By Christina Hermoso
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines will officially begin the observance of the Year of the Youth on December 2 coinciding with the First Sunday of Advent.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
The observance follows the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons, which is part of the nine-year spiritual journey launched by the CBCP in 2013 in preparation for the 500th year of Christianity in the country in 2021.
With the opening of the Year of the Youth, the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on the Clergy calls on priests and the religious “to guide and inspire the young generation in the fulfillment of their mission.”
“Let us guide and give them inspiration so that they could live and respond to the call of Jesus through their mission in loving service,” the CBCP-ECC said.
Meanwhile, the CBCP has issued a closing prayer for the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. Parishes are encouraged to include the prayer in all Holy Masses on Nov. 25, the Solemnity of Christ the King, and on December 2, the opening of the Year of the Youth.
The closing prayer prays for the clergy and consecrated persons in the performance of the gift of their vocation. It also prays for the youth, for the clergy to “accompany the young to fulfill their mission in loving service. “