Catholic youth hold formation for football players in Pakistan

The youth of St. Patrick’s Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan organized a formation program for football players and other youth members on February 12.

It was an opportunity for young people to be close to God through sports. 

As many as 40 boys and football players attended the event.

Speaking to the participants, Daniel Bashir, a Catholic youth leader, said, “Each one has to know one’s purpose of life and pursue it with passion, dedication, and discipline to serve God and society.” 

Bashir, a physician, explained the purpose of life according to YOUCAT—to know God, love Him, and serve Him.

YOUCAT stands for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. As a book, it is a manual of faith that speaks the language of the youth.

It is a youthful version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church released in different languages in 2011 for adolescents and young people. The takeaways of the faith are explained succinctly in question-and-answer formats.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome approved the book, and the Austrian Bishops’ Conference published it. With more than 5 million copies already sold, it is one of the best-selling Catholic books in the world. 

YOUCAT is a way to enlighten the young in the beauty of the Catholic faith and the truth of the Gospel.

Bashir also shared about priestly and religious vocation in the church.

He was one of the delegates from Pakistan in the Synod on the Youth 2018 in the Vatican.

Further, Bashir addressed how Catholic youth is “to serve God through serving His people.”

“I also shared with them what we are doing already in Karachi including to support Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si,” Bashir said.

‘Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You) is the second encyclical of Pope Francis published in 2015. Its focus is on how to care for the environment. 

“It was a great talk, and I learned about my purpose. Now onwards, I will care for nature with love and respect,” said Mark, one of the participants and football player. 

“Daniel Bashir is an inspiration for the young generation of the Christian community. He is energetic and enthusiastic and wants to serve humanity with all available resources. For me, he is a person to be followed by the young generation. May God bless him,” said Master Jamshed, an organizer of the youth program and parishioner of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Karachi.