AMERICA/ECUADOR - First National Youth Day: July 2-3, in the spirit of WYD 2008

Monday, 16 June 2008

Guayaquil (Agenzia Fides) – On July 2-3, the Archdiocese of Guayaquil will sponsor the First National Youth Day, with the theme: “Youth, with the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be my witnesses.” The event will be also be attended by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect for the Congregation for Bishops. The national encounter will take place in the same spirit as that of the World Youth Day taking place in Sydney (Australia), especially planned for those youth who will not be able to go attend the event in Australia.
The Day is a community experience of pilgrimage, prayer, and Mass, and its primary objective is “to celebrate the lively presence of the youth in the pilgrim Church in Ecuador, from a profound reflection on the Holy Spirit, who gives them the strength to live and testify to the Gospel, and the courage to proclaim it, making them mature in deepening their following of Christ with joy so as to illumine the world with His Light.” The encounter will be attended by pastoral agents and over 3,000 young people from ages 16-29 from parishes, Youth Groups, missionary groups, vocational groups, study circles, etc. The youth, who will come from all over the country for the event, will receive accommodations in the homes of families in Guayaquil.
According to the planned itinerary, the encounter will begin on Wednesday, July 2 at 2:30pm and at 4:00pm there will be a Pilgrimage with the Cross for the youth, from the “Colegio San José La Salle” to the “Parque Forestal.” At 6:30pm, there will be a Catholic Youth Festival in the “Parque Forestal.” On June 3, beginning at 9am, there will be Youth Catechesis in the following parishes: San Francisco, San Agustín, La Merced, San José, La Victoria, Santo Domingo. At 12pm, there will be a Youth Holy Hour in the same parishes where the Catechesis was held, and at 3:30pm will be the Closing Mass in the Cathedral. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 16/06/2008)


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