Saturday, August 25, 2018

Sharing: Aug 2018 Youth Gathering Holy Family Church


Several volunteers of Holy Family Church and I organized a pilgrimage to Wei Zhou Island on Aug 16-19, 2018.   
Forty three participants from Shenzhen including Fr. Joseph Lu, seminarian Joseph Lin, several volunteers and I left Holy Family Church on Aug 16 morning.  Fr. Joseph Lu led the prayer followed by singing together.  Ms. Chen was the MC, Ms. Huang led the ice breaking games and Ms. Luo led the prayers during the trip. Mr. Liu and Mr. Cai were the photographer and videographer while Ms. Liang and Mr. Wu took care the meal and accommodation.  Several volunteers wore my design T-shirt “Love.”
     

After around 10 hours bus ride, we arrived at Zhanjiang-Guangdong Province.  After supper, we attended the evening Mass at Zhanjiang Cathedral.  One of the parishioners gave short introduction about the Cathedral,  (http://directory.ucanews.com/dioceses/china-zhanjiang/197).  Bishop Paul Su and Fr. Joseph Lu concelebrate the Mass, while several youth to be the reader and cantor of the responsorial Psalm.   Bishop Paul Su praise the reader and cantor.
Due to the typhoon, our ferry was delay for six hours so we stayed longer in Zhanjiang. We went to Beihai-Guangxi Province around 3 hours by bus after lunch.  Fr. Joseph Lu celebrated Mass at Beihai Cathedral.  Fr. Wang gave short introduction about the Diocese (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Beihai).   
After seventy minutes of ferry ride, we arrived at Wei Zhou Island (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weizhou_Island).  Several passengers got sea sickness. 
We attended morning Mass celebrated by Fr. Mo and Fr. Lu.  Our youth was the reader and cantor at Mass.  After breakfast, I led the session on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”  I asked Ms. Chen to read the Chinese version of “Seven Key Words of Working Document of 2018 Synod of Bishops” and asked seminarian Joseph Lin, Fr. Mo and Fr. Lu to share their vocation journey. I closed the vocation journey sharing by sharing my vocation journey besides sending the scan of my sharing on the book “My Teens, My Angels” to this pilgrimage group chatting.  I prepared several questions for small group sharing and asked them to write a letter to Pope Francis. Please don’t be surprise to see they looked at their cell phones during sharing because I posted the working document and the questions for the small group sharing on this pilgrimage group chatting too. We left for St. Mary’s Church after the session.  Both Churches were tourist destinations.  Fr. Lu left for Shenzhen before lunch.
After lunch, we split to 4 groups to see around.  Our group went to Crocodile Hill and Shiluokou.  Fr. Mo invited Seminarian Lin and me to have supper with two sisters and the parish council.    Fr. Mo was assigned to Wei Zhou Island (not always stay in the island) two years ago.  There was a priest, first after twenty years, prior to him for two years.  All the villagers and several villagers in surrounding village are Catholics but many of them are not practicing Catholics.  Several of us ride the electric motorcycle went around the island.
Fr. Mo asked us to be the reader, cantor and choir for the Sunday Mass.  He and the parishioners praised the reader, cantor and choir.  The sister, parish leader and several parishioners sent us off by singing several songs.  
We have smooth ferry ride on the way back to Beihai.  After 12 hours bus ride, we arrived in Shenzhen.  
I stayed in Shenzhen several days prior and after the pilgrimage to have pilgrimage preparation meeting, attend the Feast Day Mass of Assumption besides visiting parishioners.  I also visited my relatives in Quanzhou on Aug 10-14, 2018.  I have two great grandnieces from my paternal auntie, who was left in Quanzhou when my paternal grandparents moved to Indonesia.   


Hong  Kong, Aug 25, 2018


Sr. Anastasia B. Lindawati, M.M.
Let’s do simple things with simple love to make God’s love visible

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Sharing: The 18th Spirituality Forum



I left for Manila on Jul 29 to attend the 18th Spirituality Forum, which was organized by Institute of Spirituality in Asia (http://isa.org.ph/), and stayed with our sisters in Quezon city.  Fr. Fred of Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary (http://www.maryknollecosanctuary.org/) celebrated Sunday Mass in our convent and invited for Indian meal the next day.  I attended daily masses at St. Clare Monastery (https://www.mass-schedules.com/catholic-church/985/st-claire-monastery.html), Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish (https://www.facebook.com/Our-Lady-of-Miraculous-Medal-Parish-Proj-4-at-40-Years-768583546577778/) and Sisters of Charity of St. Charles Borromeo convent.
The Spirituality Forum was held at Mother Marie Anne de Tilly Hall St. Paul University on Aug 1-3, 2018 with theme: Listening to the Youth, Discerning the Spirit: Spiritual Processes of the Youth in an Unknown World. 
The topic for the morning session of first day was “Listening to the Youth, Discerning the Spirit” with the speakers:  Mark Conrad Ravanzo (co-founder/CEO I am MAD (Making a Difference https://www.facebook.com/IamMakingADifference/), Dingdong Dantes III, Fr. Art Borja SJ (Clinical Psychologist, Spiritual Director and Chaplain Xavier School), while the topic for the afternoon session of first day was “Spiritual Encounters in Youth Sport” with the speakers: Maria Caterina Cristina Lopa (Managing Director Girls Got Games Philippines http://girlsgotgame.ph/), Sabrina Ongkiko (Educator), and Noli Ayo (Founder Mindanao Peace Games https://www.philstar.com/sports/2017/10/26/1752688/mindanao-peace-games-promoting-peace-women-empowerment).
The topic for the morning session of the second day was “Media Education as Spiritual Formation” with the speakers: Christian Esguerra (Journalist and News Anchor ABS-CBN Corporation) and Ma. Angela B. Ureta, aOCarm (Former Executive Producer ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs) while the topic for afternoon session of the second day was “Dialogue within a Dialogue: Youth in a Pluralistic Society” with the speakers: Maria Regina Tijumena (National Deputy Coordinator Indonesian Youth Catholic Charismatic Renewal) and Fr. Yohanis Masneno, SVD (Executive Secretary Jacob’s Well Spiritual Center).
The topic for the morning session of the third day was “The Sacred in the Secular Space of the Youth” with the speakers: Bonnie Williams (Junior Student of Religious and Philosophy Furman University, Intern Freeman Foundation) and Sr. Anne-Marie Bos, O.Carm. (Academic Staff Titus Brandsma Instituut, Nijmegen) while the afternoon session was reflection of the International Academic Advisory Board Members: Fr. Eliseo R. Mercado, OMI, Ph.D., Prof. Alfredo P. Co, Ph.D., Fr. Daniel Franklin Pilario, CM, Ph.D., Sr. Maria Anicia B. Co, RVM, Ph.D., Sr. Anne-Marie Bos, O.Carm. Ph.D.
There was book launching “Spiritual of Companion (from the 17th Spirituality Forum)” and Living Flame 3 besides performance by the Indonesians.
The participants can interact with each other through the Edmodo platform: https://www.edmodo.com/
It’s very good that the youth, who do volunteer works amidst their full time work, shared their experiences and the guides gave a response during each session.  It was a very insightful forum.  Thank you very much!
Here is the link of the pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/11848830@N02/albums/72157699842936785 and the link on ISA website: https://isa.org.ph/isa-holds-spirituality-forum-on-youth/

Hong Kong, Aug 5, 2018


Sr. Anastasia B. Lindawati, M.M.
Let’s do simple things with simple love to make God’s love visible