“Coronavirus disease has set us apart in ways that we never imagined,” Dr. Gore told ACI Africa and added, “We have started with this small number of young people to give them the importance of liturgy in our parishes.”
According to the youth Coordinator, the event brought together young people from ten parishes and members from the office of Young Christian students who were to, in turn, invent avenues to disseminate the teachings they acquired to their group members back in their respective parishes.
“We took two secretaries for liturgy and the deputies and the secretary of the youth office because they are the main Centre in the parishes and that is why we couched them so that they are able to guide their young ones in the parishes,” Dr. Gore said.
Topics addressed by Priests and Religious Sisters who took charge of different sessions of the seminar included the different types of vocations, Sacraments in the Catholic Church, issues pertaining sexuality as well as liturgy and the roles of Christians in different parts of liturgy.
Gore said that presenters at the youth workshop also elaborated on the Liturgy of the Word, saying that some Christians are not always “deep in the scriptures.”
“It is important that the youth use this time to discover the importance of the scripture in their life and in their role in the Church,” said Dr. Gore.
The youth coordinator underscored the importance of including sexuality topics in the workshop, noting that it is young people in the East-Central African country who are at the centre of social evils such as rape and sexual violence.
“We thought it is important to cover the teachings on sexuality in the Catholic way so that the youth protect their brothers and sisters in the parishes and in protecting themselves,” he said.
“I learned from the young people that they have a lot of questions about their faith that they were not getting their answers,” Dr. Gore said, and added, “In this workshop, the youth were able to participate freely, asking questions that have been bothering them for a long time.”
Sharing lessons learned during the two-day workshop, Simon Kenyi Luis, a youth participant from Holy Trinity Parish in Juba, said the training equipped him with answers regarding the Catholic faith.
