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former CYA Director, Rogel Plata, used to do a twist on a Filipino proverb. He would say, "He who does not look back (on where he camefrom} ... has sti iff nee.k! "
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To look back gives us a privileged perspective to be thankful for all the people who have helped our mission through the years. Remembrance leads to gratitude; memory, to humility. Especially as we will be celebrating soon our 18th anniversary, we have a long Iist of people to thank. We begin with our parents. A newly-ordained priest I know said, "Vocation begins at home." If not for the seeds of faith that our parents planted in us, our staffers and members would not have flourished into such a rich harvest. I would like to especially thank the parents of our staffers, who have allowed us to serve With little or no "return of investment" to them. Next come our benefactors. How important you are to us! If
not for your generosity CYA would long ago have floundered. This is no exaggeration, since you and I know that CYA survives only through donations.
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Some of our benefactors come from abroad, most are home-grown. Some donate big amounts - We recently received a check that prompted me to say, "Gosh, I don't think I've seen that "" many ~eroes
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in a
check before!" Most give small amounts - One little old lady gives us 30-40 pesos a month. Whatever the amount, we want to thank all of you, and assure you that you are always in our prayers. The Father of mercies cannot be outdone in generosity, and He will surely look after all your needs and concerns.
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There are a number of people who for various reasons cannot give financial help, but who storm heaven with mighty intercessions. Your prayers are Continued on page 2
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From page 1
greatly appreciated! Ihave often been amazed at how blessed CYA is, at how we can accomplish "so much with so little," and I know it's because of your fervent prayers. Next on our list of "Thank You's" are people in the academe and the official Church. We value your moral support, endorsement, and active participation in our work. A Theology professor at UST is legendary for bringing so many of her students to our prayer meetings. The campus minister at PUP, a charming middle-aged nun, gave me an orange when I was there the last time. Her orange is symbolic of the tremendous moral, and even financial, support she gives to our staffers in PUP.
college graduates like you doing with your life? While your peers are starting to make it big in their careers, or settling down to a "normal" life, look what you're putting up with! Endless hours through choking traffic to get to a campus, slogging through school corridors looking for students to evangelize, scrimping on money, meetpeople until
~=:;;;::===~== __~ ~~~~~~~~~~
2 Cor 9: 11
late at night, giving up your
weekends - are you crazy? Or are you simply obeying the One who said, "Let the children come to me"? Well, if you're crazy, count me in! Thank you for your radical dedication to our vision and mission.
Day of Appreciation October 4, 1998 Multi-purpose Hall Banco Filipino 101 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City, Metro Manila
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Finally, we thank our Lord Jesus • Christ. He is the "heartbeat of our mission." Thank you, Lord, for entrusting such an awesome task to us. We are As National • I)ctober 14 humbled by Director, I want Action Weekend for Men Immersion in a city slum your confito personally dence in us. thank our small o em e 21' And we are army of staffers 18th Anniversary amazed at the all over the Celebration little miracles 7:00 - 12:00 at the : Philippines (and Xavier Gradeschool • that happen in Los Angeles GYM and 1:00 - 5:00 at : daily in the and Dallas). the Ultra • Many of you are lives of the Decernbe 1t> 16 : serving students we Prayer Vigil for • without a touch. Per.,. the children come the Nationcil YO~Uh" : tome." • Jesus stable haps '!Ie should not be so Day • ~~~~~~~~~~~~ astonished, for you are always source of January. 5 1 : funding. (Until we found out and with us. Leaders'Retreat i. put a stop to it, one of them had On the eve of our 18th year as a been eating only "banana cue" for • ",an ary 0-31 : national youth movement, we say to Men's Camp : lunch because she couldn't afford a the Lord - and to all of you who have • regular meal.) always loved us - Maraming, What are fine, outstanding maraming salamat! ••••••••••••••••••••
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CAMPK
~: Lorelie Mariano
August 1, 1998 ... a memorable day as the brothers and ~isters from different CYA units came together at Sacramento Valley for two days of adventure and fun. The first ever CAMP K! Yahoo! So what does CAMP K mean?
3
CAMP KAIBIGAN ... it was a time for making new friends and renewing old ties as young people from different universities met and exchanged stories and interests. CAMP KATATAWANAN ... people really enjoyed each others' company as they listened to talks and jokes and participated in the activities set for. the day. It was a camp decorated with smiles and warmth and Laughter! CAMP KATAPANGAN ... activities set heart a-thumping and it took courage for brothers and sisters to take the challenge of the obstacle course, rappeUing, orienteering and night navigating. But it really wasn't that hard and scary with all the moral boost you get from the brothers and sisters. Encouragement and support, the camp was rich with those! CAMP KALIKASAN ... Sacramento Valley was a haven for adventurers and nature lovers as they hiked through the thick foliage and tried to find a way back to the camp site. It was a camp where you could get an idea of God's unimaginable beauty. CAMP KRISTO ... The camp was a time to get to know God as the talks would set one into thinking more about choices and decisions. It was a camp where you could feel Jesus and experience Him. It was a camp designed to capture the youth's heart and help the person to choose to follow Christ. .. So next time we'll see you there and discover what CAMP K means to you I
STC no nomon ...
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STC no nomon?
We hear different reactions about CYA's annual Summer Training Conference (STC). These reactions might be a result of the varying expectations of those who attend the STC. For some it might be their first ever STC. Of course this would evoke a sense of wonder, excitement, adventure and all the other fun stuff you can think about. And for some
the STC might just be another one of those regular, unexciting things you get in life, like going to school on a Monday morning! !! My own reaction was a little bit of both i.e.: boredom and excitement. Mainly because I am not that young, which elicited the former. But I am quite young at heart, which elicited the latter reaction! I was not too excited about the STC. But I was sensing
ANEW
J1/tnd
OF THE
HOLY
ciPlRIT By:Raoul~
that this particular STC would be different from the rest. So I started
banking on God to accomplish whatever he wants for us in CYA. Little did I know that God would take me seriously. The STC took place last April. It began as usual with a regular welcoming of guests, opening remarks, opening announcements, etc .. etc .. At the end of the first session I said to myself, " Here we go again!" Nothing new, nothing exciting. Continued on page 5
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¡ A f riencJ~~ip ~is(l5.
GandlOCO
Md' Cl a) n I~' Nall
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et me tell you about my best friend. Have you heard the slogan for Mentos? If you haven't, it goes like this: "It's hard on the outside, but inside it's soft and chewy". You might think as funny, but if I were to describe my best friend, she is somewhat like that. On the exterior, she may strike you as toughie-the kind who seems to carry a placard everywhere with her that says: I DON'T NEED HELP, I CAN DO IT MYSELF! But when you get to know her, you'll find for yourself that hers is actually a heart that could easily melt. I met Ana during my freshman year in high school. Quite a long time, huh? Well, it doesn't mean that we've been best friends since then. In fact, we were just "Hi!" and "Hello" friends. The thought of us being best friends never crossed my mind because we didn't have a lot in common. She had her set of friends and I had my own. She did one thing; I did another. It wasn't until July of 1996 (we were already Sophomores in college at this point in UP Diliman) that our paths crossed again. It was in one of the waiting sheds in UP that I saw her. We talked for a while about the different things we've been doing, and those we want to do in the future as well. It then occurred to both of us that we actually had something in common that we wanted to do- we both wanted to join CYA in UP. Apparently, both
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of us wanted to know God more. From then on, we would meet after class and head for the CYA "tambayan." We were introduced to the other brothers and sisters, invited to the different activities, and acquainted to the way of life of CYA. It was during this time that I got to know Ana in a more personal way. And I believe that our being in a community has helped cultivate our friendship into a meaningful one because we became not only friends but sisters as well. We became so supportive of each other. Let me tell you a story about this year's Lenten season. Both of us came up with Lenten decisions. We decided on things we could fast for. I decided,
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since I realized that I've become a slave to my pager, to give it up for the entire season. To help me through this, Ana wrote me short notes on the logbook or on post-its to cheer me up. Long before that, when we were just starting out in UP-CYA, we were serving at a Crossroads Retreat and I was asked to be an assistant discussion group leader. At that point, I felt that I was in such a loss because I was so unsure of myself. Ana saw that I was quite hesitant so she approached me and gave me a very reassuring look and said "Kayangkaya mo 'yan. Do this for the Lord." I can't imagine what else would have encouraged me more. Ana and I also support each other in prayer. Be it an exam, a paper, a report, or any concern, we always support each other through prayer. I know God led me to this good friend of mine, to be close to her as I get closer to Him. He gave me not only a best friend and a sister in Ana, but a guardian angel as well. She has been someone who has seen me through the good and bad; one who has supported me in everything. To my best friend, ours is a friendship made in Heaven!
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THE AcTION UPDATE .) A Quarterly Publication 'QfC},hfS'Y61lth in Adiio~ (. Jake C. Yap, Chairman,. Donna L. Panganiban, Edi~tY. Myra Leyva, ~ R. R.otica:l, Renee P. Ledesma, Mon Samson, Lorna S. Campos 1J:I:iII'fmaJ ConStiltilifts
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*Raoul
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From page 3
However, by the end of the first day, I started noticing that the participants were slowly getting more and more excited about the new things they were learning. By the third day, the worship was extraordinarily exuberant. People were freely expressing themselves to the Lord. Then I said to myself, "Hmmrn .... Something's happening!! !!" I went home that Friday evening to prepare for the retreat, with a heart filled with expectant faith. I had a strong sense that there was a "fresh wind of the Spirit" blowing in the lives of the brothers and sisters who were there at the STC and who were also attending the retreat. As I was praying for the retreat I asked God specifically what to say to the participants of the retreat. I immediately felt God reminding me that I do not need to speak, but that God will speak to each of the participants individually. I was struck again by the theme we chose for the retreat: Holy Spirit Giver of Life. I knew from then on that God would fulfill this truth in the lives of those in the retreat and He will indeed be the source of life for all of us. We began the STC retreat, on Saturday morning with a time of worship. According to my plans as the retreat master, we were supposed to pray for fifteen minutes and then go on with the rest of the retreat. But as soon as we began our time of prayer, we just went on and on and on worshiping the Lord. The presence of God was felt by all of us.
So I decided to just allow the Spirit to move among us. After an hour we ended our time of prayer. This opening time of worship could describe the rest of the weekend. The whole retreat became a long drawnout time of acknowledging the
In the evening of Saturday, we
held a candle procession which was meant to help the participants meditate on their journey with the Lord. We all walked from the bottom of the hill, each holding a lighted candle, back to the retreat house to pray and worship the Lord together. One of the participants aptly described many of the participant's realization, she said that as she walked up, the many times her candle went out reminded her of the many times she had failed in her relationship with God. But the more profound realization for most of the participant is that amidst this constant failure God remains faithful and His love remains unconditional. With these truths in mind, we
entered into a prolonged5 time of worship, where many expressed deep gratitude for God's unconditional love and faithfulness. I began by saying that something new was happening and yet, come to think of it what transpired during the retreat was also old and familiar. We find in the Book of Lamentations 3:22-23 that the mercies and steadfast love of the Lord never come to an end and are new every morning. God's love never changes and yet our experience of this love - his mercy - is new every morning. In 1 Cor 13, Paul describes our pursuit of God's love as an ongoing looking at a mirror dimly. So in a sense, we grow each day, in our "Ownexperience of the mercy of God. It will constantly be new, and we will never exhaust God's mercy. In the same way we could never exhaust the Holy Spirit's action in our lives. The Spirit will constantly lead us to all truths. Yes, a new wind is indeed blowing and will continue to blow till we reach God's perfect plan for all of mankind where God will be all in all. Come Holy Spirit renew the face of the earth. • ••••••••••••
ational ummer
raining
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May 24-30, 1 9 9 9 Cebu City
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CHRIST'S YOUTH IN ACTION (eYA) is a Catholic movement of young Filipinos dedicated to evangelizing the youth and training leaders for the service of the Church. We serve colleges, universities, parishes and renewal groups in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region AFFILIATES METRO
MANILA:
University of
University of Santo Tomas. Far Eastern University. Mapua Institute of Technology. Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila. Polytechnic University of the Philippines. LUZON: St. Louis (Baguio).
University(Tuguegarao). University Batangas.
St.
Paul
Holy Angel
(Angeles). Lyceum of San Pablo Colleges
(San Pablo). Ateneo de
La Salle (Lipa). Naga. VISAYAS:
of
(Bacolod). University
St.
La
Salle
Riverside (Bacolod). of Iloilo. University of
Technology. Colleges. Mindanao
Emilio Aguinaldo St. Paul-Mani!a. University
CYA is a Partner the following
(Musuan).
renewal
movements:
with and
Ang Ligaya
Notre Dame University Santos). Gregorio
University (lligan). San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish (lligan). st. Michael's
University Foundation. Technological University.
Parish (lligan). San Isidro Labrador Parish (lligan). St. Vincent Parish
Baguio CoUeges Foundation. Angeles University Foundation.
tute for Pastoral Development. The Light of Jesus Community
(lligan).
Republic' Central Colleges (Pampanga). University of the
The
Corpus
Cristi
CYA-Zamboanga.
University Mindanao
Parish Xavier
(Cagayan de Oro). Polytechnic State
College (Cagayan de Oro). Liceo de Cagayan. Cagayan Capitol College. University of the Immaculate
Conception
(Davao).
Ateneo
de
Davao
University. University of Mindanao (Davao) San Isidro College (Malaybalay). College
Bukidnon
State
(Malaybalay). ASSOCIATES
METRO Institute
MANILA: of
East Asia Computer
(General Araneta
in Mission
communities
San Carlos-Talamban(Cebu). MINDANAO: Mindanao State
(lligan).
the Philippines-Diliman. Miriam College. Ateneo de Manila University.
University
University
ng Panginoon
Community.
Ang
Lingkod ng Panginoon. The Brotherhood of Christian Business men
Rizal LUZON:
and Professionals.
Servants
Familia. Insti-
of the
Word.
Assumption
(Pampanga).
Tahanan ng Panginoon. Women fo r C h r i st. W 0 r d 0 f Joy
Central
Luzon
State Univertsity
Foundation.
(Nueva
Ecija).
University
UP-Los
of North
Philippines (Iriga). West Visayas State (Iloilo).
Divine
(Tagbilaran).
Banos.
CYA is a Foundation with "donee institution" status. Donations to CYA from corporateorganizations are fully tax-deductible. Please forwardall correspondence to our office at: Unit 2,127 DonAlejandro Roces Ave., Laging Handa,1103 Quezon City, Philippines. Tel. Nos. (63-2) 411- 3201 /3848. Fax No. (63-2) 411- 3848
Eastern VISAYAS: University
Word
College
MINDANAO:
San
Jose Obrero Chapel (lligan). BCBP Offsprings (lligan). CYA Lala (Lanao del Norte). CYAZa mb oang a. C YA- Bas i l a n . INTERNATIONAL GROUPS. C YA- Da II as. C YA-LosAngeles.
Unit Two, 127 Don A. Roces Ave. 1103 Laging Handa, a.c. PHILIPPINES
r-----------.--~--------------------------,
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Do you want to be a part of it?
~.
in your work of reaching out to the youth. Enrol me as an "Action Partner."
o Here is my gift donation of
o I will pledge to give the ff. amount o o DP200 DP 1,000
almost 18 years, CYA has been used by God to reach out to young people throughout the Philippines. Do you wont to join us in our mission? For
L..-
I want to be a partner
every month others
(pls.specify)
I
DP500
DP2,000
DP750
o others (pls. specify)
_
I understand you will send me monthly reminders, news updates, etc. Name (Mr/Mrs/Ms) ---------------------
M~ Birthday -'-
~ Tel. No.
d~
I
Kindly fill up, cut out, and mail to CYA at Unit 2,127 Alejandro Roces Ave, Laging Handa, 1103 Quezon City .J
