INTRODUCTION

Good afternoon, dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

The Church places great importance to the young people, not only
because of their rich gifts and strong potentials, but more importantly in
fidelity to the life and mission of the Lord Jesus who Himself became young;
thus, she has established her youth ministry in its various forms in different
levels. The Church in the Philippines aims to concretize this in a special way
during this special year, the Year of the Youth, where we all hope to lead
young people towards a stronger relationship of faith in Christ, discovering
their beloved-ness, giftedness and being empowered, taking part in the
mission of the Church.

As a community of the faithful gathered to celebrate the mysteries of

Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, let us pray that we become
instruments of God’s preferential love for the youth, celebrate their presence
as both blessing and challenge, and journey with them towards new life in
Jesus Christ.
Please all rise as we begin our Eucharistic Celebration.