The Indonesian Catholic Youth Organisation opened its four-day Catholic Youth National Workshop and Meeting (Rakernas) on May 26.
The program is taking place from May 26 to 29 in North Minahasa, North Sulawesi.
The meeting in North Minahasa is the first national meeting held after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over 400 participants from all over Indonesia are attending the program.
Bishop Benedictus Estephanus Rolly Untu of Manado presided over the opening Mass as Catholics in Indonesia celebrate the Feast of the Ascension on May 26.
Moderator Priest of the Catholic Youth Center Executive Jesuit Father Johannes Hariyanto and the North Sulawesi Catholic Youth Moderator Father Johanes Montolalu also joined the Mass.
In his homily, Bishop Rolly Untu reminded Catholic youth leaders of the meaning of Jesus' Ascension to Heaven.
"In a certain sense, the Ascension means that Jesus' mission is completed in building the Kingdom of God in the world, but this also means that the mission of the Church has begun," said the prelate.
The Ascension, according to him, also shows the true identity of the faithful, about the oneness of Jesus with God the Father.
"Therefore, this must be an inspiration and motivation for Catholic youth to build fellowship, fraternity and empower the potential of Catholic youth leaders," concluded the bishop.
The theme of the 2022 Catholic Youth National Workshop and Meeting is “Leader mentoring and empowerment in political calls and economic foundations.”
According to Stefanus A. Gusma, the chairperson of Indonesian Catholic Youth, the Catholic Youth National Workshop and Meeting is a form of accelerating organizations based on the potential of leaders’ resources towards a commitment to reborn and grow further.
“Indonesian Catholic youth Organisation has been in 32 provinces and 289 regencies/cities. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to use the new organizational paradigm, which is rigid and merely ceremonial and needs to be replaced. We are talking about the collaboration era. We have been left behind compared to other young people," he explained.
Gusma further stated that Catholic youth have a big commitment and ideas that are in the vision and mission of Indonesian Catholic Youth towards reborn and growth further.
“Therefore, it is a new birth with new management, perception and paradigm. But we also want to grow and nurture together by empowering internal leader resources," he said.
Catholic youth in carrying out its mission is committed to continuing, to provide space for creativity and innovation for all its leaders to grow into a reliable organization amid the challenges of the times; and to continue to make a real contribution to the church and the country.
The four-day program is designed with various activities and workshops also held in this national meeting to support the new paradigm of reborn and grow further Catholic youth organizations.
The workshops include, among others, strengthening spirituality by Jesuit Father Johannes Hariyanto, a workshop on legal aid and catalysts, a workshop on journalists and media handling, a workshop on Papuan Task Force and a workshop on Leader Organizational Development.
North Minahasa is located in North Sulawesi, Manado diocese, which is about 3,325 km from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia.
There are 21% of Catholics (145,155) of the total population of 690,712. There are currently 67 parishes in the Manado Diocese with an area of 90,000 square kilometers. - Emiliana Saptaningsih
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