OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Young people are ready for World Youth Day in Brazil

OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Young people are ready for World Youth Day in Brazil
Port Moresby (Agenzia Fides) - The young people of Papua New Guinea are excited and ready to participate in World Youth Day to be held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2013. "Much will depend on them, on how they will take care of their formation and their time of preparation," notes to Fides Fr. Shanthi Puthussery, national coordinator of the youth Pastoral.
The participation of the young people of Papua for WYD "began with the Sydney’s edition in 2008" he recalls. "Then, some also went to Madrid, in Spain in 2011. For many of the participants it was quite a meaningful experience especially for their spiritual life in the journey of faith." But, he notes, "there were also some weaknesses: some dioceses had not actually selected and well-prepared the young people." This is why today it is important to "take care of formation, preparation and selection of the young, active and motivated. WYD is a pilgrimage of faith for those who are already involved in the life of the local Church and in a personal spiritual journey. "
Therefore, the service of the youth Pastoral has spread in the dioceses and in the Catholic youth of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands a booklet with the approach of " Doing by learning – Learning by doing" that explains Fr. Shanthi, "allows young people to start reading the Scriptures, especially the Gospel of Matthew, to have an introduction on the Eucharist, discover the history of their parish since the time it was established by the missionaries." Another book that will help is "The Transmission of Faith" on the current obstacles to transmitting the Christian faith from one generation to another: "a text designed for the apostolate of the laity, but it applies perfectly to the young." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/4/2012)