SLRP Holds First Youth Vocation Camp

Last November 4 and 5, SLRP, through the initiative of Fr. Luke, Sis. Pilar Perez (of the SRA), Sis. Violy (of the DM) and Sis. Linlee Vios (of the ASC) conducted the first Vocation Camp for its youth. Its aim was to provide guidance to the young people in choosing their vocation or calling in life. The venue of the seminar was at the newly blessed Nishizaka Hall at the back of the church.

Prior to the actual camp itself, a workshop was conducted with members of the Parish Youth Ministry to determine their needs and aspirations. This provided the basis for the topics and group dynamics during the actual vocation camp.

Day 1 began with the registration of participants at 2pm, followed by the course overview conducted by Sis Pilar. Then came a lively game to determine the groupings of the partipants for the duration of the seminar. Various big and small group activities, from getting the participants’ expectations to group sharing to a talk on Healing by Fr. Luke, interspersed with participative games and lively animation songs, led by the SRA novices, then followed. The evening was capped by a solemn and serene Taize meditation inside the church with the participants gathered around the candlelit altar.

Before sunrise of Day 2, the participants and facilitators, were off to Tierra Verde II park for a half-hour of Shibashi meditation cum exercise and communing with nature led by Sister Pilar. This was followed by morning prayer at the chapel of the Sisters’ Adorers, then breakfast at Nishizaka Hall. The rest of the morning was filled with talks and sharing on the different vocations. It began with a talk on Vocation conducted by Sis. Marian, the Vocation Directress of the DM Sisters. This was followed immediately by personal sharings on the different vocations in life: the priesthood by Fr. Luke; the nunnery by Sis. Melba, SRA; the state of single blessedness by Ate Leila Vicente; and the married state by Kuya Al and Ate Karen Yap.

After lunch, the participants were given time to prepare for their presentation later that evening. Fr. Luke took the floor again at 4PM to talk on the Eucharist. Finally Sis. Flor, ASC guided the entire group as they assessed what they had learned over the 2-day seminar, finding out which of their expectations had been met and which needed to be addressed in future gatherings. The 2-day seminar closed with the Holy Mass at 6:30PM followed by the group presentations.

The graduates of this first Youth Vocation Camp were: Bea Copino, Chezbel Cayas, Riza Gan, Nico Garcia, Chico Gonzales, Emman De Guzman, AJ Jacolo, Mark Magpusao, Robert Navalta, Cora Pangyarihan, Rogel Quintero, Althea Tamayo, Princess Tan, Arriane Trinidad and Mehlea Virata.

It is the wish of the organizers that this initial camp opened the minds and hearts of the 15 participants to the different states of life as they discern their future. The talks, sharing and group discussions, hopefully, have provided them some guideposts in their journey through life.