27th Local World Youth Day in Cebu opens today

CEBU, Philippines - The 27th Local World Youth Day formally opens today in Cebu City.

Around 4,000 youth representatives from different parishes, youth groups, and organizations in Visayas and Mindanao are expected to gather in the three-day event which will be an opportunity for the youth to reflect together on last year’s ‘Year of the Youth’ theme, “Stand Firm in the faith, do all your works in love”.

Prayers, Catechism, and other religious activities will be conducted by the young pilgrims.

Local World Youth Day (LWYD) organizers composed of parishes in Cebu North, said this is the re-echoing of a previous World Youth Day celebration and is a local celebration of another World Youth Day to be held in Rio de Janiero in Brazil in 2013.

For this year’s celebration, host parishes will share in fostering the young pilgrims, particularly, the parishes of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-Recoletos, San Vicente, Sto. Rosario, Alliance of the Two Hearts, St. Therese, St. Joseph and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Within the event, LWYD over-all chairman Ian Rey Pableo said they will allot sufficient time for Blessed Pedro Calungsod, who is set to be canonized on Oct. 21. They willl be holding a ceremony for him and recognize him as patron saint for the youth.

Pableo said they had one year to prepare for the event which will culminate with a send-off Mass to be officiated by Archbishop emeritus of Cebu, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, at the University of San Jose – Recoletos – Basak Campus on the dawn of April 1, which also marks the Palm Sunday.

The Holy Hour and dialogue with Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, the highlight of the event, will also be held in the school on the eve of March 31.

During the activity, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will accompany the youth in praying and converse with them about current youth issues such as teenage pregnancy, use of Facebook and other social networking sites, Ecumenism, and Gender sensitivity. (FREEMAN)