The youth commission of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference convened the ongoing Third Indonesian Youth Day (IYD) in Palembang Archdiocese of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, from June 26–30.
According to a press release from the event's organizer, the theme of the World Youth Day event, "Mary Arose and Hastened" (Luke 1:39), has inspired the Indonesian Catholic Youth (ICY) to rise and bear witness to a wounded world.
The committee explained that the whole IYD gathering consisted of three series of events: pre-IYD, the actual IYD, and post-IYD.
The pre-IYD event encouraged parish and diocesan youth to realize their potential and increase their knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. The events included in this stage were Indonesian ICY surveys, competitions, the IYD crusade, diocesan ICY crosses, the IYD novena, a live-in, recollection, seminars, and talk shows.
The second stage of the event, the actual IYD celebration, consisted of several activities such as catechisms, workshops, interfaith encounters, cultural exchanges, discussions, and sharing in addition to the observance of sacraments and devotions.
The final stage, the post-IYD stage, takes place after the celebration of IYD and aims to accompany and mentor youth and their activities in their respective parishes and dioceses.
Bishop Pius Riana Prapdi of Ketapang, the Chair of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference's Youth Commission, presided over the opening Eucharistic celebration while 11 other bishops participated.
Bishop Antonius Subianto Benjamin of Bandung, Chairman of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI), will preside over the closing Eucharistic Celebration.
ICY has been a magnificent youth gathering that occurs every five years in Indonesia. It began in October 2012 in the Diocese of Sanggau, then in October 2016 in the Diocese of Manado, with the third originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed to 2023 because of the Pandemic.
The press release states that the gathering in Palembang allowed participants to "meet, share faith, strengthen faith, and serve as an inspiration for ICY in living as Catholics and Indonesian citizens."
At the press conference were Bishop Pius Riana Prapdi, Chairman of the KWI Youth Commission; Father Frans Kristi Adi Prasetya, Secretary of the KWI Youth Commission; and Father Albertus Magnus Kristiadji Rahardjo, MSC, Chairman of the Palembang Archdiocese's Youth Commission and Chairman of OC IYD 2023.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
