By Matters India Reporter

Dum Dum, Oct. 2018: A Catholic school in Kolkata organized a youth camp to bring its students closer to the theme of the Synod of Bishops held in faraway Rome.

“We were happy to receive the message of the Holy Father and his concern for the spiritual growth of the young people,” said Cecilia, an eleventh grader of the Auxilium Convent School in Dum Dum, a suburb of Kolkata. “The Church wants the youth to be active in the spiritual life.”

Around 35 Catholic students of eleventh and twelfth grades participated in the October 25 camp on the synod theme, “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”

Salesian Sisters Esther Rani Abraham, Restitula Kharpran and Anima Minj animated the camp.

The Synod on youth was held from October 3 to 28.

Cecilia thanked the nuns for giving them an opportunity to be a part of the synod through the camp.

The camp began with the participants entering the hall in a procession with a lighted candle, proclaiming that Jesus as the light of the world.

Sister Teresa Adampakallel, superior of the local community of the Salesian nuns, opened the camp and Sister Abraham explained the synod theme and its preparations through a PowerPoint program.

Sharon Bose, a twelfth grader, said they were taken up Pope Francis’ message to the young people. They studied the message in groups and came to the following realization.

“We apply ten layers of foundation on our face, instead of that if we wipe off dust from some ones cheek won’t that be effective? Our liners wipe away when a dust particle enters in our eyes. If that’s being true beauty it would have stayed, yet wiping off tears from someone’s eyes would give in ten times more blessings,’” she added.

Janettee Rozario, another twelfth grader, said the camp was a great experience for her. “I came to know about the importance of the young people in the Church. Young people are the future of the Church, so we must have faith in Christ and discern ourselves and surrender ourselves to the will of Christ,” she added.

The camp awarded the best performers. It ended with Mass where the participants prayed for all the young people of the world.