In the spirit of oneness and solidarity as the universal Church celebrated WYD in Rio de Janeiro, the youth at the parishes of Sacred Heart, Thornlie and St Emilie’s, Canning Vale joined together in their combined celebration of WYD on a local level.
The program commenced with Sunday youth evening Mass at St Emilie’s parish with the WYD theme: “Go, make disciples of all nations”, celebrated by Fr Chien Nguyen and Fr Clayton Mitchell, priests from both parishes.
Symbols with the WYD colours were used throughout the liturgy to mark the occasion.
The globe was presented at the beginning of the Mass as a symbol of our oneness in celebration of our faith throughout the world.
The liturgy was organised by the youth of both parishes with the guidance of Sr Lilian Bong SJA and Youth Council leader Theresa Beard from Sacred Heart parish.
During his homily, Fr Clayton spoke of our need to reflect on how the Gospel is truly “good news” for us.
He said we would only want to share our faith and the message of Jesus if we truly believe it is something that has given and continues to give us life.
Fr Clayton also invited those present to be aware of their motivation for sharing the Good News; is it simply about membership, increasing the number of people in the pews on Sunday and in our youth groups, or is it about wanting to share the inner joy and life that comes from a relationship with Christ and embracing his “good news”, he asked.
After Mass, the celebration continued; dinner was followed by a variety of activities, games, ice-breakers, and a question and answer session with regards to faith facilitated by Fr Clayton.
The young people were found to be enthusiastic, thirsting for God in their faith journey.
Inspiring personal testimonies from youth Jun and Danae who had gone to the 2011 WYD in Spain were shared and touched the hearts of many.
The evening ended with prayer reflection sessions by young people invited to light candles in front of the picture of Jesus praying.