austraLasia 1586
A nation prepares - Solomon Island's chance for World Youth Day
HONIARA: 16th June 2006 -- The Solomon Island flag was a rare sight in Cologne last year - if indeed seen at all. Poor nations halfway round the world from Europe had little chance of finding the funds. But with WYD 2008 just a small hop across the Coral Sea to Australia, chances are the flag will be in abundance in Sydney. At least that was one thought in Fr Dominic Kachira's mind as he addressed the Solomon Islands Youth Rally 2006 a few days ago. Fr Kachira is the Parish Priest of the Salesian Parish of Christ the King, Tetere.
However, the substance of Fr Kachira's message to the youth gathered for the four days of the Rally (11-14 June) was "You can either walk towards Jesus or away from him". 140 youth had gathered under the theme of "Walking with Jesus", with many moments of reflection, prayer and discussions - and of course youthful fun: 'Kastom' dances, games, film shows.
Even the Assistant Superintendent of Police from Tetere was there, reminding the youth of some of the more salient facts of life around them, especially the violence and disturbance, often alcohol-fuelled, that takes place on payday, or the loss of traditional respect for parents. A nurse from the Grove clinic reminded them of the significance of a number of their decisions, especially in sexual behaviour or where alcohol, drugs and Betel nut-chewing are concerned.
Each day commenced with an early morning jog - mens sana in corpore sano! Fr Ambrose Pereira also presented the overall theme of WYD 2008 - power, Holy Spirit, witness and youth. Unity bands and souvenirs were given to the youth leaders. "We hope to send at least one young person from our village for WYD and have already started the fund-raising", one of them from Sali Village said - and other villages are doing likewise. "As you return to your villages, share what you have enjoyed doing these days with others", Fr Kachira reminded them at the conclusion.
GLOSSARY
kastom: literally, 'custom' in SI Pijin
mens sana in corpore sano: Latin, for healthy mind in a healthy body
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm A separate service entirely is called F/OSSERVATORE to help us keep abreast of trends in the digital world.
A nation prepares - Solomon Island's chance for World Youth Day
HONIARA: 16th June 2006 -- The Solomon Island flag was a rare sight in Cologne last year - if indeed seen at all. Poor nations halfway round the world from Europe had little chance of finding the funds. But with WYD 2008 just a small hop across the Coral Sea to Australia, chances are the flag will be in abundance in Sydney. At least that was one thought in Fr Dominic Kachira's mind as he addressed the Solomon Islands Youth Rally 2006 a few days ago. Fr Kachira is the Parish Priest of the Salesian Parish of Christ the King, Tetere.
However, the substance of Fr Kachira's message to the youth gathered for the four days of the Rally (11-14 June) was "You can either walk towards Jesus or away from him". 140 youth had gathered under the theme of "Walking with Jesus", with many moments of reflection, prayer and discussions - and of course youthful fun: 'Kastom' dances, games, film shows.
Even the Assistant Superintendent of Police from Tetere was there, reminding the youth of some of the more salient facts of life around them, especially the violence and disturbance, often alcohol-fuelled, that takes place on payday, or the loss of traditional respect for parents. A nurse from the Grove clinic reminded them of the significance of a number of their decisions, especially in sexual behaviour or where alcohol, drugs and Betel nut-chewing are concerned.
Each day commenced with an early morning jog - mens sana in corpore sano! Fr Ambrose Pereira also presented the overall theme of WYD 2008 - power, Holy Spirit, witness and youth. Unity bands and souvenirs were given to the youth leaders. "We hope to send at least one young person from our village for WYD and have already started the fund-raising", one of them from Sali Village said - and other villages are doing likewise. "As you return to your villages, share what you have enjoyed doing these days with others", Fr Kachira reminded them at the conclusion.
GLOSSARY
kastom: literally, 'custom' in SI Pijin
mens sana in corpore sano: Latin, for healthy mind in a healthy body
___________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm A separate service entirely is called F/OSSERVATORE to help us keep abreast of trends in the digital world.
