austraLasia #1829

A young people's Easter - Timor Leste youth gather for their local Youth Day celebrations

FUILORO: 25th April 2007 -- It was the Third Sunday of Easter, but not too late for 7,000 young people to gather from all over Timor Leste at the Don Bosco Agricultural School in Fuiloro for the conclusion of 'Pascoa dos Jovens'.  Some of the not so young also joined in for the Mass presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli.
    The Young People's Easter was an event first begun by Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo SDB, and is now in its 17th year.  The grand Mass in the sports ground of the school where organisers had built a beautiful altar under a huge traditional Timorese house, was the final activity of 6 days of formation for 800 selected young men and women from parishes all over Timor.  They reflected on th theme proposed by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI on this year's Rome-based World Youth Day on Pal Sunday: 'Love one another as I have loved you'.  The yong people had already discussed what steps should be taken under this Gospel inspiration given the recently displayed lack of unity and peace in the nation. At one of the most touching moments of the Eucharist, some of their representatives laid down weapons used in harming and killing people, as a sign that the youth now want to be agents of peace, unity, love for the Church and their Nation.
    The formation activities were held in the Salesian Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul Los Palos.  They attended several conferences on important topics for nation building and development, such as moral ethics in politics, participation of the young in the progress of the nation, the importance of education.  Speakers included Bishop Basilio do Nascimento of Bacau and Jesuit Fr. Franz Magnis Suseno, professor of Moral Ethics at the Inter-diocesan seminary in Jakarta. Perhaps more important than these even were the six days of shared living which gave importance to the life of prayer, witness of faith, liturgical celebrations and reconciliation amongst the young people themselves.
    Leading up to Sunday's celebration was a Pilgrimage of PEace from Los Palos to the Fuiloro College, some 10 kms on foot.  The Bishop of Bacau and the Prime Minister Dr Jose Ramos Horta, and several other prominent government and church leaders walked with the young people to support them in their quest and commitment for a more peaceful and united country. The participants also listened to a message from Bishop Belo.
    At the conclusion of the Mass, the Cross of the Young was handed over to the waiting representatives of Maubisse Parish where it will remain for a year travelling from parish to parish, barrio to barrio, mission station to mission station. At next Easter's 'Pascoa dos Jovenes', the travelling Cross will then be carried to the Salesian Sacred Heart Parish in Venilale.
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