Subject: 'austraLasia' # 328 and #329

SOLOMONS: YOUTH SHOW THE WAY TO RESOLVE NATION'S PROBLEMS

and (see below) FIJI: YOUTH 'TRY ON' SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY.

A. Pereira

HONIARA: 15th April --"You will never have the courage to say no to slavery, darkness, and apathy unless you've said a bigger yes to a higher value"; " You will never give up a low kind of trip until you taste a better and more fulfilling trip" or more simply, "You will never stop eating wrappers until you taste a candy".

This could be in a nutshell what the Honiara Catholic Youth group tried to experience in their prayer rally today, April 15, 2000, Saturday at the Holy Cross compound. This is what the "Jesus Trip" organized by the Salesians of Don Bosco was all about. A trip from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light and from death to life.

The group of 150 youth (mostly college and university students) was led to a deep and personal heart to heart experience with God. An appropriate athmosphere with the right kind of meditative prayer, action songs, inpirational inputs and fraternal sharing provided the ideal setting for the "Jesus trip". A talk on God's love, prayer experience, faith sharing, Eucharist and Reconciliation: these were the ingredients of the day which was billed as a 'Jesus trip'for the participants.

The youth of Honiara who attended the "trip" believe that peace in the Solomon Islands is possible if the offending parties accept their mistake and humbly and sincerely apologize and make amends. They believe it because they tried it. They challenge the nation to do the same. The first to sincerely apologize will be the greatest. We pray this will happen soon soas to put a stop to the senseless killing of brother against brother.

# 329: FIJI YOUTH 'TRY ON' SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY

Julian Fox

SUVA: 16th April -- Some 30 key members of Fiji's Catholic Youth from the Nadera-Makoi parish took part recently in a day that they had specifically requested on 'Salesian' spirituality. Since 'youth' is an extended concept in many parts of the Pacific, and can include people up to the age of 35 if single (and a little younger if married it would seem!), the group comprised individuals who were teachers as well as youngsters still at school. By far the larger number, however, were unemployed youth who represented one of the significant problems facing young people in the nation.

The day came about because of contact with the Salesian seminarians who regularly move around the parish and whose witness of a joyful spirituality is catching. It was these young Salesians who presented the core of Salesian spirituality-in-action: games, prayer, talks, sharing, games (in that order), offering the young people a version of seminar that they had not quite witnessed before! The youthful participants now intend to take the message learnt to other sectors of Catholic Youth.