Witnessing of a Catholic Praise and Worship - Archdiocesan Youth Rally 2008

About 1,800 youth from 25 parishes in Singapore were at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be witnesses to the ends of the earth ACT1V8 on 18 October 08.

AYD08 was a living testimony of what our catholic youth could do at parish and archdiocesan level. Brother Derrick and Shireen, our very young, witty and hilarious emcees kick started the whole event. In the opening address, Archbishop Nicholas Chia expressed his pleasure to be with the youth and said that “A shepherd must always be with his sheep”. Our guest speaker, Bishop Rolando Tria-Tirona of the Philippines, also reminded us to be generous in using the gifts God has given us now.

Undeniably, the music and singing of the worship team, Zion Joy touched many hearts present that night. Most importantly, our youth witnessed for themselves a true catholic praise and worship without the jumping and shouting on stage. These actions are often mistaken by youth as praise and worship. A member of the Zion Joy testified that they are not professional musicians but only long time friends who got together regularly after their confirmation to praise God through music.


Another group of youth called Walk on Water, the drama ministry from the Church of St Anthony also put up a spectacular skit at the rally. In the course of the music, rapping and the light hearted dialogue, the two opposing groups of youth in the drama depicted the vulnerability of our youth in their search of identity in the material world and how our willingness to open ourselves to the gifts of the Holy Spirit can bring about unity, peace and joy in the community.

After seeing so much, we also heard from our youth Brandon who shared about his rebellious teenage years and the car accident which made him realize the presence of God in his life as his protector and saviour.

AYD08 has opened my eyes to the potential of our youth in the Archdiocese of Singapore and a deeper understanding of the youth scene in my parish. It brought to mind the amount of influence that a youth minister can have on their youth. Thank God for blessing me, the catechists, youth facilitators and the 39 confirmands with this awe inspiring experience.

6 years of Faith Journey

Last Saturday, 11 October 2008, was the Day of Recollection for the Cat 6 children whom I have journeyed with for the past 6 years. Their first day of catechism happened to be my first day as a catechist.

The day started with parents, catechists, youth facilitators and children gathering together for a hearty breakfast at the St Patrick’s school canteen. Most of the other activities were held at the air-conditioned La Salle Hall located on the 3rd floor. It was indeed elevating to see these pre-teens responding so positively to the ice breaker “Hunter, Earthquake, Fire” and the action songs.

Following the movie, MOST, everyone spent some quiet time writing on “Where is God in every year of our life”. The kids finished their timeline very quickly as they only had 12 points as compared to mine.

After lunch, the “chair, chair” (meaning older sister) took turns to inspire our pre-teens with their own testimonies of why they wanted to become youth facilitators after their confirmation. The catechists also shared on why they became catechists.

Alvin then helped us make the phone connection with our heavenly Father. It went ring, ring…Hello, Father…
The conversion between “Child to God” was first, followed by “Parent to God” and lastly the “Catechist to God”.

We thank God for this day and pray that our pre-teens had been inspired to take on their confirmation journey.