and feet of the sick, they are connected through their humanity to the divine.
When St Francis was ill and blind, he wrote the Canticle of Creatures while he was contemplating the question, “Who am I?” and “Who are you God?”. Through pain and contemplation, St Francis saw the connection and kinship with all creation through God. This revelation of St Francis moved him to call Brother Sun and Sister Moon.
Next, Friar John-Paul Tan gave a session on Fraternity, and how the love for others flow from receiving the love of God in our lives. Thereafter, he conducted the Youth Conference Table, which gave the participants a platform to ask any questions relating to Fraternity and the community. The questions asked challenged everyone to look deeper into their own motivations and dispositions to be in the community.
Participants also went for a nature walk led by Kerry Pereira from Fioretti, a new ministry formed to advocate the care of nature. Kerry, who works as an Outreach Officer at Nature Society of Singapore, used reflection guides to invite the participants to contemplate on the word of God, which helped participants recognise the connection they have with nature.
The takeaway, for me is: How often do we actually pause to take note of the day-to-day interactions we have with our environment? We must be humble and accept that we do need nature to live. Nature is sacred, we must take care of it so that nature will take care of humanity; harm nature and humanity will suffer.
By the third day, the conference focused on taking actions by looking deeper into humanity. We are all called to be more than just stewards. We are called to kinship with all of creation. Charity is not only about giving alms, but it’s also a call to love creation with its own purpose.
Everything and everyone is given a purpose because we are created by the Love of God. This was translated into an activity where participants created a terrarium, a self-sustaining ecosystem in a jar, that represents an outward projection of their inner desire by putting small objects of significance in their lives in their jars. The terrariums are to be cared for by the participants as a reminder of who we choose to be for all creation.
At the end of the conference, feedback from the youth participants affirmed us that they had a better appreciation of the Laudato Si' message, which focuses primarily on the relationship of God that flows into all creation. To truly love creation, which includes humanity, we must remain in Jesus.
The Youth and Young Adults Office is thankful for God’s providence in the success of our first Youth Conference for the youths of St Mary’s, and we look forward to organising the next one in 2023.
