Indonesia's Merauke Archdiocese at the IYD2016
The Catholic Church of Indonesia last week concluded its Second Indonesian Youth Day (IYD2) in Manado, the capital of the northern province of North Sulawesi, with nearly 2,460 young men and women from all of the nation’s 37 dioceses taking part in it. After six days of prayer, reflection, testimonies, catechesis that kicked off with a 3-day live-in programme in local families, the Second Indonesian Youth Day (IYD2) ended with a highly animated evening Mass Oct. 6 at the ‘Amphitheatre’ of the Emmanuel Catholic Youth Centre at Lotta, a suburb of Manado. After the Mass followed a variety programme that included the final declaration by the nation’s Catholic youth, speeches, songs, dances and entertainment by the various diocesan regional groups with fireworks to cap it all close to midnight.
The IYD, Oct. 1-6, had as its theme, “The Joy of Gospel amidst a Plural Society in Indonesia”. It was the follow-up of the First Indonesian Youth Day that took place in October 2012 in Sanggau Diocese, on the theme “Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Strengthened in the Faith.” The Indonesian Youth Day 2016 in Manado, held during the current Jubilee Year of Mercy, was in preparation for the 6th Asian Youth Day that is to be hosted by Indonesia in Yogyakarta, in the Diocese of Semarang, July 30 – August 6, in 2017.
The first 3 days of the Oct. 1-6 Indonesian Youth Day in Manado began with the young men and women living with local families of Manado Diocese’s 37 parishes, intending to demonstrate that young Catholics can carry the joy of the Gospel anywhere they may be placed in the world’s largest archipelagic nation. On the fourth day, all the participants and their guides and mentors, many of whom were nuns and priests, came together for the first time at Manado’s Klabat Stadium where the Second Indonesian Youth Day was officially inaugurated with Holy Mass, led by host Bishop Joseph Suwatan of Manado. The opening event was a festival of colours, dances, songs and yells, with each contingent from the 37 dioceses displaying their cultural wealth and variety that Indonesia is well known for. Day 5 and 6 were dedicated to catechesis, interactive talks and sessions on some 15 different issues, involving bishops, priests, nuns, young people, experts, politicians and government officials. The afternoon of day 5 was set aside for the sacrament of reconciliation, to which the youth responded in great numbers.
Well, in our edition of 'THE BACKGROUNDER' today, we bring you an interview with Missionary of the Sacred Heart priest, Fr. Aloysius Batmyanik of the Archdiocese of Merauke, one of Indonesia’s easternmost cities, in Papua province. Fr. Aloysius, who is the moderator of the youth of his archdiocese, accompanied 110 Catholic men and women to the Indonesian Youth Day in Manado. Speaking to Vatican Radio on Oct. 5, the penultimate day of the event, he first explained about the preparation of his young people for the Indonesian Youth Day.
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