Socio-Pastoral experience with IDP camps and different villages

Activity:

In this academic Year in October, students got opportunity to spend two weeks with the different communities as a pastoral experience. They were sent in groups to some IDP camps and different villages where priests can occasionally reach to the community. Every group have performed different activities. They organized youth, children and taught them Catechism, gospel songs. In the villages, they stayed with people, visited to their homes, listen to them and prayed for them. They also helped the Catechists in their daily ministry works such as home based prayer service, rosary prayer and facilitated Sunday liturgical celebrations, practicing hymns with faithful community and many other activities.

 

List of Parish, Villages and IDP Camps visited by the Students

Outcome

One of the most agonizing phenomenon of Kachin is the IDP camps. Some of our students come from this camps.  Other students were exposed to this human suffering.  For two weeks they were placed for pastoral experience. They were helpful in pastoral visits.  They were teaching catechism to youth, children, facilitating payer services. This on the job experience helped them to gain confidence and also an eagerness to learn new subjects like trauma counselling.  Accompanying the Catechist was a great learning experience.  Students experienced the daily life of a catechist as a grass root community faith leader, understood the needed skills and capacity to be a good community faith leader. They learned many things from the community, inspired by some catechists who have strong commitment and dedication in their ministry work. Being with the faithful community enabled students to understand the struggle and suffering community more clearer picture. This has imposed them to study more and to improve their skills in order to support and comfort community more effectively. Being at New Life Rehabilitation center for two weeks was also a great experience for them. Students gained much awareness on how serious drugs problem was, how the church is responding to this issues and how to involve in countering drugs issues.

Faithful Communities in different parishes, villages and IDP camps really delighted to receive students and cheerfully welcomed the students. It has boosted students’ pastoral spirits in large quantities. Some of the faithful even appealed to have more pastoral exposure trip. Students’ exposure trip has also served a greater help to the parish priests, catechists for their ministry work.

 

Activities photo of Students in IDP Camps

 

Prayers, Bible Sharing, Rosary and Sunday prayer services

 

Sharing, group discussion, bible teaching