[ Response | Aid to the Church in Need ]

Search ACN website An international Catholic charity dependent on the Holy See, providing pastoral relief to needy and oppressed churches.
HOME | NEWS & FEATURES | ABOUT US | HISTORY | ONLINE STORE | ONLINE DONATIONS SUPPORT | PROMOTIONS | THE MIRROR | BEQUESTS | MASS OFFERINGS | CONTACT

Sudanese at the WYD 2008 in Sydney “A History making event!”

Posted by Project description on 6/3/2008, 7:47 am
Message modified by board administrator 14/3/2008, 7:35 am

Sudanese at the WYD 2008 in Sydney “A History making event!” “This will be the first time in the history of our Church that we can organize a real Sudanese Youth Delegation whereby all the Catholic Dioceses will be represented.” So says a delighted Fr. Celestino Prevedello, Mccj, the WYD 2008 coordinator in Sudan. He went on to add: “This is a clear positive sign, a constructive result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA, signed in January 2005) and for sure it will send an encouraging message to our faithful and to the country at large. After so many years of civil war and disturbances during which our youth have been separated from each other, now a golden opportunity is offered to them to come together and share a unique faith experience with the youth of the universal Church.” 44 young people have been chosen to make the trip to Sydney. Given the vast expanse of Sudan - almost a third the size of Australia - it is of course a very small group. But even this little remnant can achieve great things says Fr Celestino: “The bishops are confident that a few properly motivated young people can move mountains and perform miracles beyond our imagination once they return to their dioceses with new vigour and empowered by the Spirit they have experienced in the days in the Dioceses and in Sydney during the various WYD activities.” One very important experience for the youth delegation travelling from Sudan will be the coming together with other young Sudanese, whose families fled the war-torn country during the decades of civil war from 1983-2005 and have since made a new home for themselves in Australia. Phillip Collignon, the Australian Director of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need(ACN), funding the youth delegation from Sudan to WYD Sydney said: “Such encounters will no doubt provide many powerful moments of unity as the two groups come together as one at WYD. Despite the past horrific experiences that many of our Sudanese brothers and sisters in Christ had to undergo, the meeting of the two groups in Sydney will help them overcome the separation from their homeland.” (The Sudanese Youth delegation at WYD Cologne 2005) Already back in 2005, at WYD in Cologne, ACN helped a delegation of Sudanese youth travel to the event. The group were also welcomed at ACN headquarters near Frakfurt and accommodated by families in a nearby parish. “I discovered that the world loves Sudan” remarked Murgan Gabriel (27) at the end of the trip. Another participant Leona Scopas (27) added: “I felt that I have been born anew during this beautiful journey.” Although the time at WYD in Cologne was highly emotive for the group, the seriousness of the occasion was not lost on the youth who participated, as the testimony of John Chol (22) from Khartoum bears out: “I felt the responsibility that all those who met in Cologne were responding to the call of the Church and the desire to fulfil their roles in the life of the universal Church.” Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) wants to make it possible for these young people coming from Sudan to enjoy this amazing experience. The charity has promised to help fund the Sudanese youth delegation to WYD 2008 with a grant of $66,000. To support this cause please send your donation to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 or ring through your credit card donation to the Sydney office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or Web:www.aidtochurch.org Anyone helping the campaign will be sent a Prayer card and Papal rosary of Pope Benedict XVI to prayer for the success of World Youth Day.

Responses: There are no responses to this message. « Back to thread

Response

Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929   e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org   web: www.aidtochurch.org