4784(III)_Youth serving Youth: Salesian Altar Boys in HK
Salesian Altar Boys team spirit building
July 10, 2018
Hong Kong, 8 July 2018 -- Salesian Altar Boys’ Day was celebrated at Salesian Missionary House, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong, on July 8, 2018. About 70 Salesian Altar Boys, comes from five Salesian Schools (Salesian English School, St. Louis School, Hong Kong Tang King Po College, Aberdeen Technical School and Tang King Po School) in Hong Kong, gathered together getting to know each other.
“Youth Serving Youth” has been Don Bosco’s educational style when working with young people. Indeed this activity was organized by the youth themselves. 2-3 committee members from each Altar Boy Sodality of the schools were invited to prepare for the event four months ago. They started to learn the 6Ws words for planning youth program, and had a meeting once a month. Indeed one of our objectives was to form the committees on how to organize a joint school activity, and this was a chance for them to practice the skills.
The main objective of the event was to build up their team spirit and sense of belonging among their altar boys sodality through competitions. In addition, also wish they would affirm their identity as a Salesian Altar Boy.
After ice-breaking, we had a detective game. All the participants had a role as police, and they were asked to solve a murder case. So they had to complete different tasks in order to get different clues. And the tasks were about liturgical colors, liturgical objects, structure of the mass and some formation on altar servers. Finally what they found actually was a scene that people celebrating the mass secretly, which they used the dead body of the martyr as the altar according to the tradition. After this creative game, we had a liturgical Q&A competition which they can grow in knowledge of their faith, our Salesian Congregation, our diocese and the Church.
The day was highlighted by the Eucharistic celebration celebrated by Fr. Domingos Leong, SDB, member of Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Liturgy Commission. It was wonderful to see the Salesian Altar Boys, accompanied by Salesians, to serve around the altar. They dressed with altar vestments and served the mass devotedly. Fr. Domingos shared with them in his homily that altar boy is not a name but an identity. As an altar server, are to serve like Jesus and not to be served. During the mass, he also blessed the new altar vestments and all the participants made a commitment to be responsible as altar servers. Before the mass ended, Fr. Carlos Cheung, the Vocation Promoter, invited the youth to pray for more Salesian vocation. It was also a moment to foster Salesian Vocation and to encourage the youth to think about their vocation.
Last but not least, the youth have had a happy barbecue night and Fr. Domingos gave a Good Night Talk emphasizing Don Bosco way of life: Serve the Lord, with Holy Joy! And the day was concluded with three Hail Mary.
