Ministering to the Youth of Today

Fr. Marti Espenido

The teenage years are the stage of life where self-discovery happens, and self-knowledge is formed. It is saddening, therefore, that for some people, the youth ministry is just thought of as an offshoot of church activities or worse, a source of warm bodies that would help in parish activities. The prevalent immoral practices of today indirectly teach young people that they are merely objects of gratification, and success can be measured by the number of bodily conquests.

Materialism further dictates that one’s social value is measured by their possessions of success in their career and social relationships. In reducing the value of a person to that through possessions and social acceptance, the self-worth that each person should have in being so loved by God is effectively removed. This is a threat not just to the youth ministry but a threat to today’s young people, the people whom the church should serve.

Given these problems, it is not surprising that there is a rise in mental health problems. While a deeper dive into mental health would be better done by psychologists, it should be acknowledged that the loss of the sense of absolute love has distorted the love that the youth have for themselves.

It is our duty as members of the Church to go against the flow of immorality, materialism and social acceptance. We have to remind our youth of the absoluteness of God and his love. To journey with them to ensure that the love of God defines them. As St. John Bosco, the father, and teacher of youth said “It is not enough to love the young, they must know that they are loved”.

Execom Goes North:

An Adventure to Remember

Rona de la Cuesta

Getaway is defined as a short holiday away from home. It gives a rare reprieve from the daily stresses in life. Fr. Raymond Joseph Arre (FRA) thought of this short vacation for us to enjoy and temporarily forget the cares of parish volunteer leaders.

Day 1. We excitedly settled into the house until we were ready to leave for our dinner. Afterward, some members went to the famous Baguio Night Market. Expectedly, it was too crowded, so we decided to go home. We forgot that Baguio is celebrating its Panagbenga Festival and as such we had difficulty getting back.

Day 2. The day started with FRA, Bro. Romy and Bro. Arnold’s walk at Burnham Park. The members went to Strawberry Farm, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, Heritage Hill, Burnham Park, City Market, with the last stop being a vigil mass at the Baguio Cathedral. Because of the tight traffic caused by the Festival, we almost missed lunch but still managed.

Day 3. We checked out at about 9:00 AM for the group photo before FRA went back home to OLHP. The sheep without the shepherd went ahead with the rest of our scheduled activities. With his instruction, we stopped by the Lion’s head for some photo remembrance of Sis. Belle, being a first-timer in Baguio.

The trip was long and tiring but we finally reached home sweet home. Overall, the Baguio experience with my co-servant leaders was more than I expected. Hopefully, this experience may help us in dealing with each other’s uniqueness in terms of working together embodying and living the core values of our beloved Our Lady of Hope Parish.