HONG KONG (SE): Twenty-three young people aged 14–20 attended a phone- and gadget-free Youth Encounter Weekend 6 at Breakthrough Youth Village in Shatin from the evening of September 11 to the afternoon of September 13.
The event, organised by the BLD-Hong Kong Covenant Community’s Youth Ministry, invited participants to encounter Jesus more deeply through love and acceptance within a community setting.
The programme combined talks, peer sharing, reflection, games, worship, a reconciliation service, and a thanksgiving Mass. It helped the young attendees reconnect with their faith and reflect on their priorities and family relationships amid everyday struggles and anxieties.
Father Jhay Em Guilleno, rector and parish priest of the Diocesan Shrine of St Mary Magdalene and parish of San Lorenzo Ruiz–New Kalalake in Olongapo, Philippines, served as the weekend’s spiritual director.
In a safe, reflective space, participants opened themselves to God and to one another. They reflected on being made in the image and likeness of God, the necessity of humility to give and receive feedback, the courage required to reveal their true selves, and finding strength in their relationship with God.
Young people from the BLD Youth Ministry served behind the scenes with logistics and planning, and in front as facilitators, musicians, and speakers, echoing Father Guilleno’s call to “be a living blessing” and to share God’s presence with the group.
Reminded that their power supply is the Lord and that they are called to worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and service, the participants concluded the weekend filled with joy.
They left knowing that God knows their hearts, loves them, and keeps them safe as they step forward on a new path, journeying with peers and others who share their faith and values and accept them as children of God.
