Catholic youths attend leadership training

Participants of the discipleship and leadership training programme at the Church of Mater Dei Lutong, Miri.

MIRI: The Miri Catholic Diocese Youth Apostolate (MiDYA) is organising discipleship and leadership training programmes to prepare the young from the church to face life after school.

A five-week stay-in programme at the Church of Mater Dei, Lutong, is ongoing and will end on Feb 12.

Some 105 youths waiting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia and who are currently jobless, are taking part in the programme being coordinated by Father Sylvester Ngau Juk.

They are from parishes throughout the Miri Diocese and Sibu, including rural areas like Long San, Limbang and Belaga.

The invited speakers included priests, nuns, seminarians, lay people, Archbishop Simon Poh and Bishop Richard Ng.

The youths are learning a range of topics to prepare them for their life ahead, said Fr Sylvester.

He added these topics will prepare them spiritually and emotionally as well as psychologically for challenges they might face in the future.

“They are taught to strengthen their discipleship with Christ and relationships with people.

“They are also trained to deal with human emotions, to build their prayer life, hande issues in the working world, priestly and religious vocations, life and death as well as reach out to the community,” said Fr Sylvester.

The participants will also be doing charity work as part of their training.