By Maters India Reporter

Bangalore: Father Chetan Machado, the national executive secretary of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) has urged youth and chaplains animators to enrich and support to the youth and youth ministry in the country.

He was speaking at the concluding day of the second Animators and Chaplains Training programme (ACT-II) organized by the National Youth Commission under the aegis of CCBI supported by Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) and Young Catholic Students/Young Students’ Movement on May 26.

The 18-26 May programme included a two-day consultation meeting with the ICYM national exucitive followed by the training programme, which started on May 18 with the inaugural Mass celebrated by Father Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General, CCBI. During his homily, he explained the importance of the training and power youth contain at NBCLC, Bangalore.

Father Alathara delivered the keynote address in which he said that “we are not here to participate but to contribute. We have been moving from confusion to clarity. Today we have reached some clarity but miles to go. He also explained about CCBI and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India movements.”

The training session began by invoking God’s blessings followed by lighting the lamp by the dignitaries. Percival Holt, president of ICYM welcomed the delegates.

The training began with a session on group dynamics and group building by Prashanth. He conducted many group-building activities to demonstrate to the animators and also ‘how to attract young people’ to youth ministry.

The training programme continued for the next eight days. Participants were trained based on eight modules: principles and dynamics of youth ministry, youth psychology, youth and media, youth and spirituality, working with youth at risk, youth and life skills, youth and vocational guidance and youth ministry and social consciousness.

Challenging youth for social activism; civic responsibility; instilling political consciousness.

During the training, participants were divided into six groups. All the groups were involved in various activities like conducting prayer meetings, visiting parishes, group dynamics, recreation and animation.

Every day began with the Mass and ended with night prayer. Participants evaluated the day’s programme every evening and on the last day there was a general evaluation. Every participant was asked to pray for a secret friend and on the last day during the short concluding programme, each participant revealed their friend and gave him/her a gift in a creative manner. All the participants were awarded a participation certificate.

Thirty eight participants from different parts of the country attended the programme.