Sandakan Youth reunite in faith
The Youth Programme Prep-Link Reunion (YPLR) was organised for the second time by the graduates of YPL under the guidance of the Sandakan Youth Diocesan Commission.
Jan 06, 2017

SANDAKAN: The Youth Programme Prep-Link Reunion (YPLR) was organised for the second time by the graduates of YPL under the guidance of the Sandakan Youth Diocesan Commission.
Held December 1-4, 2016 at Fr Mulder Building, Cathedral of St Mary Sandakan, 22 YPL graduates from Beluran, Tawau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Telupid participated in the programme which was aimed at strengthening the ties of solidarity between them.
The reunion began with the graduates being welcomed with sessions of Time of Life, Ice breaking and slides of their YPL experiences. The Expectation Check followed. Everyone paused to reflect on their personal and communal growth.
The second day began with morning prayer, followed by zumba led by Smith Bonnie, a graduate of the sixth batch of YPL.
Then, Donna Julius, a graduate of Batch 1 and Amado Degullacion, graduate of Batch 3, shared their experiences after YPL. Donna shared the realities of a student on campus while Amado shared on the reality of working as a full-time musician. Their sharings were very valuable and opened the eyes of the graduates of YPL who will continue their journey either in campus or working life.
The next session by Philippa was on the Catholic in Me. She invited everyone to a question and answer session to test the minds of the participants. They had to repeatedly answer the question “Who are you?” with different responses. This session focused on the meaning of “Catholic” and their journey as Catholics.
After lunch, the programme continued with the third session, My Catholic Faith a continuation from the previous session. Philippa shared the richness of the Catholic faith and the basic tenets of the Catholic Church such as the sacraments, liturgy and catechism.
The graduates then shared based on the sessions that were presented. The evening session ended with a Taize prayer.
The third day began with the recitation of the rosary while climbing Mount Marian. For those who had never climbed the hill, this was a valuable experience. After reciting the Rosary, Amado led the participants to historic sites on the hill such as the old dam.
The fourth session on Jesus was delivered by Evelyn Doikin of Youth Prep Centre (YPC), Kota Kinabalu. The session focused on how Jesus reaches out to each of us personally and how to make Jesus foremost in our lives.
The graduates were invited to paint a picture of who Jesus is in their lives and stick their drawings on the board.
In the outdoor activities (The Journey), participants were divided into two groups to overcome a number of challenges and games. This was an opportunity for the graduates to strengthen their friendship to face challenges as a team.
Friendship Night was held in the evening, led by Amado. This session aims to strengthen the ties of solidarity among brothers and sisters in Christ. Among the activities was to write a message of appreciation to the graduates who attended the programme. Everyone needs to be appreciated and given the encouragement and support, for the world we live in now is really challenging. And through this session, the graduates are encouraged to face the challenges in their lives. The session ended with a peace and prayer night.
On the last day, they attended Mass at St Mary Cathedral. After Mass, all graduates posed for a photo with Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom and then returned to the Fr Mulders building to proceed with the next session.
As the reunion programme came to an end, Youth Prep Link coordinator Philippa invited the graduates to share their feelings about this reunion and their expectations for the future. Although not many graduates of YPL were able to attend this reunion due to their other commitments, those who were present felt the love of Jesus through the sessions and friendship.
Hopefully, in the future, Youth Programme Prep-Link Reunion (YPLR) will attract more graduates. This programme is not just to come and regroup but it is also an opportunity for the graduates to renew their faith and relationship with God.
The next Youth Prep Link Reunion programme will be held twice in a year in 2018. -- Diocese of Sandakan
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