The all awaited Youth Fest 2016 commenced at Auxilium College, Katpadi on the 20th August 2016. ‘Blessed are the Merciful, for they will receive mercy’ was the theme. Around 550 catholic youth came together to celebrate the youth fest focused on faith and mercy.

INAGURATION OF THE YOUTH FEST

At 9.00 am the young people from all the houses of our Province along with the youth pastoral coordinators gathered in front of the college chapel carrying coloured balloons in the hand and different coloures of scarf around the neck – it was a feast to the eye. The inauguration of the youth fest was facilitated by Sr. Savariappan Irin Novila from Auxilium home. The chief guest Sr. Soosai Magnificat, the Provincial declared the Youth Fest open by flying of the balloons in the air, followed by the solemn procession with band, and the escort.

The programme started with the theme song on Mercy. The fest began with a short meaningful prayer service on Merciful face of Jesus which was guided by Sr. Joseph Victoria Mary. After the prayer service Sr. Chinnappan Gracy Fatima the Province Youth Pastoral co coordinator welcomed the Dignitaries of Youth Festival-2016 and the gathering and wished them the very best for the day.

The introductory talk was given by Mother Provincial Rev. Sr. Soosai Magnificat who spoke about the significance of Mercy in today’s world and encouraged youth to spread this message of Mercy through simple gestures.

PANEL DISCUSSION

The panel discussion was co-ordinated by Sr. Antony Nirmala Rani. The panelists were Rev.Fr.David Mariaselvam Sdb, the Asst. Director in Deepika, Rev. Sr. Jeyaseeli Ambrose, Mrs.Amutha, the Lecturer from Auxilium College, Miss.Josephine, Past Pupil from Brodway and Miss. Francila,  Past Pupil from  Mary Immaculate Convent, Tirupatur.

Father David explained the Mercy of God the Father through the beautiful prayer of Jesus “The Our Father”. He put into nut shell with six points: Identity, Sanctity, equality, Providence, tolerance and prudence. Sr. Jeyaseeli  spoke on ‘The merciful face of Jesus is Youthful’; Mrs.Amutha on ‘God’s mercy in the families and in the society’; Miss. Josephine on ‘God’s mercy in my life’; Miss Francila on ‘Experiencing God’s Mercy through faith, obedience, forgiveness and Penance’. Sr.Josephine Rani Susai, the General coordinator of the Provincial Team, chaired the session and made a beautiful synthesis of all the talks and concluded with the message “Let us reveal the merciful face of the Father in all our dealings with the parents, elders and with one another in the society”.

After the break there was reconciliation service and the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was indeed a moment of grace flowing in to the heart of so many young people. There were 10 priests who were available to offer this Sacrament of Reconciliation. This was followed by a group discussion where the youth came up with new ideas on how to implement Mercy in their daily lives with their concrete action plan. The presentation of the group work was coordinated by Sr. Kanikaraj Tamizharasi. At 4.45 p.m. we gathered for the meaningful Eucharistic Celebration. Fr.Paul Raj Sdb and Fr.David Mariaselvam Sdb were the main celebrants for the Eucharistic banquet. During the Sermon Fr.Paul Raj Sdb enlightened us that God’s mercy can be experienced only through love not by beauty, position or possession.

The culmination of the day was the cultural extravaganza.  The youngsters creatively showcased their performances to entertain all of us. Variety of events in the domain of Music, Folk, Western & Fusion Dances, and Choreography brought delight to everyone. There were also presentations of skits on various ways of being Merciful which gave the youth a practical demonstration in practicing mercy through their hospitality, care and generosity. Each performance was breath-taking.

It was a wonderful platform for the youth from various places to come together and celebrate God’s mercy. We express thanks to Sr. Samala Amalorpavam, the animator of Auxilium College, and the community who hosted the Annual youth fest 2016.

God bless you dear Sr.Chinnappan Gracy Fatima Youth Pastoral coordinator, the local youth pastoral coordinators and Sr.Susai Josephine Rani, the General co coordinator, for the time taken to plan and organize this  great event to encounter  the youth  and giving them the Spiritual Experiences to share the mercy and love of Jesus. God bless you all!

A special thanks to our beloved Mother Provincial Sr.Soosai Magnificat who with her guiding presence encouraged us and made this Mega Event, a great success. Her presence among the young the whole day long till the end was a clear expression of her love for the young and the unction of Da mihi animas of Don Bosco and Maria Mazzarello.

Sr.Joseph Jackuline Anthony, INM